Pair writing, why bother?
If you’re a content nerd you’re probably familiar with the term pair writing.
For the uninitiated it just means the (usually web) content writer sits down with the content owner or subject matter expert and they work on the content together.
If you haven’t tried it before you’re probably worried about the time it will take to work so collaboratively. I’m an efficiency queen so it was certainly one of my worries before we started trialling it.
We’ve been using the method for over 6 months now and I’m a total convert. This is why.
Pair writing will…
Make the quality of the content better
You know content but they know the subject and also the work environment. Government doesn’t set out to make bad content. It happens because of assumptions about user needs or time crunches or too many people getting involved in the review process. Considering content from all angles can start to deal with some of those pain points.
Improve the skills of the content owner for next time
We run writing for the web training. This is great for explaining the basic principles and practising a little bit. But it’s impossible to hand over years of experience in 2 hours. Working on multiple pieces of content together means the skills get reinforced over time. You will know the method is working when your other half is telling you what content mistakes have been made.
Build trust
It’s really easy when you’re sending a document backwards and forwards to get annoyed with each other. Why did they make that change, it’s terrible? Or why did they make that change, they don’t understand the topic at all? By working together you’re explaining and adapting as you go. You can understand the why and get to the best possible real world solution.
It stops being us against them and starts becoming ‘Emma who plays drums’ or ‘Katie who is on a perpetual hunt for the best almond croissant in Melbourne’.
You like it. What about the content owners?
One of my fears was that content owners might feel like we were pushing our work on to them. However, so far our owners have mostly been grateful for the support and keen to learn new skills. Communications officer for the Equality branch Katie said being able to pair her knowledge of the portfolio with my knowledge of how to optimise content was invaluable.
‘It really helps to think about designing the content to provide quick navigation to the information users are likely seeking. ,’ she said.
‘We’re making sure the content is useful for an audience. It’s turning the logic around, starting with why are people coming to the website? What knowledge are they seeking? Then we’re making sure we package the information in the best way possible.’
‘I also feel empowered to write in a modern and fresh way and not be as traditional in our writing and start with ‘The Victorian Government would like to’, now it’s ‘Join today’, ‘apply here’ predicting what action the user will take next after reading the information.
I’m convinced and I want to try it. What do I do?
This is our general process. Use it as a starting point and don’t be afraid to adapt to suit your personality and particularly the needs of your other half. Remember they’ll be juggling this with their other work and be prepared to be flexible.
Before you begin
Make sure your content owners/subject matter experts (SME) have done a Writing for the web workshop.
This will mean they know the basics and you can reinforce these techniques as part of the SDP pair writing process. If you have a number of content owners in a particular group, consider running a session just for them.
Make a regular time to work through pages together
At the beginning you should start from scratch together. Eventually you may be able to use this time as review time to increase your output. Two hours each week usually works well.
Start with user needs
Start by talking about user needs. Creating a user statement is a good first start but it doesn’t have to be that formal.
As a … (who the user is)
I want to … (what they need from the service)
So I can … (why they need it).
Try to focus on the main user if there are a few different audiences.
Use this time to mention any content gaps or requirements raised by users so you don’t forget them. Check your user feedback or talk to your call centre if you’re not sure what they are. Also discuss any legal requirements/can’t-leave-out style content.
Post-it notes can be a good way to do this. Alternatively just type it at the top of your page.
At this point, use a template. If you have common content types e.g. grants, make sure you have a template for each of these.
Make sure your keywords are right
Lock in your keywords early. This is a good way to check that your user needs are genuine and not made up. Use Google Trends to confirm your keywords. Make sure you also look at related keywords at the bottom of the Google search page (if search volume is high enough) to make sure you’re covering key questions that people have and meeting user needs.
Model what you’re looking for
Often the content owner/SME is a bit hesitant to get started. You can start as the main writer to model how it’s done and pass it to the SME for review. Then flip the process so they’re the writer and you’re the reviewer.
Keep checking the quality
Draft the page together and keep each other honest. If the words are too complex then keep refining until you’re both happy. Use the Hemingway app as a way to test how you’re going. Keep refining until you have a Year 8 readability score or lower.
If you have a lot of content to get through you’ll probably need to do in-depth reviews outside of the weekly in-person catch-up.
If you’re worried about approval points e.g. seniors managers or executives, it’s better to get the quality as high as possible and negotiate if you have to. Make sure you brief the approver on why the changes have happened if that’s a concern.
Do a user check
Particularly for high-use or complex pages, print the page out and get some feedback from real users.
Options for gathering user feedback include:
• contact centre (if they are taking calls on this content)
• people from the target audience group (it doesn’t have to be formal. If you have a page on gardening and your dad’s a gardener just send it to him)
The easiest way to understand the issues is to get your tester to highlight anything which isn’t clear or useful with a highlighter.
They should also make notes on where they:
• still have questions
• think the process is wrong/doesn’t reflect real life
• think important information is buried
