PARTNER TESTIMONIALS

Hi and welcome to my written testimonial!

At the time of writing it’s the end of June 2023 and I’m coming up on the end of my second month at Pearl Lemon.

I’m Allison, and my role in the grand scheme of things is Client Editor. I’m essentially a professional critic (it’s my job to nitpick and complain). I proofread client content and leave comments on where the content is lacking and needs to be improved. 

I’ll keep the details of my role brief as they can come across as tedious and repetitive; I essentially investigate the client’s website and grab an understanding of their goals, missions, values and tone to establish the most appropriate voice for them. 

Then I tackle the created client content by one of our writers. 

A brief explanation of how I edit:

• • I proof-read. Having a general outline of how the blog ends helps critique the flow. The goal is to equip yourself with foresight, knowing where the topic is going and the tools used to get there makes you a better editor in evaluating how the foundation is composed. 
  • I critique the flow. Structuring your writing in a way that makes sense is key to the reader’s comprehension of the topic. Think of it like a recipe – certain aspects need to be made clear and known before building on those points. You can’t bake a cake without pre-heating the oven. 

• Fact-check external links. Where external links are provided, I ensure that the links aren’t broken and that the information is not only relevant but accurate. The blog is then further analysed to see if it’s employed correctly and from a reputable source. It’s truly important to make sure that the provider of the source material also aligns with the ethos of the client. 

• I use the Grammarly extension to check the spelling. Our clients come from various areas and some use American English, while others use British English. I’m unfortunately only well-versed in British English, so I make sure to use the tools at my disposal to ensure I do the best work possible. Nothing pulls a reader out of their emersion from the topic quite like a spelling error. 
• Check the SEO content requirement checklist. Pearl Lemon is an SEO agency, the purpose of us creating this content is to boost organic traffic. Herewith we have a set list of required criteria to optimize our client content and I check to ensure that our blogs reach this criterion.
• Final checks. I then do a final assessment whereby I critique if the blog holds relevance and expert advice and where it could provide better content. A massive part of content creation is the value it will add to both the reader and the client. A final check requires a detail-oriented eye and a keen understanding of the reader and the client alike. 
  
  

I then hand my edits over to the writer to correct. When the writer finishes responding to my critiques and finishes with their additions, then the content is returned to me. 

After that, it’s simply rinse and repeat! 

Honestly, I love my role, I feel I have a keen sense of what works and what doesn’t. I spent many of my university days essay writing and assisting peers in editing their works, which has become an instrumental experience in this position. Although my first steps weren’t perfect, the company culture has truly left me feeling encouraged as to what my future at Pearl Lemon will look like. 

Let’s take a look at my first steps together.

My first month at Pearl Lemon was quite a journey. 

When they say there’s a learning curve, this role proved that to me. I initially started with a single client, focusing on their brand and their content. Something I noticed immediately was that the acquisition of knowledge is an ever-expanding endeavour. I was constantly learning, having to do research and expanding my general knowledge to be able to edit effectively.

I had to learn what it meant to be patient with myself, the wider your scope of general knowledge, the better you can edit. That can be a tough pill to swallow when a lot of concepts are new to you, you’re ill-travelled or you’re simply completely out of your range of knowledge. I would get frustrated with myself as I would have to do a lot of research or I couldn’t add value to the content simply because I lacked general knowledge to do so. 

Chill. Learn. Then with the new knowledge aim to do better.

Deepak’s urgency to better himself and his openness with us in the weekly meetings about this constant progress (and the setbacks) encouraged me to be kinder to myself. To similarly always strive to do better. 

Furthermore, the remote company structure implored a bit of a shift within myself. I wasn’t previously unaccustomed to remote work (as I had spent the better half of my university life learning remotely due to COVID-19). 

There was however a shift in mindset that had to occur. 

Remote work requires a serious amount of self-discipline to make sure you keep up your diligence, and your motivation as well as having the right time management. It’s a different level of expectation when you’re constantly pushed to be at your best through accountability managers and Dee’s excellent example. 

Pearl Lemon is a very accommodating place (in that it is remote and you can choose your hours) but it also teaches you. Pearl Lemon implores you to have a different set of skills such as self-government and self-motivation in a way that is unique to remote working. 

With that in mind, we approach more recent territory: where I am now. 

In my second month, I have now had contact with various clients, which is great! The variety truly assists in diminishing the monotony of editing. You learn to have a level of elasticity in that you have to possess a versatile set of tools and knowing how to handle vastly different sets of client content is a learnt skill. The team is a huge help in this. 

We have a wide range of team members at Pearl Lemon with skill sets that are plentiful and vast. My talented team offers so many opportunities for skills development. The team pushes me to be better and inspires me every day. My supervisor Joanne, head of client content, makes sure to ask me where my interests lie and where I believe I can flourish.

Recently I discovered my interest in marketing, and when I mentioned this to Joanne, she immediately offered to look into it for me.