8 Ways to Encourage Editorial Collaboration

Writing and editing are often solitary functions, but they don’t have to be that way. There are techniques, processes, and tools that will help you collaborate with fellow editors and writers.

You can foster a positive team environment and ensure a shared understanding of goals by working together and establishing the same expectations. 

A collaborative effort results in richer and more engaging content for your audience as well. 

There are several methods you can use to do this. Let’s take a closer look.

Key Takeaways (TL;DR)

1. Clear communication moves processes along with editorial tools that offer shareable reports, like Originality.ai.
2. Manage tasks with team collaboration tools to make it clear where each article is in the writing, editing, and publishing process.
3. Foster a team environment that encourages brainstorming and ideation.
4. Write and edit collaboratively with apps like Google Docs.
5. Develop shared goals and expectations so that everyone understands project requirements right from the beginning.
6. Have methods in place for conflict resolution, to keep everything running smoothly if contrasting ideas arise.
7. Keep feedback respectful and celebrate your team’s achievements.
8. Encourage continuous learning that helps everyone improve their skills.

1. Clear Communication Moves Processes Along

Open and frequent communication is imperative. Be it with other team members or a writer, keeping each other in the loop only makes the content stronger and eliminates the need for confusing edits and less frequent rewrites. 

Use email, messaging apps, or collaboration platforms to share reports and keep everything running smoothly.

Some platforms to use for communication include Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams and more.

Then, Originality.ai also offers a convenient way to share reports after scanning your content for potential instances of AI, grammar issues, and plagiarism. Learn more about Originality.ai’s complete suite of patented content quality tools.

2. Manage Tasks with Tools

Knowing where the content is in the process is crucial for meeting deadlines. Every team member should be aware of who is doing what and when.

It’s important to implement task management software. You can use it to assign tasks, set deadlines and track progress. This prevents last-minute surprises. 

Task management software may include Asana, Trello, Wrike, and others.

3. Foster a Team Environment

A culture of mutual respect is necessary. You want to implement an environment of idea sharing and constructive feedback that encourages brainstorming and inspires new, innovative ideas.

Since editing is often a solo process, schedule regular check-ins to maintain a positive team dynamic.

4. Write and Edit Collaboratively

For editors, seeing real-time editing can often speed up content creation. You want to be able to see ongoing comments and track changes made to each version of the document.

Using Google Docs or other dedicated platforms will allow you to edit as a team. You can also conveniently use the Originality.ai Chrome Extension within Google Docs to streamline your editing workflow.

5. Develop Shared Goals and Expectations 

What are the project’s objectives? Everyone must be on the same page and understand them. 

Discuss or message team members so that everyone is clear on who the target audience is and any specific requirements. Having clear expectations will minimize misunderstandings. 

The point is to have a smooth collaborative process, and understanding goals and expectations will contribute to this.

6. Have Methods for Resolving Conflicts

Conflicts do occasionally occur between team members, which can slow down the content creation process. Having a method for resolution in place can help teams approach contrasting ideas in a constructive and quick manner and avoid interrupting collaboration.

7. Feedback Must Be Respectful

Following on resolving conflicts, it’s important to have respectful feedback that can help teams avoid conflicts in the first place.  

Gently encourage improvement and provide editorial feedback without being critical. You can make helpful suggestions in a constructive way.

Pointing out the good is just as important! Celebrate the successes and achievements of everyone on your team.

By highlighting achievement, you foster a supportive and collaborative environment. People know their efforts are appreciated and will put forth even more effort for the team.

8. Take Part in Continuous Learning

It’s important to invest in team training and workshops. 

Even if all the editors or writers on the team work remotely, a group Zoom call can bring the group together. Let’s face it, it’s good to put a face with a name, and this is an opportunity to do that. 

Team training fosters a culture of camaraderie and continuous improvement. Later, the team can discuss what they’ve learned and incorporate it collaboratively in their work.

Final Thoughts

Even if you work remotely, you can encourage inspiring and innovative collaboration. 

Overall, by building trust and a feeling of camaraderie through thoughtful communication, collaborative tools, and constructive feedback that also celebrates successes, you can establish a wonderfully collaborative environment.

Then keep everyone in the loop throughout the editing process with editorial tools that encourage collaboration and offer shareable reports, like Originality.ai. 

Learn more best practices to improve your editorial workflow:

• Writing and Editing Checklist: 25 Top Considerations
• Editorial Workflow: 7 Ideas to Supercharge Productivity
• 7 Innovative Content Marketing Ideas for 2025