How to Use Instagram Insights (in 9 Easy Steps)

Instagram Insights shows you engagement analytics that empower you to improve your Instagram for Business strategy.

You no longer have to guess about what works for your audience; Instagram Insights will tell you. You’ll therefore be able to get more likes, earn more followers, and grow your profile exponentially.

In this post, we’ll go over everything you need to know about Instagram Insights and how to leverage it to improve your Instagram profile.

Why use Instagram Insights?

Instagram Insights allows you to get access to important user engagement data for your business profile. It’s not just enough to know the raw numbers, such as the amount of likes you get for one post. It’s important to understand your audience, too.

That’s where Insights comes in. It tells you how they do things, what they prefer, and who they are. You can certainly make business decisions based on gut feeling, but you're much more likely to hit the mark when you can validate assumptions with cold, hard facts.

Data and analytics help you measure the impact of your marketing efforts across different channels to see if there's something you need to do differently — like target a different audience, post at a certain time of day, or experiment with a new content format.

Social media isn't any different from other aspects of your marketing in the sense that it can be measured and improved upon. That's why you'll be able to create a more effective Instagram strategy using Instagram Insights.

To use Instagram Insights, you must first have a business profile. The good news? If you're already using a personal account, you can switch to a business profile right from your phone. Here's how to convert your account in a few simple steps.

1. Open up your profile on the Instagram app.

You can convert your Instagram profile to a Business account directly from your Instagram mobile app. First up, open up the app and click on your profile picture on the bottom right-hand corner of your feed.

2. Access the Settings page.

Next, it’s time to head to Settings. On your profile, click the hamburger icon on the top-right corner.

On the pop-up, click “Settings.”

3. Tap "Account."

A list menu will come up. Tap “Account.”

4. Click "Switch to Professional Account”.

By switching to a Professional account, you can get access to Insights immediately — even if you’re not a business.

5. Choose your category and click “Done.”

Choose the best category that describes you. Once you’re finished, click “Done.”

After, go back to your profile. Here’s what it will look like:

As you can see, you can immediately access Insights with a Professional account. If you’re a freelancer or content creator, you can stay as is, or you can take the extra step of switching to a Business account.

6. Optional: Switch to a Business account.

If you’re a business, organization, or brand, you’ll want to take the additional step of turning your Professional account into a Business account. A Professional account gives you full access to Insights, but is designed for independent digital creators. A Business account is more apt for companies.

Note that turning your account into a Professional account always comes before switching to a Business account.

To turn your account into a Business account, click the hamburger menu in the top right corner of your profile. Click “Settings,” then “Account.” At the bottom, click “Switch Account Type.”

Then click “Switch to Business Account.”

Done! You’re now a Business account with access to Insights.

7. Optional: Connect your Facebook page.

Lastly, if you have a Facebook Business page, it’s important to connect it to your Instagram Business or Professional account. To do so, go to your profile and click the “Edit Profile” button.

Under “Profile Information,” click “Connect Facebook page.” Follow the prompts to connect your Page or create a new one.

Be sure to already have a Facebook account prior to connecting your page. Click here for instructions for setting up your Facebook Page if you don't already have one.

Once you’ve set up your Professional or Business Account, you can begin to use Instagram Insights.

Before we get into specific instructions for using it, however, here are the analytics on this channel that marketers need to know and understand — and how to use them.

Instagram Insights Explained

Let’s look at Instagram Insights from a bird’s eye view and zoom in piece-by-piece.

Insights Overview

Insights Overview is the “home page” of Instagram Insights. Here, you’ll see how you’ve fared overall.

You get several pieces of information on this page:

• Date Range: This represents the days and weeks of data on the screen. You can change the amount of time by clicking “Last 7 days” on the top left-hand corner.

• Information: If you’re ever lost or don’t know what something means, you can click on the “i” button on the top right-hand corner and get definitions for the terms on the screen.

• Accounts Reached: Accounts Reached refers to the number of unique users who have seen your content — posts, stories, reels, videos, Live videos, and promoted ads — at least once.

• Accounts Engaged: Accounts Engaged refers to the amount of users whom 1) you’ve reached and 2) interacted with your content in some way. Interactions can include likes, saves, comments, shares, and replies.

