Please resist the urge to tweak

Giving in to the urge to tweak professional copywriters' text can lead to unfortunate bloopers - and destroy the clarity and flair of your carefully-crafted messages. Read on to find out why it happens and how you can avoid it.

Feel like making a last-minute copy change? It might hurt!
To tweak means to pinch, pluck, or twist sharply.
A tweak is a sharp, twisting pinch.

Sometimes, wearing one hat is enough
In the communications world, where the roles of project managers, graphic designers, and copywriters (to name a few) overlap, maintaining boundaries can be tough. In the creative process, brainstorming and sharing are essential: you want to generate as many brilliant ideas as possible, so all contributions are welcome.

But once the creative concept is in place, it's important to stick to the division of labor. Of course the team should still interact closely, but the graphic designer must be allowed to take charge of graphics, the copywriter of copy, and the project manager of timing – right up until the final product is done.

Not everyone claims to be a graphics whizz (and even fewer can use professional graphics programs), but we all know how to speak. So many of us think we can match a copywriter's written communication skills, too. But all too often, all you get when non-professional copywriters adjust copy is serious communications trouble.

What can go wrong?
Most copywriters appreciate all constructive criticism during the production process. It helps them understand the client and get the message right. But when the tweaking happens after the copywriter has produced the FINAL.doc version, you can end up with some extremely messy text:

• Crucial punctuation disappears 
• Uncalled-for punctuation appears (especially the exclamation point!!) 
• Unrelated sentences get fused into one 
• The order or flow of ideas gets jumbled, confusing the reader 
• Bizarre English versions of untranslatable foreign phrases creep in

Some antidotes to temptation
The next time you're tempted to take out your red pen, consider these points:

• If you're editing because you think it looks better with that word/punctuation/phrasing, consider that when it comes to good marketing copy, it's not the look or the rhyme but the meaning that matters. 
• If you're editing because it sounds better that way, consider that this may be the case in your native language – but not in English. 
• If you're editing because it's not in line with your cultural values (in Denmark, for example, English-language texts are sometimes deemed overly confident or too direct), consider that your English-language text will be read by an international audience that needs international messages. 
• If you're editing because the punctuation just doesn't seem right, consider that there's probably a good reason for the chosen punctuation.

Tips for getting the copy you want
Good copywriters have good reasons for their wording and punctuation choices. But there's always the question of style – and you and your copywriter may have different opinions. The best way to get the result you want is simple: just work with your copywriter. Our recommended process:

1. Every time you get a new draft from your copywriter, send him/her written feedback so s/he can make all the revisions and send you a new version. 
2. If there's anything you don't like about a text, tell your copywriter right away to find a solution that satisfies you both. Then you'll be happier with the results – and much less likely to feel tempted to alter them last-minute.
3. Factor the final proofreading/editing time into your budget. This crucial last stage is often the first to be cut out when budgets get tight – strange, because reprinting 1,000 brochures is more expensive than buying an extra hour or two of your copywriter's time.

Follow these steps, and both you and your copywriter will end up happy.

But there's more to a great copywriter-client relationship than just avoiding the temptation to edit. In our next issue, look out for our Comprehensive Guide to Working with Your Copywriter. It'll help you get the great copy you're looking for and develop a strong relationship with your copywriter. And that helps any writing project flow like butter.