Content quality: Setting objective standards in a subjective word of editorial
A reader writes, “I would like to set quality standards to deliverables but need a clearer criteria of what is “good enough”. As a brand, I would like to be aligned on a standard of quality. Any suggestion on how to start or framework, or templates to get me started?”
All organizations regardless of size should have a standard of quality for deliverables – I even have one for just me, so I can easily get into the zone of writing and get organized before I start.
Setting quality standards means every piece of work reflects your brand’s values.
“It’s like you’re my mirror”
Quality matters because it affects your reputation, trustworthiness, and everything that comes after that. Either clients will trust you, or sense that you phoned it in – and therefore you will with them too. There’s not really a middle ground to trust, and you can earn it or lose it in seconds.
A shoddy website and marketing materials will make it look like you do shoddy work.
Clients will be more likely to try to negotiate if they don’t perceive you as top-tier.
First impressions can turn someone away for good.
Conversely, quality copy, content, and web presence can build trust and increase inquiries.
The highest risk area for quality slips is when a task is transferred from one person to another. I call these “seams”. This is where blame may come up, usually third person deflective like… “I didn’t know”. If a process issue causes content to be forgotten about, duplicated unnecessarily, or cause blockers for other higher priorities; this is where money is lost to inefficiency.
Common challenges in maintaining quality are more expensive than you think
If you’ve made it clear from the get go that it’s their job to know, then it’s also your job to make sure ownership is outlined in your documentation. No surprises!
Communication challenges can highlight where teammates aren’t collaborating well.
Unclear or subjective feedback can confuse the team and make it hard to meet expectations, like moving goalposts.
When teams lack quality standards, people can see "good enough" differently, and this costs time and output to go back and forth on.
How to create quality standards for deliverables
The only way to improve the entire system, is to align it to a single bar, then slowly raise that bar through regular feedback, trainings, and development.
1 - Define your core principles. Keep them focused and clear, limiting them to 5-10 key essentials of writing. Here are some examples:
Communicate intent clearly and concisely
Always use active voice
Write with the reader in mind
Fact-check all information before it’s published
Write within our brand’s scope of expertise and services
2 - Create an editorial style guide:
Develop an editorial style guide that encapsulates these principles, covering aspects like tone, grammar, and formatting. This guide will serve as the foundation for all written content.
I have a template that is loosely based off of Mailchimp’s wonderful and comprehensive version, that I then bulk out based on the brand I am making it for. It includes everything one would need to “write well” and what that means.
3 - Leave feedback in Docs that links back to the style guide
When providing feedback on deliverables, reference the style guide to reinforce these core principles.
4 - Include your standards in the briefs that you share with editorial:
This helps writers remember these standards, reducing the likelihood of surprises during feedback.
5 - Reinforce your standards:
Regularly reference your standards in meetings, reviews, and feedback sessions. This consistent reinforcement helps embed these standards into the team’s workflow.
6 - Standardize processes:
Recurring tasks have a higher predictability and consistency in quality when approached with guidelines.
For all tasks, standardize processes
To keep things consistent and high-quality across recurring tasks, start by creating detailed steps for every task your team spends significant time doing. Basically, whatever the 5 main bullets of someone’s job description, they should be able to access a standard guide to completing that task, sometimes called Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
If it’s for editorial, you’ll leave room for the writer to be creative and go outside the brief when appropriate – the best content starts with a solid backbone, and is layered on top of that with the writer’s unique voice, experience, expertise, and uniqueness. Include your five-ish core principles of quality within your editorial briefs to remind writers of the core guidelines.
For recurring, non-editorial tasks like keyword research or SEO audits, create a distinct list of steps that can be turned into an SOP.
Break each task into clear, sequential steps that are easy for your team to follow. Make sure to include specific examples and provide clear instructions to guide the process.
Streamline the use of tools and templates
You can do everything you need with 3 types of tools: A documentation tool like Notion or Confluence, Google docs for writing, and a task manager like Jira or Monday to manage tasks within larger projects and OKRs. Set up SEO and editorial templates to make every deliverable start out ready to meet your brand’s quality standards.
Quality is mostly about clarity and consistency, and making sure your team has the resources they need to succeed. Keep it simple and flexible, and regularly revisit your standards to keep them relevant and effective. Quality work isn’t just about doing more; it’s about doing what you can and doing it well.