• Total Followers: Total Followers refers to the number of people who follow you.

• Content You Shared: This section gives you the overall number of posts, Stories, reels, videos, Live videos, and promotions that you’ve shared.

Now, let’s go into “Accounts Reached,” “Accounts Engaged,” and “Total Followers” in more detail.

Accounts Reached

In Accounts Reached, you’ll see more specific information about the users who have seen your content and interacted with your profile in some way or form.

Lets’ break down the different pieces of information you’ll find in this page.

• Reached Audience: The reached audience section shows you how many unique users have come across your content. Your reached audience will be broken down by follower status, gender, age, countries, and cities. You can also see the amount of people you’ve reached via ads and promotions.
• Content Reach: The content reach section allows you to see which types of posts have reached the greater amount of people. You’ll first see a graph with the number of people who’ve seen your posts, stories, reels, IGTV videos, and Live videos. Underneath, you’ll see your individual top-performing posts based on reach.

• Impressions: Impressions refers to the number of times all of your posts have been viewed — including repeat views by the same users.
• Profile Activity: Profile activity breaks down the actions users take after visiting your profile. You can see the number of website taps, business address taps, call button taps, email button taps, and text button taps. For these metrics to show up, however, you have to have set up those buttons.

Accounts Engaged

Accounts engaged refers to the number of users who interacted with your content beyond just watching it or scrolling past it. Let’s break down the sections on this page.

• Engaged Audience: The engaged audience section shows you how many unique users have liked, commented, saved, shared, or replied to your content. Your engaged audience will be broken down by follower status, gender, age, countries, and cities.
• Content Interactions: The content interactions section shows you the total number of times people have liked, commented, saved, shared, or replied to your content. It then breaks down this number on a per-post basis. You’ll also see your top-performing posts per category.

Total Followers

The total followers page of Instagram Insights allows you to see the total number of users who follow you. You can also see follows, unfollows, top locations, age ranges, and genders.

Under total followers and its demographic breakdown, you’ll then see one more section: most active times.

• Most Active Times: The most active times section shows you the hours and days that your followers are most often on Instagram. This allows you to determine the best times to post so you can engage the greatest amount of followers.

Next, let’s go over how you can see insights for individual posts on Instagram.

How to See Insights for an Individual Post

• Navigate to your profile.
• Navigate to the individual post you’d like to see insights for.
• At the bottom of the post, there will be a banner. Tap View Insights.
• You can now see how many likes, comments, shares, and saves your post received.

How to See Insights for a Reel

• Navigate to your profile.
• Navigate to the individual reel you’d like to see insights for.
• At the bottom of the reel, there will be a banner. Tap View Insights.
• You can now see how many plays, likes, comments, shares, and saves your reel received.

How to See Insights for a Story

If your Story is currently live on your profile:

• Navigate to your profile.
• Click on your profile picture.
• Scroll up on the story.
• You’ll immediately access insights for that Story, including replies, exits, link clicks, forwards, and more.

If your Story has already expired or more than 24 hours have passed:

• Navigate to your profile.
• Tap the Insights action button at the top of your post grid.
• Under Content You Shared, tap the row of Stories you’ve shared in the past.
• Swipe up on the individual story you’d like to see insights for.

How to See Insights for a Live Video

If you’ve just finished your Live video:

• Tap View Insights immediately after finishing your video.
• You’ll now be able to see the number of viewers, likes, drop-offs, comments, and other interactions.

If you broadcasted your Live video in the past:

• Navigate to your profile.
• Tap the Insights action button at the top of your post grid.
• Under Content You Shared, tap the row of Live videos you’ve shared in the past.
• Click on the old Live video you’d like to see insights for.

How to See Insights for a Video

• Navigate to your profile.
• Click the Play triangle button (▶) right above your post grid.
• Tap the video you’d like to see insights for.
• Tap the horizontal (⋯) or vertical (⋮) three dots on the corner of the video.
• Tap View Insights in the pop-up menu.

Next, we'll get into how to use Instagram Insights in your day-to-day. 

How to Use Instagram Insights

Instagram Insights is a fantastic tool, but it can be hard to know what to do once you gain access. Here are some of the most useful ways you can use Insights as you grow your Instagram profile. 

