It is common for content writers to make errors in a copy or article; however, one must always learn from them and refrain from making them again.
Even after the massive experience they gain after working for years, professionals across any industry may make common or critical mistakes in their work. “To err is human” is a phrase that most know about, but that does not mean that individuals must keep making them and not learn from them.
If people had a dime for every mistake, they would have become a millionaire already. Jokes apart, it is essential for content writers to ensure they are continuously improving their writing skills and learning something new to implement in their writing so that they can avoid making more mistakes.
Let’s discuss a few critical content writing mistakes that writers must avoid.
- Not having a goal
This is quite a common mistake, where content writers write content without a goal. When people write without having a purpose, the copy doesn’t often lead to the right audience, and it may not even be understood well by the ones who choose to read it.
A few content writers write an article/blog filled with keywords only to get optimized on search engines, hardly realizing that the quality of the content is the most crucial thing and crafting purposeful and meaningful content goes a long way.
- Crafting a “water is wet” content
Telling the obvious through a blog or an article is not what readers need. They seek powerful, attention-grabbing content and, most importantly, unique content that adds real value to them.
Writing what is common and what people already know wastes their time and doesn’t engage with them.
When readers open an article, they open it with the intention to know something new and something that can add to their knowledge.
- Not interviewing experts particular to a niche
Articles that are backed by subject matter experts’ opinions and statistics always work wonders. However, several content writers do not put in the effort to seek their opinions and copy-paste statistics or opinions directly from Google without backing them up with facts.
Interviewing subject-matter experts is essential as it loads the content with a lot of value. This, in turn, leads to gaining the readers’ trust and improving the SEO.
- Not crafting value-based content
Content writers sometimes write content only for the sake of it to get ranked on Google, making the copies less engaging and appealing.
They need to craft value-based content that, in the first paragraph itself, can attract maximum reader attention. The quicker a reader gains value through an article, the better engagement an article gains.
Content writers must avoid writing longer introductory paragraphs so as not to lose readers’ interest, stick to the core topic, and quickly provide them with value.
- Following outlines mindlessly
Often, content writers follow the rules and norms set by others, mindlessly following the outlines and briefs.
They must avoid doing this as these briefs are only meant to guide them and not restrict their imaginations or creativity. This might make the content feel more robotic and not human.
Hence, content writers must go all out creatively crafting their copies and making the content more organic and valuable.
- Not giving relevant examples
Often, content writers create content and forget to back it up with relevant examples. This a common mistake they must avoid hereon as simply stating facts, statistics, or ideas cannot spark interest in readers.
Also, such content pieces can be generic and need to be more valuable. For example, if you write an article on digital marketing strategies and do not support it with a solid example, it may seem too generic.
Apart from all these content writing mistakes that writers have been making, there are a few others, like not focusing enough on the tone of voice or the brand voice of the company/brand they are writing about.
Another critical mistake they make is overusing complicated or incomprehensible sentences, making it challenging for readers to understand.
Content writers must avoid these mistakes in 2023 and for the years to come and ensure to keep enhancing their writing skills and knowledge and stay in sync with the changing industry trends to get even better with their copies, articles, narratives, and more.