“This needs work” is the most useless feedback you can give a writer. Here’s why.
It tells them something is wrong.
It doesn't tell them what.
Or where.
Or what to do about it.
So the writer guesses.
Rewrites the intro. Swaps a few words. Sends it back.
And the next round says "still not there."
Another round gone.
Same problem in the draft.
At TechLookBD, our SEO specialists and content writers work on the same pages. Feedback is where the strategy reaches the writer. If the note is vague, the strategy never makes it onto the page.
Here's how we approach it at TechLookBD. Every note answers 4 things:
Where
The exact section, heading or line. "The second H2" is easier to act on than "the middle part."What's wrong
Name the problem. Off intent. Too vague. Answers the question too late. No next step for the reader.Why it matters
Tie it to the page's job. "The searcher wants pricing first, and it's buried under the background" gives the writer the reason behind the note.What to do next
One clear action. Move the comparison up. Add an internal link to the service page. Cut the intro down.
Compare these two:
"This needs work."
"The intro takes too long to answer the search query. Answer it in the opening lines, then put the background below."
Same reviewer.
Same draft.
Only one of them gets a better page back.
Vague feedback costs a round.
Specific feedback moves the page forward.
What's the most useless feedback you've ever received on your writing?
Top comments (5)
Your four-part test is the part I will keep, because the vaguest note I ever received was 'make it stronger' on a draft whose real problem was that the second section answered a question nobody was asking. I rewrote the intro three times before someone finally pointed at that section and said the reader needed the price first, and then the whole piece fell into place in one pass. Vague feedback does not just cost a round, it teaches the writer to guess at the reviewer's taste instead of fixing the page. Which of the four parts do your reviewers skip most often when they are in a hurry, the where or the why?
Hi @robertpaschal
Usually, it’s the why.
Reviewers point out a section but don’t explain why it matters to the reader or the page’s goal.
Without that context, writers end up fixing symptoms instead of the real problem.
yeah, the why is the whole note. without it you're just guessing at symptoms.
Point taken @robertpaschal brother 👍
yeah, that's the idea.