1. Measure reach.

Click the Accounts Reached section. As mentioned, reach reflects the number of unique users that have seen any of your Instagram posts.

Within this category, you'll see insights for:

• Top Posts: The posts that generated the most reach.
• Top Stories: The Instagram Stories posts that generated the most reach.
• Top IGTV Videos: The IGTV videos that generated the most reach.
• Impressions: How many times your posts were seen.
• Profile Activity: Profile visits, website taps, and other activity.

Some of these insights can be expanded for more insights.

2. Track profile visits and followers.

On the Accounts Reached page under Account Activity, you'll be able to see Profile Visits.

Profile Visits reflects the number of times your profile has been viewed.

Find out how many of your profile visitors are turning into followers by dividing your number followers by the number of visitors. Track this number over time to find out whether your “conversion rate” is increasing or decreasing.

3. Determine website clicks.

Website Taps can also be found under Accounts Reached > Profile Activity. This insight reflects the number of times any links you've included in your business profile have been clicked.

5. Track content interactions.

Navigate back to Insights Overview and tap Accounts Engaged. This will bring up a page that shows how your content is performing in terms of engagement, breaking down the metrics by content type.

Likes speaks for itself, reflecting the number of users who liked your post. As with likes, Comments reflects the number of comments left on your post. Saves highlights the number of unique users or accounts who saved your post. If any of these numbers are low, it’s important to reevaluate your Instagram strategy.

6. Track your followers.

Navigate back to Insights Overview and click Total Followers. You'll then reach the Follower Breakdown page.

This page reflects how many followers you've gained or lost over the past week, as well as the average times of day when your followers are using Instagram — data that can be highly beneficial when planning posts.

7. Learn which actions were taken on your post.

To view insights for a specific Instagram post, start by visiting your profile. Tap on the post you'd like to look into, then click View Insights below the image

Under the “Profile Activity” section, you’ll find out the number of actions that users took on your profile as a result of seeing your post — things like visiting your profile, then taking an action like clicking on your website link or following you.

8. Use "Reach" to see where your post showed up in feeds.

Previously named “Discovery,” Reach indicates where your post was seen — or discovered — the most, including how many accounts weren't already following you when they first saw the post.

This section includes metrics on Impressions, which reflect the number of times your post was discovered from a particular place within Instagram, like the user's home feed, a search, your profile, a location tag, or a hashtag.

Reach insights also include data on a post's reach — which reflects the number of unique accounts that saw your post.

9. View Story insights.

Instagram users with a business profile are able to view insights into their ephemeral Stories.

To view your Story insights, navigate back to Insights and scroll down to Content You Shared section on the Insights Overview page.

Scroll down to the Stories section, and you'll be able to see insights for older stories, as well as any that have not yet expired.

Next, we'll get into the more specific insights you can explore.

Impressions

This insight represents how many times your Story was seen.

When viewing these insights, keep in mind that you're able to add multiple images or videos to your Story. When you do this, every piece of visual content in your Story is counted as a single photo or video in your post.

Let's say you add six photos to your Story. Whether someone only views one or views all six, Instagram only counts your entire Story having received one impression.

The same goes for Story content that has been viewed by a single user more than once. Instagram still only counts that interaction as the entire Story having received one impression.

Reach

This insight reflects the number of unique users that have seen your Story.

Taps Forward

This insight reflects the number of times a user taps your Story photo or video to skip to the next piece of media.

Taps Back

This insight reflects the number of times a user taps your Story photo or video to go back to the previous piece of media.

Replies

This insight reflects the number of times users send messages through the Send Message text box on your Story.

Swipe Aways

This insight reflects the number of times users swipe to skip to the next account’s Story — not to be mistaken for "tap forward," which reflects users skipping ahead to your next piece of Story media.

Exits

This insight reflects the number of times a user leaves the Stories section entirely to return to the home feed.

Measuring Your Effectiveness With Instagram Insights

Now that you know how to access data to inform your strategy with Instagram Insights, you can analyze that data and determine what's working for your audience (and what's not). From there, creating content that gets a ton of engagement will be a lot easier as you consider those benchmarks.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in January 2018 but has been updated for comprehensiveness.

