Help your writer: how to give meaningful feedback using 3 pillars
Structured feedback is meaningful feedback.
Do you like this copy?
“Around the corner from the street you walk down every day hides a discreet bakery; you’ll find it if you follow your nose in the early morning hours. This is where the comforting and the unexpected come to play. Buttery scones infused with earthy rosemary, lopsided muffins bursting with crunchy bits of macadamia, gooey chocolate cookies sprinkled with freshly ground sea salt.”
Maybe yes. Maybe no. Maybe you just don’t like baked goods.
Today, I’m inviting you to give me feedback. But not just any feedback. Tailored, specific, and guiding feedback.
Writers are a protective bunch. For better or for worse, our words are our babies. Feedback will always sting us a little, but here’s how you can offer up feedback that will help both you and your writer hit the mark.
Why feedback matters
I’ll be the first to admit that as a writer, I don’t always welcome feedback as openly as I should. It’s a practice in humility and big-picture thinking.
But mastering the art of giving and taking feedback is a critical skill to have, especially for leaders. It challenges us to express ourselves while considering the efforts of others.
There are some words that might make you cringe. Others that make you roll your eyes.
Words have power. They conjure up memories and different associations for different people.
It’s in these moments that teams learn how to resolve conflicts. “But feedback shouldn’t mean conflict!”, I hear you say. Sure, it shouldn’t, but whether you’re aware of it or not, it does. Both for the person that created what’s in review and for the reviewer who is trying to extract the best work possible.
But this is all fine and dandy because conflict is normal. A life without conflict is boring. We would stay put, holding onto the notion that our ideas are the best.
In the words of the OG American Idol, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.
Cheesy? Yes. Relevant? Yes.
If you let tiny bumps like feedback “kill” you, you will never become a stronger writer. If you let pushback from your writer “kill” you, you will never help them become stronger writers. And strong writers make for killer branding.
How not to give feedback to a writer
Let’s start with the bad.
Back to this copy:
“Around the corner from the street you walk down every day hides a discreet bakery; you’ll find it if you follow your nose in the early morning hours. This is where the comforting and the unexpected come to play. Buttery scones infused with earthy rosemary, lopsided muffins bursting with crunchy bits of macadamia, gooey chocolate cookies sprinkled with freshly ground sea salt.”
A little context. Let’s say we’re an agency working on an Instagram caption for our client’s bakery. I’m the Copywriter, you’re the Marketing Manager.
On the left are examples of unhelpful feedback. On the right, how reading this feedback is making me feel.
That’s a lot of eye-rolling. It’s also a lot of time and energy that could have been put to better use.
As a writer, getting feedback like this puts me on the defensive. I know I shouldn’t be defensive. I know that it’s for the best. But it’s a natural response (especially for creatives) to react first with emotion, second with logic. And when we’re in a time crunch and I respond to your feedback, chances are that my tone will be peppered with subtle (or not so subtle) touches of hostility.
And there you are, just trying to do your job. You wonder why I’m being combative. It’s a murky standoff. We both feel annoyed. The collaboration Gods shake their heads.
The issue? This feedback isn’t tailored, specific, or guiding.
But here’s how we can fix that.
How to give meaningful feedback to a writer: 3 pillars
Feedback should consider your audience, your brand, and your writer. Meaningful feedback touches on some or all of the following 3 pillars:
- Tailored: the feedback must be tailored to fit the audience and the situation. Frame your recommendations from your reader’s perspective.
- Specific: Don’t simply say that you would like a sentence or paragraph to be more “light” or “playful”. Address the exact words and structures that feel off and explain why you think they don’t fit using descriptive language.
- Guiding: Your feedback needs to direct and help the writer produce what you’re looking for. Back up statements with suggestions or relevant examples.
Tailored
This pillar considers your audience. When you’re offering up tailored feedback, you may use data or research to back up your recommendations. Or, you can reference audience demographics.
Example: “One of our biggest sellers is our fresh bread. Can we mention this when describing our food? This sentence assumes that our customers might only want baked treats.”
Why this is helpful: You and your writer can see the mutual benefit in writing for your customer. This removes your personal opinion and makes it about your audience.
Specific
This pillar considers your brand. Do you have Brand Voice Guidelines? I hope so. Highlight specific words that feel off and back up your recommendations by referencing the attributes of your brand’s tone. This is also a smart way to start a discussion around certain words that you think should make the “words not to use” list.
Example: “The word “lopsided” doesn’t sound inviting or tempting. It can actually have a negative connotation. Let’s use an on-brand adjective here instead.”
Why this is helpful: This feedback suggests that this word is off the mark from the guiding compass. Brand Voice Guidelines are crucial if you’re creating content for your brand. They help teams uphold consistency and build trust.
Guiding
This pillar considers your writer. It’s helpful to shed light on which direction you would like the revisions to go. Not only will this save many rounds of back and forward, but it will also help your writer the next time around.
Example: “The sentence “this is where the comforting and unexpected come to play” doesn’t resonate. I find it unclear that we’re talking about flavors. Let’s re-word this sentence to better communicate that our bakery offers traditional goods with a modern twist”.
Why this is helpful: This feedback tells the writer why you don’t like that sentence and how you think it may better resonate. You’re not telling the writer what to say, but you’re adding a few keywords that will help them restructure the sentence.
So the next time you’re less than satisfied by what your writer delivered, try offering up feedback that’s tailored (considers your audience), specific (considers your brand goals) and guiding (considers your writer). Grounding your recommendations on these pillars will help remove personal biases and will result in stronger collaboration.
Yes, giving meaningful feedback takes time; that’s what makes it meaningful. In the long run, it will save your team from unnecessary rounds of revisions and bottlenecks.
P.S: While I’ve been writing short-form copy for a while, I’m a bit rusty in the long-form department. I would love to hear your feedback in the comments.
