How to Avoid Embarrassing and Costly Mistakes

April 24, 2005 -- MediaMinister today launched a new service aimed for those wishing to save themselves — or their business — money, time and face before going public. Proof Xpress™ is designed for all those last-minute or rushed written communications that absolutely must make a favourable impression, including adverts, articles for publication, books and booklets, short brochures/flyers, correspondence, email campaigns, press releases and kits, sales letters, speeches and websites. Essentially, the online service aims to catch all those irritating and potentially costly mistakes without compromising the original author's work, and so protect and enhance their image.

“Most if not all of my clients are very concerned with the image they project,” says Tracey Dooley, copywriter and editorial consultant, MediaMinister. “And quite rightly so. It doesn’t matter if your message is delivered in print or electronically, initial impressions are critical. Even the most benign typo can have devastating consequences.”

Beware the spellchecker or grammar checker, though. Neither is fail-safe, and they can only compare words to those that they have on file. They do not consider the meaning and impact of words in context, either. In fact, they have been shown to miss even the most obvious of errors.

“I’ve seen serious slip-ups in documents that had supposedly passed the computer spellchecker program,” continues Tracey. “One was quite a major typographical error in a front-cover headline for a leading consumer magazine. Another was for an online film portal where a review finished mid-sentence.”

If you write for publication or business purposes and your work contains inadvertent mistakes in grammar, spelling, word usage, spelling, it looks at best amateurish. But it can also damage your credibility, as the reader concludes you are not attentive to the details.

Having an objective, expert eye cast over your documents is more than worthwhile. Proofreaders often see what you can’t. As the original creator, you tend to be too close to your own work and only see what should be there, not what is actually there. Therefore, no matter how careful you are, it is unlikley that you will spot your own errors.

From as little as £11, Proof Xpress™ will sweep out any ‘cobwebs’ that might cling to your written materials and return them to you polished and error-free within 4 hours to 7 days. And in the unlikely event of it not being returned ‘word-perfect’ you will be offered a prompt revision at no expense.

It’s an important tool for all those who face a deadline crunch and who wish to make a favourable impression, or simply want to combat unintentionally offending someone. Which is one of the main reasons why Proof Xpress™ was introduced.

Another was positive client feedback: “The work Tracey did for us was thorough, detailed, extremely professional and, even though Tracey was given very short notice, she met with our tight deadlines. We certainly would recommend MediaMinister services…” For more information on how Proof Xpress™ works, or to order your proofreading job today, visit http://www.mediaminister.co.uk/proofxpress.htm.

About MediaMinister
MediaMinister offers copywriting, editorial and communications consultancy to clients worldwide. Services include: writing (journalism, creative and business), editing, proofreading and consulting. Projects handled: ads, brochures, sales letters, articles, web content, and every other imaginable piece of written communication designed to educate, entertain, or sell an idea, an issue, a product or a service.