How to Use Instagram Insights (in 9 Easy Steps) was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

14 Copywriting Examples From Businesses With Incredible Copywriters

We’re all familiar with Flo from Progressive, right?

Stephanie Courtney, the actress that plays her, makes Flo memorable by capturing Flo’s quirkiness — appearing in everything from commercials to print ads, and social media posts.

And do you know who is behind all of that marketing collateral?

Copywriters. The ability to find the exact right words to tell your company's story isn't an easy feat, and it's even harder to do so consistently.

So when we come across companies that are doing it successfully, we think their copywriters deserve a pat on the back (and a raise?). Take a look at some of the companies we think have stellar copywriting, and if you're looking, maybe get some inspiration for your own brand, too.

1. Omsom

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Why we like it: Omsom’s copy is playful and authentic. Company founders, the Pham sisters, are able to share a bit about their culture, the ingredients, and make home cooking accessible and quick for visitors of all skill sets.

I typically enjoy cooking, but I don’t always have the time. Omsom has made me step my game up. Their ready-to-use starter pouches of spices and sauces have helped me churn out Asian dishes quickly minus the hassle of store-hopping and buying larger quantities than I need. Still, I always end up buying more than intended when I’m on their site because it not only looks delicious, but the copy is a huge motivator to click add-to-cart.

Right at the start, the homepage (pictured above) invites you to “rip, pour, and fire it up” and get ready to stuff your face. By focusing on ease and three simple steps, they’re able to make the value proposition that their product is not only tasty, but time efficient.

There’s also plenty of wordplay used. The founders, who have the last name Pham have worked it into various spots on the site, including their note welcoming visitors to their "Phamily."

The language is the perfect balance of both playful — even calling out that the Pham sisters were rowdy youths in their definition of Omsom (above) — and no nonsense when it comes to ingredient quality.

2. Articulate

Why we like it: Articulate has nailed the pun game. It’s cheesy in a good way, and makes them more relatable to job seekers. Most people don’t want to just be a cog in a company’s machinery, so by adding some humor, Articulate sets itself apart from other corporate competitors.

Articulate, a HubSpot Agency Partner based in the U.K., is an inbound marketing agency, and their website copy is full of witty, confident copy on pages where you wouldn't think you'd find it. Here's exhibit 'A':

The copy above introduces Articulate's "Meet the Team" page — not a page you'd think can pull off witty copy, right? Well, Articulate's page goes beyond employee photos and their job titles.

In addition to the playful header, "not the usual blah blah," the copy above takes on a farm theme, assuring visitors that employees aren't simply "caged hens." Rather, they're a "free-range, artisanal, cruelty-free team." Funny on the surface, but helpful to job seekers who, much like food, want to know where their work comes from and how it's made.

3. Moosejaw

Why we like it: Moosejaw’s use of humor builds an emotional connection with site visitors — delighting them while providing information they can use.

Not many brands are brave enough to touch the products they're selling with unconventional copy ... but Moosejaw isn't afraid to have a little fun.

The outdoor apparel outlet store uses humor as a way to sell their products without being overly forward about it. By appealing to people's emotions, they're more engaging and memorable.

Here are a few examples:

Same goes for the call-to-action buttons that show up when you hover your mouse over a product photo — like this one, which reads, "Look This Cool."

Does their brand voice carry over to the product descriptions, you ask? See for yourself:

If you think the brilliant copy stops at their homepage, think again. They extend it to their return policy, too. Here, they do a great job of not sacrificing clarity for humor. Their copywriters successfully made people laugh while still being helpful.

4. First Round Capital

Why we like it: First Round Capital uses language to empathize with their readers. Starting a company is challenging, and First Round Capital understands that and conveys they are there to help.

While a sign of great copywriting is making people smile, another is making people feel understood. The copywriters at First Round do a phenomenal job at letting the value of their offerings for their customers sell themselves.

For example, they hold over 80 events every year connecting their community together. Instead of just explaining that they have events and then listing them out, they begin that section of their website with a simple statement that hits close to home with many entrepreneurs: "Starting a company is lonely."

Using words like "imperfect," "safety net," and "vulnerable" encourages readers to let their guards down and feel understood by the brand and their community.

Plus, you've gotta love that last line about stick-on name tags. Those things get stuck in my hair.

