The 19 Biggest Copywriting Mistakes in Content Marketing

If you’re going to master the art of writing for your company, you have to get past a few major mistakes.

Copywriting is a skill that needs to be learned—but it doesn’t have to be a difficult one. In fact, the average copywriter struggles with only a few of the 20 biggest mistakes that we’ll show you here.

We are going to walk through the most common copywriting mistakes and offer suggestions on how to avoid them.

1. Relying on the same old tactics over and over again

When people think about copywriting, they often think about the same tired old techniques. And that’s understandable. Many copywriters are working on the same campaigns and clients over and over again.

The problem with relying on these tactics is that they can quickly lose their effectiveness. In fact, after you’ve been using them for a while, they start to become predictable. And predictable content isn’t engaging or effective.

2. Being “too” salesy

You don’t want to come across as a pushy salesperson. You want your audience to feel comfortable and engaged—not pressured.

Here’s an easy way to avoid coming across as pushy: Make sure your content is relatable. People will be more willing to listen to something that’s written in their language. 

3. Losing sight of your audience

If you’re writing content that isn’t relatable to your audience, it can be difficult to connect with them and persuade them to take action.

Your content has to be relevant to your audience. It needs to speak to their values, their pain points, and their goals. This means that you need to know who you’re writing for.

4. Talking at them instead of to them

When you’re talking to people, your goal is to establish rapport, build trust, and convince them of your point of view. The same things happen when you’re writing for your audience. People aren’t likely to engage with your content if you try to talk down to them. And they won’t be convinced by your arguments if they feel like they’re not being heard.

5. Using too many words

When you’re writing for your audience, you need to make sure that the words you use are clear and concise. You want to use the right balance of words.

You also want to ensure that the language you use is engaging and compelling. So avoid long-winded descriptions and overly complex sentences. Your readers will have more patience with a simple sentence that makes a clear point than one that contains 20 clauses and a few words that don’t add value.

6. Writing for “them” instead of for “us”

Content marketing can often be all about your company’s brand and mission. But if your audience doesn’t relate to what you’re trying to say, they’re not going to engage with it. Make sure your content is relatable by thinking about how you can talk to your audience in their language. And if you don’t know what to say, ask your customers or clients for help. You might be surprised by what you find out.

7. Talking about yourself too much

People don’t want to read about you. They want to read about them. Your content should show that you care about what’s happening in their world and that you understand their pain points.

You should also be able to tell stories about the people you’re writing for. This gives you the opportunity to explain concepts and ideas in a way that will make sense to them.

8. Not giving them any reason to buy

When you’re selling, you have a goal—to sell a product or service to your audience. So you’re always looking for ways to get your audience to take action.

Your content needs to do the same thing. It needs to give people a reason to buy. You want to help your audience achieve their goals, so you should be offering them value.

9. Not providing them with value

If your audience doesn’t feel like they’re getting something out of your content, they’ll quickly tune out and move on. And if they don’t feel like they’re getting enough value from your content, they won’t be willing to engage with it at all. To make sure you’re giving your audience what they want, think about what you can do to help them achieve their goals.

10. Not making sure they know you care

If you’re creating content for an audience, you need to make sure that they know that you’re not just writing for yourself. You need to make sure that you’re talking to them in a way that shows that you’re invested in their success.

You can do this by taking the time to listen to what they have to say. And you can show that you’re invested in their success by thanking them for being there for you and letting them know that you value them.

11. Focusing too much on your own business

Your audience is going to be interested in you. They’re going to want to know what you’re up to. But they also need to know that you understand them and are in it for the right reasons. If your content is focused on what you’re doing for your business, it can come across as self-serving and out of touch. So, it’s important that your content shows that you’re focused on helping your audience.

12. Not knowing who your competitors are

If you’re in a competitive industry, you should be looking at your competitors and trying to figure out what makes them successful.

By understanding how your competition is doing, you can use this information to figure out what you can do differently. You can learn from their mistakes and find ways to differentiate yourself from them.

13. Not having a plan

To make sure you’re going to be successful with your content marketing, you need to have a plan. A plan can help you know what you need to write about, how often you need to publish content, and how long it’s going to take you to get there. A plan will also help you know if you’re meeting your goals and if you’re going to achieve your desired results.

14. Not being real

The people who are most successful with content marketing are the ones who are able to connect with their audience. And the best way to connect is to be yourself. You should use your personal experience and emotions to tell the stories that you’re writing about. This means that you’re not afraid to show your vulnerability. People want to read about someone like them. They want to feel like they know you.

15. Not writing what they want to read

The people who are going to be most successful with content marketing are the ones who can write something that speaks to their audience. They’re not afraid to say what they really think about things and they’re not afraid to show their real self. So make sure you’re willing to share what’s on your mind, even if it’s uncomfortable.

16. Not being consistent

You need to make sure that you’re writing consistently. If you’re only publishing new content once a month, it’s going to be tough for your audience to get excited about your work.

So, you need to make sure that you’re creating content that’s consistent in both quality and quantity. You need to publish at least twice a week so that your audience has something to look forward to. And you should aim to increase the frequency of your posts as you start to build your audience.

17. Not being clear

The people who are most successful with content marketing are the ones who can clearly communicate their message to their audience. They’re the ones who are able to tell a story that connects with their audience.

So, you need to make sure that you’re able to clearly state the benefits that your content is providing to your audience. And you need to be clear about what you’re going to do after they read your content. This will help your audience understand why they need to pay attention to your work and what they can expect from you when they click through. 

18. Not understanding their needs

The people who are going to be most successful with content marketing are the ones who understand what their audience is looking for. You need to make sure that your content is helping them solve their problems and that you’re helping them connect with other people who are also in the same situation.

19. Not being able to listen

The people who are most successful with content marketing are the ones who are listening. They’re the ones who are able to understand what their audience is saying.

So, you need to make sure that you’re actively listening to your audience so that you can better serve them. And you need to make sure that you’re able to recognize when they’re talking about a different problem or issue. This will help you figure out how you can use that information to improve your content marketing strategy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you need to make sure that you’re aware of what you’re doing so that you can write content that’s going to help your audience. The people who are going to be most successful with content marketing are the ones who are willing to work on their content marketing strategy.

What do you think? Leave your thoughts and comments below.

Have you been writing content for a while now? If so, what have you learned about content marketing and how can you apply these lessons to your own content marketing strategy?

If you need help with copywriting for your business, use this form to get in touch!