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You’ve taken the plunge and outsourced your content development. Hopefully, you’ve reviewed your content marketing checklist with the team that will be taking on the writing. You’ve expressed exactly who your target audience is, the key points you want to include, and provided background information on the topic or resources that should be explored for further information.

You’ve seen – and approved—an outline. Maybe you added a bullet or two into that outline to make sure the writer hits another key point he or she was missing.

A couple of days or weeks later you receive an e-mail with a draft. You simply preview it in your inbox as you’re passing through your flood of e-mails.

At first glance, it seems “OK” – but you’re busy right now.

When you finally have 15 minutes to read it thoroughly, you realize it’s just not what you wanted. I mean, it’s not terrible, but it’s missing some valuable points that you deem incredibly important for your audience.

So, how do you express this to the team that conducted the writing? There are instances where edits can even make things worse, so you’ll want to be thorough and clear when you provide feedback.

For example, “it’s missing something” isn’t going to offer enough clarity. Or, “can you re-work the introduction” will not provide the content writer with enough substance to make edits that you’re happy with.

You want to provide feedback that explains why (if it’s not obvious). When a writer understands your “why,” it’s easier for him or her to jump into that mindset during the revision.

Here are eight helpful tips:

1. Track your changes.
2. If the piece will require multiple reviews throughout your organization, get it in front of everyone first. Sending back one set of feedback before receiving the rest will cause much confusion. Many times, internal changes are not aligned, causing the writer to make one set of changes based on your feedback and another set of changes based on another employee’s feedback. When the feedback is contradictory, it can cause a problem. If this is the case, it’s best to have a quick call with both parties and the content expert so everyone involved can come to a conclusion on how something should be revised.
3. Make one or two edits yourself. Yes, you’re paying someone else to do this, but when you have a vision that is not being met, allowing a content company to see your revision in the flesh helps with remaining revisions.
4. If your change is something as simple as capitalizing a letter in a word specific to your company, make the change and then let the writer know if you plan on working with him or her again. Adding comments to a document that indicate this is time-consuming on your part and it’s not constructive to send back a document simply asking for this minor change.
5. Be specific when it comes to tone or style. If it’s general style and tone that are rubbing you the wrong way, provide a section of the piece that was not relating your tone and style and provide a sample of a piece of content that more accurately expresses it.
6. Deliver feedback promptly, when possible, especially if you’re up against a deadline. This allows the writer the ability to ask a question, if needed, and to ensure they are meeting all expectations outlined in the requested revisions. It keeps the subject fresh and the momentum going.
7. Ask for the content expert’s opinion. If you’re working with a reputable content team, they’ll have the expertise needed to guide you. Tell them what you want and let them provide you with a suggestion or two. Sometimes brainstorming is the most effective and creative way to create content.
8. Use sentences that clearly explain what you want. For example:

• “Focus less on features and more on the benefits.”
• “Incorporate our product XYZ.”
• “Including our company name at the beginning of the article makes this feel too sales-y. Please make this educational first and weave our company into a final sentence as a call-to-action to learn more about XYZ.”

It’s important to remember that feedback is critical when forming a relationship with a writer you plan on working with long-term. It’s unrealistic to expect a piece of content to be spot-on the first time you work with someone. The first piece is always a feeling-out process on both sides. What you’ll notice, though, if you continue to work with the same company, is that after one or two pieces, things will flow smoothly and you’ll start getting exactly what you want — with ease.

Evaluate the entire process after the first piece. Did the company communicate well? Was the company easily accessible? Was the draft delivered on time or ahead of schedule? Do I like the writing style? After feedback was provided, did I get exactly what I wanted?

If yes, then it’s worth going forward with this content expert.

Don’t become discouraged by a piece that doesn’t meet your vision the first time around. Put in the footwork at the onset so that you’ve got a go-to content expert at your disposal for all of your future pieces.

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