5. Trello

Why we like it: Trello’s text is clear and concise, which is exactly what users need in order to learn how to use the product. Switching project management software can be a challenge. Trello’s copy makes sure new users don’t get left behind.

Do you know what Trello is? If the answer is no, then behold the copywriting on their website. Their product description -- like most of the copy on their site — is crystal clear:

And then check out how clear this explainer content is:

Some of the use case clarity can be attributed to how smart the product is, but I think copywriters deserve some credit for communicating it clearly, too. They call it like it is, which ultimately makes it really easy to grasp.

And I couldn't write about the copywriting talent at Trello without including the clever references in the microcopy of their login page:

Each time you refresh the login page, you see a different, equally clever example email belonging to a fictional character, like Ender from Ender's Game and Dana Scully from The X-Files — a great example of nostalgia marketing. This is a small detail, but nonetheless a reminder that there are real humans behind the website and product's design. Delightful microcopy like this kinda feels like I just shared a private joke with someone at the company.

6. Velocity Partners

Why we like it: For David Kessler of Velocity Partners, less is more. His use of “word economy” delivers engaging, powerful content in a concise manner.

No post from me about excellent copywriting would be complete without mentioning the folks at Velocity Partners. A B2B marketing agency out of the U.K., we've featured co-founder Doug Kessler's SlideShares (like this one on why marketers need to rise above the deluge of "crappy" content) time and again on this blog because he's the master of word economy.

What is "word economy"? It's taking care that every word you use is the right word. It means getting your point across concisely and not dwelling on the details when you don't have to. In a world of shortening attention spans, this is the ultimate goal when communicating your message.

And since we're talking about word economy, I'll shut up and let you check out one of Kessler's SlideShares for yourself:

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Whereas SlideShares are typically visual, Kessler's is heavily focused on copy: The design stays constant, and only the text changes. But the copy is engaging and compelling enough for him to pull that off. Why? Because he uses simple words so his readers understand what he's trying to say without any effort. He writes like he speaks, and it reads like a story, making it easy to flip through in SlideShare form.

The copy on Velocity Partners' homepage stood out to me, too. Check out, for example, how humble they are when introducing their case studies:

I also like how casual and honest they kept their email subscription call-to-action. The header is especially eye-catching — and it plays off of the popular SlideShare about crappy content we mentioned earlier.

In fact, Velocity Partners' Harendra Kapur wrote a blog post on what goes into to great B2B writing — starting with this disclaimer, of course.

7. Scott's Cheap Flights

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Why we like it: The team at Scott’s Cheap Flights positions themselves as travel industry insiders with their handy pro-tips and down to earth lingo.

Scott’s Cheap Flights is known for finding discount airfare, but they’ve branched out with a variety of offerings, including guides. Adding a personal touch, the team at Scott’s has also offered up some pro tips of their own on their “Meet the Team” page.

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Members feel like they’re getting information from seasoned experts, and they’re able to pair these tips with photos of the employee that gave them. This small, but useful addition builds connection with site visitors and improves the company’s credibility.

8. Cultivated Wit

Why we like it: Cultivated Wit’s site copy is very on brand — humorous and witty. What better way to convey what you can offer to visitors than by demonstrating it in real time?

The copywriters over at the "comedy company" Cultivated Wit do a great job of embracing their own brand of quirk throughout their site. They already have one of the best "About" pages in the game, but their delightful copy is spread throughout their site — sometimes in the most unexpected of places.

For example, take a look at the copy around contact information at the very bottom of their homepage:

This section of the homepage is an afterthought at best for most companies. But for these folks, it was an opportunity to have a little fun.

They also have two, unique email subscription calls-to-action on different pages of their website. They're very different, but both equally funny and delightful. Here's one from the homepage:

And one from the "About" page:

9. Cards Against Humanity

Why we like it: Their copy is abrasive and a little offensive, which perfectly lines up with their brand voice and audience.

You may or may not be familiar with Cards Against Humanity, the self-declared "party game for horrible people." It's a card game — one that's simultaneously entertaining and inappropriate. The copywriting on the cards themselves are guaranteed to make you laugh.

