How to Review Content Fast — Even If You’re Picky About Your Voice
Most of the content that drives a modern PR program isn’t flashy: It’s the building-block pieces that create a brand with stuff like contributed articles, Q&As, executive blogs, and the occasional well-written LinkedIn post.
That kind of content is the backbone of your thought leadership. It’s what keeps your voice out there when there’s no major product launch or funding news to anchor your voice with media coverage. But for all its positive value and implications, content often hits a bottleneck in the review stage, and it’s usually because the executive reviewing it is overthinking it.
Yes, executives are busy people, but the reality is that the delay usually isn’t about time. It’s about discomfort: Discomfort with someone else writing in your voice, publishing something that isn’t “perfect,” and/or committing to a POV that doesn’t list all your key messages and value propositions in one fell swoop.
Here is my promise to you and I will die on this hill: The executives who review and approve content quickly are the ones getting the most coverage.
Why Speed Matters
Just like about every other industry on the planet, Public Relations (PR) is rapidly changing and incredibly different than years prior. Whereas before you could count on briefings even for non-news discussions, today, content is the engine. Regular contributed pieces, Q&As, and blog posts that fuel momentum when there isn’t any ongoing news happening. That means content needs to be timely, and getting stuck in “let me sit with this” mode is a fast track to missed opportunities.
One of the biggest blockers is executives thinking every single piece of content needs to perfectly encapsulate their entire company’s story. I hate to break it to you, this isn’t your brand manifesto: It’s a blog post, contributed byline, or written Q&A. These singular pieces are designed to be small slices of your POV and general external “brand” - not the entire pie.
To get around speed and bandwidth, many organizations and executives use ghost writers. These are writers that draft content on behalf of the executive while working closely with him/her to mirror their tone, style, and voice. Good ghost writers should make the process faster and more seamless.
The Ghostwriting Paradox
Some executives struggle with the very idea of someone else writing on their behalf. It can feel risky, or even inauthentic. But let’s demystify that. Almost every busy executive you admire has a ghostwriter or at least a content partner. The good ghostwriters aren’t just making stuff up. They’re able to channel your unique voice, remember past POVs, and insert your language so it truly feels like YOU.
The key is building that relationship. Spend time up front with your ghostwriter. Let them hear how you speak, what you care about, what sounds like you, and what doesn’t. It might take a round or two of heavier edits, but if it’s still a heavy lift after the third round, you either have the wrong writer… or you’re holding content to the wrong standard
4 Tips for Reviewing Content When You’re Picky
Are you picky when reviewing content for your brand or that’s ghost-written for you? Let me give you a competitive edge:
Be involved early. A good ghostwriter should already be pulling from your 1:1 relationship with him/her, your background, your POV, and your past commentary. If the draft feels way off base, it’s likely because something was missing in the setup or you didn’t spend enough time sharing your thought process up front. A good ghost writer should also know how to pull this information out of you..
Treat content with the right weight. Not every piece needs to be perfect. Think of your own content consumption — how much do you actually read word for word? How many pieces do you remember two days later? Your content just needs to be good enough to prove a point and be one singular puzzle piece in your larger thought leadership platform.
If it’s always painful, get help. If you dread writing, reviewing, or polishing — hire someone who doesn’t. It’s not cheating, and it doesn’t mean you’re inauthentic. It means you’re smart about time and scale.
Try starting with an outline before the full draft. When I begin working with executives on the first few pieces, I typically draft up an outline of the piece before I write the full article. This ensures we’re on the same page with the direction of the piece and saves us both time during the review process. When they see the draft, it’s easier to review since we both agreed on the key points and examples during the outline stage.
When to Obsess Over Details
Yes, details matter. But not all content deserves the same level of scrutiny.
If you’re publishing an op-ed in a highly visible place like The New York Times or a major company manifesto, please do spend time on that piece and ensure it’s up to your standards. In those cases, tone, structure, and precision matter deeply.
But if it’s a contributed piece in a trade publication or a quick-turn Q&A, focus on the core message. Make sure it’s accurate, aligned, and doesn’t misrepresent your POV. Then ship it.
What doesn’t matter as much in those cases:
Whether every sentence is a masterpiece
Whether the tone is 100% you or just 90%
Whether it’s exactly how you’d say it out loud
The goal is momentum, not perfection. Get the piece out, show up consistently, and move on.
Visibility > Perfection
If you want to lead conversations in your space, you have to show up. That means getting comfortable with content that may not be perfect, but is good enough, timely, and true to your point of view.
Thought leadership isn’t built in one sweeping, brilliant article. It’s built through a steady drumbeat of showing up, again and again, with something to say. So stop treating every draft like it’s sacred. Give good writers the input they need, build the relationship, and trust the process. The faster you review, the more visible you’ll be. And in this media landscape, visibility is everything.