copy editing

Every writer benefits from an objective review that refines their words while preserving their unique “voice” and style. Copy editing supports your strategic and business goals by improving the quality of your communications—both internal and external.

Blacklok’s copy editing service is a line-by-line process focused on fundamentals like readability, sentence structure, flow, word choices and grammar. We also check maps, illustrations and captions for accuracy, verifying titles, names and weblinks.

Good copy editing results in a stronger, clearer, more concise document that improves your connection to target audiences. Blacklok identifies and corrects weak points in your text that can hinder the ability of readers to understand your message.

style guide development

If your organization uses a variety of writers, produces multiple documents and webpages, or has a social media presence, a style guide can ensure consistency across all your print and electronic communications.

A style guide (or “house style”) sets your standard for spelling, capitalization, use of titles, acronyms, technical terms and industry jargon, appearance of graphs and tables, citing sources, how images are used, document formatting, and more.

Depending on your needs, a style guide can be a simple, one-page checklist of hard-to-spell technical terms recurring in your documents, or a more comprehensive guide that covers additional areas. Style guides are meant to evolve, adding new words and terms as necessary for your writers.

Consistency is king in copy editing and proofreading. Blacklok can develop a reference tool that reflects the unique way your organization prefers to use certain words. A custom-made guide ensures that your writers, webmasters and communicators are all drafting text that is consistent with your approved house style.

A clear, consistent presentation of your written content—across all the platforms and types of media you use to communicate—is noticed and appreciated by readers.

Ultimately, those subtle yet positive impressions have a cumulative impact on your organization’s credibility, reputation and brand.

proofreading

Proofreading is often regarded as a “lighter” version of copy editing, but it’s equally attentive to detail.

Proofreading is applied to text that has already undergone more intensive editing and revision—possibly including your organization’s own internal approval process. At this stage you’re comfortable with the words and messaging and need a final quality check.

Blacklok’s proofreading focus is on catching any errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling that may be lingering in your content. That includes maps, illustrations, captions, tables, graphs, headers and footers, appendices, glossaries, indexes, drop-down menus—in short, every component of your document or website.

If your organization already has a style guide, proofreading ensures your text conforms to it. We’ll pay special attention to tricky items like technical or industry-specific terminology. If you don’t have a style guide, Blacklok will flag areas where consistency issues need attention.

Finally, proofreading checks text formatting for consistency with your approved design specifications. Page-to-page variations in line spacing, font size, indents, bullets and other micro-level details may seem trivial, but it’s guaranteed that your readers will spot those tiny glitches.

presentations

Many people rank public speaking high on their list of biggest fears. The dread of pulling together a PowerPoint presentation to go with it is usually not far behind.

Blacklok can wrangle your words, images, graphs and tables into a professional set of slides that engages viewers. Working from your basic content, we’ll build a PowerPoint deck that delivers your messaging concisely and with visual impact.

You may already have a slide presentation with some updating or formatting issues to fix, or one that needs a more thorough makeover. We can help, even under tight deadlines requiring quick turnarounds.

Blacklok’s presentation service also includes speaking notes tailored to your comfort level with oratory, whether it’s just a few bullet points to riff on, or full-sentence text that you can deliver with confidence.

If your slides require custom images, we can provide photographic services.

photography

Good writing often benefits from the visual support that great pictures provide. One strong image can be worth the proverbial thousand words.

Blacklok’s photography service provides high-quality, editorial-style coverage that will increase the impact of your website, annual report or brochure’s written content.

We’ll tackle community events, construction progress shots, stakeholder engagement activities, informal executive portraits—whatever your organization can think of. We can advise on ways to leverage your new images to achieve optimal visual and communications value.

And if you’ve already got the electronic version of a jumbled shoebox of snapshots, Blacklok can evaluate and organize your collection as a functional image library you can build on.

developmental editing

There are times when editing delivers its greatest value at the beginning of the document drafting process. Blacklok can work directly with your writers as they create new content.

Developmental editing helps your in-house subject-matter experts compose new text at an early stage, optimizing the presentation of information for your target audience.

It may also involve creation of a style guide to maintain consistency in your organization’s use of unique jargon and technical terms.

This form of editing also ensures that new content will align with your organization’s strategic and corporate goals, branding is supported, and your message can be effectively communicated via all your preferred tools and media.

communications

Blacklok offers clients a unique point-of-difference: when applying an editor's eye to revising and proofreading written content, our communicator’s insight and experience can ensure that your target audiences and messaging are well-defined, and stakeholder engagement tactics are on point.

• Key message creation is a bedrock component of effective communications. Prepared messaging—ideally, an ever-evolving document—helps your organization to identify and manage issues, and ensures you’re always delivering consistent responses.

  Well-planned key messages play a vital role in crisis communications: informing your audiences while helping to maintain your organization’s credibility and reputation.

  Blacklok can apply a developmental editing approach, working with your subject-matter experts to identify topics and craft a comprehensive suite of key messages that support those who speak for your organization.

• Getting ready to launch a new project or policy initiative? Planning a special event? Blacklok can create a communications plan to support your efforts.

  We’ll identify target audiences, recommend tactics, tools and timing, craft key messaging, and propose follow-up evaluative measures.

• Stakeholder engagement, a primary communications function, is all about building relationships.

  Blacklok can help your organization develop a project-specific stakeholder outreach approach that identifies key audiences and how best to engage them in a meaningful way.