The brand voice is very distinctive, and can seem a little abrasive, and even a little offensive. But that's their whole shtick: They're not trying to appeal to everyone, and that's perfectly okay. What they do do a great job of doing is appealing to their target audience.

One look at their FAQ page and you'll see what I mean:

Here's a sneak peek into some of the answers to these questions. You'll see they make fun of both themselves and the reader — which is exactly what the card game is about.

10. R/GA

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Why we like it: B2B companies are not exactly known for their humor. R/GA bucks that trend with hilarious hot takes via social media. This light approach makes them more relatable and helps build brand awareness.

I've been focusing a lot on site copy so far, so I wanted to check out some examples of excellent social media copywriting.

I know you all like to see some more B2B examples in here, too, so I surfaced one of the best examples of the holy grail: Twitter copy, from a B2B company, that's funny. Behold, some recent highlights from the R/GA Twitter account:

11. innocent

Why we like it: Like Velocity Partners, innocent’s copy proves that simple language can be just as effective as its more descriptive counterparts. There’s no need for long paragraphs, innocent gets straight to the point.

Check out U.K.-based drink makers innocent, and you'll see a language, style, and tone that matches their philosophy, product, and even their branding and design. It's all just clean, straightforward, and simple. And believe it or not, simple is a really, really hard thing to nail in copywriting.

This stands out most on their "Things We Make" page. (Isn't that page name even beautifully simple?)

This same straightforward-but-charming copywriting philosophy extends to their site navigation:

Their meta description is pretty awesome, too:

And my personal favorite:

12. GymIt

Why we like it: GymIt truly gets their users and expresses it with funny advertising about pretending to move to get out of a contract. The company knows their audience and knows just what to say to hook them and make them smile.

I've always loved the copy at GymIt. In fact, I check their site and social profiles all the time to see if they've freshened anything up. Luckily, they're no one-trick pony. They continue to keep their site fresh with captivating copy.

Here are some of my favorites, all of which hit on the pain points of gym-goers that they try to solve — and actually do solve with their customer-friendly policies.

I can vouch for that one. I know how much of a hassle it is to move far away from your gym — and how refreshing it must be to be able to walk in and just ... quit.

All of this rolls up to their philosophy, espoused eloquently on their "About" page, that gyms should just be about working out:

Talk about having an understanding of their core audience. The copy both in its value proposition and across its marketing materials reflects a deep understanding of their customers.

And how did their copywriters choose to make sure everyone knew what this new gym franchise was about if they didn't read that "About" page? This tagline:

Doesn't get much clearer than that.

13. ModCloth

Why we like it: ModCloth is delightfully quirky and whimsy. Their copy speaks directly to their buyer personas with product copy that helps buyers envision their lives with the item.

ModCloth is a brand that has always had an excellent grasp of their buyer persona, and it comes through in their pun-filled copywriting. All of their products are silly plays on words — check out this screen grab of some of their new arrivals, for example:

Dive into their product description copy, and it's equally joyous, evocative, and clever — just like their customers. Often, it'll also tell the story of what you'll do while wearing their items:

After reading their descriptions, one can imagine what their life would be like if they owned this product. That's Copywriting 101, but so few brands can actually pull it off like the folks at ModCloth do.

14. Ann Handley

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Why we like it: Despite an impressive portfolio and list of accomplishments, Ann Handley makes her site copy relatable instead of just reading like a resume. It’s the perfect balance of personality and professionalism.

When it comes to building up your own personal brand, it can be easy to get a little too self-promotional. That's where the copywriting on your site can make a big difference.

On Ann Handley's personal website, she added bits of microcopy that shows, despite her many accomplishments (like being a best-selling author and award-winning speaker), that she still doesn't take herself too seriously.

Check out her email subscription call-to-action, for example:

Flex Your CopyWriting Muscles

Anyone can be a successful copywriter with the right brand voice — and a little editorial guidance along the way. Get inspiration from the brands above or start compiling your favorite examples.

This article was originally published January 17, 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

14 Copywriting Examples From Businesses With Incredible Copywriters was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

11 Editorial Skills You Need to Become a More Efficient Editor

When I first started practicing my editorial skills on the HubSpot Marketing Blog, I didn't quite realize how much time each one would take.

Depending on the length, topic, and other variables, it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an entire afternoon to edit a single blog post.

