Why Would I Pay for Proofreading?

This question contains two separate assumptions that someone may have about a written text. One, if you write something carefully, review it, and even ask a colleague to look it over or you pay for editing, you may feel that you don’t need the services of a professional proofreader. Two, and more common lately, AI has made such amazing strides in capability that you may feel you can just run your work through a chatbot to find any errors.

This post explains why you need a proofreading pass, even if you’ve already had your text edited. “Editing” comes in many forms: structural editing, developmental editing, copyediting, to name a few. Here, I’m talking about proofreading, the pass that comes after editing. It involves reviewing text in its semifinal format to correct for points like punctuation, formatting, adherence to a company style, and consistency.

Infamous stories abound of the importance of proper punctuation. Consider the man sick in bed whose wife has gone on a business trip. He texts her with an update: Not getting any, better come home. (Consider placing the comma after “better.”) More serious, though, is the true story of the Maine dairy company that had to pay $5 million to its drivers because of a missing comma in the state’s overtime law. That state agency should have used a proofreader for its legal texts!

Proofreading can help keep costs down in other ways. You won’t need to pay twice for reprinting important marketing materials, for example, due to a typo. You’ll also get your ideas out there more quickly if you don’t have to wait for reprinting.

We all know that the biggest telltale sign of a scam in your inbox is that it has misspellings. Readers see that and delete. Poorly drafted text can also be distracting. You don’t want readers to focus on the errors instead of your message or worse, think it’s a scam.

Companies use proofreaders to preserve consistency in their publications and ensure a polished product. Proofreaders will point out if your copy refers to the meeting room in one paragraph, then calls it a conference room in another. They catch the minutiae you learned in English class that most people don’t notice, like when to use capital letters and when to use semicolons.

Why have someone proofread your documents if most people don’t notice? Because some people DO notice. Even if they don’t notice the semicolons, they will note that your company produces consistent, error-free publications that are easy to read and understand. Proofreading helps you protect your brand, your corporate voice, and your reputation.