This post isn't about cutting corners; it's about editing efficiently. That sometimes means giving more thoughtful feedback upfront so your job is easier when the final draft does come in. Other times, it means keeping a few key websites handy so you can refer to them quickly – whether you're checking the author's math or adding a Pinterest “Pin It” button to an image.

Want some ways to edit more efficiently while maintaining integrity? Here are 12 ways to save time when you sit down and whip out that proverbial red pen.

11 Ways to Save Time While Editing a Piece of Writing

1. Find a quiet space to do your editing.

Don't try to get your editing done in a meeting, or when you're around chatty coworkers.

Research shows that multitasking like that can make us far less effective at our work and increase mistakes and stress. And when you're editing, you're trying to catch those mistakes so you want to be extra diligent.

Instead, find a place where you can plug in and concentrate fully on the piece in front of you. When you get there, turn off those pesky email and social media notifications, and put your phone on airplane mode (or, better yet, leave it in your bag).

In fact, for every notification you get, it can take 23 minutes to get back on track, according to a study from the University of California.

If you're working through a piece of writing that'll require more than a few hours of careful editing, consider blocking out chunks of uninterrupted time with small breaks in between – the Pomodoro method.

2. Be sure the topic aligns with your content strategy.

You might be tempted to dig into the meat of the piece and begin meticulously editing it straight away. But, as an editor, it's important to put the content into context before diving into the details.

First, take a quick skim of the working title and the main ideas covered in the piece. Think to yourself:

• Does this topic align with our content strategy?
• Will our readers and buyer personas care about it?
• Does each section flow naturally into the next?

If you're concerned the piece isn't about a topic your readers will be interested in, think about how to tweak the angle.

You'll also want to reflect on how the piece fits in with what you've written in the past -- especially if the piece is a blog post.

Search engines like Google might see the second post as duplicate content and penalize you in search. Even if Google doesn't consider it duplicate content, competing for keyword ranking against another post from your own blog will hurt your SEO strategy.

The questions to ask here are:

• Have we covered this topic comprehensively in the past?
• Does this offer a fresh angle and perspective?

If both answers are yes, you might consider updating and republishing the original draft.

3. Read for content and ideas first, grammar second.

Never start diving into detailed edits before you read the whole piece through. It's important to reflect on it holistically so you can pinpoint places where the content and ideas can be improved.

This may seem like we're adding time here, but trust me, this will save you a lot of time and pain in the long run. If you've ever started editing a piece line-by-line only to realize it needs to be completely restructured, you know what I mean.

The key takeaway here is to recognize when the piece needs more work from the author.

"Sometimes, an author sends a piece in before it's ready to be edited," said Corey Wainwright, HubSpot's Website CRO strategist & copywriter at HubSpot. "Learning to recognize those instances can save you a ton of time because otherwise you start just rewriting the piece, which isn't helpful to either of you."

Ginny Soskey, former Marketing Blog manager at HubSpot, agrees.

"Your job, as an editor, is to preserve the voice of your writer while making sure they are meeting your quality bar.”

You may notice the piece doesn't flow well, or the introduction needs to be tightened up, or there aren't enough points in the article for it to meet your standards for quality. In that case, send that feedback to the author via email as that may be more productive than switching everything around yourself.

If the piece needs an overwhelming amount of editing help, then the author's writing may not be a fit for your publication – and you'll save a lot of time by telling the contributor outright.

4. Check for places where the author can fill in the blanks.

Aside from providing larger, more broad feedback, you should also read through the piece to identify smaller improvements that you might want (or need) the author's help on.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Are there any structural inconsistencies in the piece? For instance, if they included an example in every section of the piece except for one or two, you might ask them to find one for each of those sections.
• Are there any points that need any, more, or better evidence? Statistics and data can elevate the quality of your content and make it more interesting for readers.
• Are any sources missing citations? This is a big one.

As you read, take notes on these points in an email draft to the author. Once you're done, make sure you clean up the notes so they're comprehensible.

5. Bookmark helpful websites for quick referencing.

Once the content, ideas, and structure of the piece are all ready to go, you can get down to the nitty-gritty.

This is where I like to keep a few websites bookmarked for reference. Here are the ones I prefer.

• Capitalize My Title –To double-check capitalization based on your style guide.
• Percent Change Calculator – To make sure the math is math-ing.
• Your favorite keyword tools – To identify top keywords for the content so you can use them in the title, headers, and relevant anchor text.
• Pinterest 'Pin It' Widget Builder – To create 'Pin It' buttons for graphics or infographics.
• Grammarly or Hemmingway – As a backup in case you miss something while editing.

6. Keep useful code snippets close at hand.

Along with bookmarking helpful websites, it's also a good idea to have all those useful snippets of HTML or other code that you tend to use easily accessible.

For example, you might use specific code to include a “Featured Snippet” module in your CMS.

To make this process easy, I save code snippets in my Evernote. When it comes time to add them to the source code of my blog post, I simply pull up the note and plug in the snippets as needed.

Here's an in-depth intro to HTML so you can learn helpful coding hacks.

7. Read the piece out loud.

The importance of this step cannot be overstated.

Reading out loud isn't just good for memory retention, it's also great for spotting errors. You're more likely to find clumsy sentences and other things spell check won't catch if you read out loud.

Best-selling author David Sedaris uses this verbal approach to fine-tune his writing.

According to Fast Company, Sedaris tests his works-in-progress by reading them aloud to live audiences because it helps him notice imperfections in the text. As he reads, he'll circle everything from confusing or misleading phrasing to closely repeated words.

"I used to hate it when a book came out or a story was published and I would be like Ddamn, how did I not catch that?'" Sedaris said. "But you pretty much always catch it when you're reading out loud."

Reading out loud will help you catch these errors in the first go-round, which will save you time later.

8. Use "Find and Replace" to quickly fix common errors.

We all have words that trip us up, no matter how long we've been writing or editing.

Think about it: What are the mistakes you tend to make when writing or editing? What things do you tend to miss?

Start keeping track of this and adding it to a personal blog. Then, as you're editing, do a "Find and Replace" before publishing to catch any mistakes that slipped through the cracks. It's a far quicker way to polish a piece than looking for these instances manually.

To do a "Find and Replace," hit Control + F on a PC (or Command + F on a Mac), type in your problem word or phrase, and click "Find."

9. Do a final check on Microsoft Word.

It doesn't matter how meticulously you eyeballed a piece of writing: More often than not, you will find additional errors using spell check that you would otherwise miss.

If your writing software has spell check, use it. We also recommend pasting the content into Microsoft Word (length-permitting) for a final check.

Just remember to give the document a few extra seconds to process your piece once you've pasted it in there, as Word takes a little longer to "read" your piece and uncover any mistakes.

Then, you can go through it and assess any red or green squiggly lines you see.

10. Know when the content is good enough.

I know as well as any other editor that letting go of perfectionism is hard. But it turns out that perfectionism, while helpful in certain contexts, can become a major roadblock for productivity.

There will always be something you can do to improve a piece of writing. You might think of "done" as spending every possible minute improving, polishing, and refining a piece until it's whittled to perfection.

But what are you sacrificing by making more, minor improvements? And are those sacrifices realistic? Are they worth your time? At some point, you need to ask yourself: “When is 'good enough' good enough?”

Of course, knowing what the threshold for "good enough" is easier said than done. Here's a helpful formula to give you some direction:

1. The piece successfully solves the problem, addresses the need, or conveys the message intended.
2. It is clearly and distinctly on brand.
3. The quality of work is consistent with or above the level of previous work.
4. It has been thoroughly yet objectively scrutinized by other qualified individuals.
5. The final decision of preference had been left in the hands of the creator.

Make sure that you complete the most important editing and proofreading tasks. Then, once you've refined a piece enough to move on ... just move on.

11. Keep this pre-publish checklist handy.

Before you hit "publish," it's time to do a final once-over to make sure you've checked all the boxes.

While this seems like another extra step, remember that this is an investment of time that'll save you from having to return to the piece later to make edits and adjustments.

As such, use this online editing and proofreading checklist when doing your final check. Feel free to also add to the list, as you may have additional steps in your process.

Ultimately, being an efficient editor requires concentration, attention to detail, and the ability to know when to stop. With this list at your disposal, you'll be better in no time.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in April 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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