Most newbies fail to make their content (blogs) engaging due to some common content writing mistakes. For example, excessive passive voice, lengthy sentences and paragraphs, inappropriate format, no focused target, and many more.
And that’s why, in this article, I’ve brought you 10 common mistakes in content writing that you should avoid. If you follow my content writing tips, your content will speak through audience engagement.
So, without any further delay, let’s start.
Contents
10 Most Common Mistakes in Content Writing
There are more than just 10 mistakes. I’ve added the most relevant ones based on my experiences. I hope you will relate to it. So let’s start digging out the common mistakes you do in writing content.
1. Not Having a Definite Purpose for Your Content
Have you ever written a piece of content and wondered, “What’s the point?” If so, you’re not alone. Defining the purpose of your content is crucial to make it effective. Without a clear purpose, your content may come across as aimless or irrelevant.
To avoid this mistake, start by asking yourself what you want to achieve with your content. What changes will your content bring to the audience? How will it help them to solve their problems? Do you want to educate, entertain, or persuade? Once you have a clear purpose in mind, you can tailor your content to achieve that goal.
2. Failing to Grab the Reader’s Attention
Let’s face it, in today’s fast-paced digital world; readers have short attention spans. They’ll quickly move on to something else if you don’t grab their attention from the get-go. And this may let your competitors move ahead of you.
To grab your reader’s attention, do the following;
- Start with a problem-solving headline
- Add powerful hooks in the intro
- Add eye-catching visuals
3. Not Formatting the Content Properly
Not having a good format is one of the common mistakes in content writing. Formatting is an often overlooked but crucial aspect of content writing. A good format can increase your content’s readability and audience engagement.Â
To make your content digestible chunks consider doing these;.
- Use short paragraphs,
- Subheadings,
- Bullet points and
- Add images
This will make your content easier to read and help readers quickly find the information they’re looking for.
4. Inadequate Research
Research is the backbone of effective content writing. Without proper research, your content may be inaccurate or irrelevant. It can also make your content less valuable due to lacking uniqueness and authority.
To avoid this mistake, take the time to research your topic thoroughly before writing. Use reputable sources and take notes to ensure you have all the information you need. In my suggestion, use at least 3-4 well-performing resources for information. And if possible, cite from top-ranking blogs.
5. Using Passive Voice
People these days are not habituated to reading, and passive voice makes them more away from it due to hard-to-read sentences. It makes your content sound weak and unengaging. To avoid passive voice, use active voice whenever possible. Active voice makes your writing more dynamic and puts the focus on the subject of the sentence.
Please note; You don’t need to necessarily use active voice everywhere. In some cases, the passive voice looks great. Eg. The lost child was found last night.
6. Not Providing Value to the Reader
At the end of the day, your content should provide value to your reader. When your content doesn’t offer anything helpful, readers are likely to leave it. To get rid of this mistake, understand what your readers want and what can help them be happy.
- Provide practical tips,
- Share advice from your experience,
- Ask questions to communicate,
- Share insights that readers can apply for themselves.
Note: Google prefers people-first content. The more you add value to your content, the better it will perform in SEO.
7. Writing Too Big & Too Short
What if I say the length of your content greatly impacts user engagement? Well, it’s true if your content is too long, readers may lose interest in reading further. On the other hand, too short content fails to provide enough value.
To overcome this mistake, find the right length for your content by considering your audience, topic, and purpose. Forget about SEO; think about your audiences.
8. Not Editing and Proofreading Thoroughly
Do you revisit your content before publishing or submitting it? Remember, you could be a good writer, but your first draft can never be perfect. There could always be misinformations, grammar errors, typos, awkward sentences, and many more to make your content less engaging. And this can detract from the effectiveness of your content.
To give your content a perfect shape, spend your time on editing and proofreading before publishing. You can also apply some tricks;
- Read your content aloud,
- Use spell-check & grammar tools (Grammarly), and
- Have someone review your writing to catch any errors.
9. Lack of Consistent Tone and Voice
Would you like to talk with someone whose mood changes rapidly? I bet you won’t like it because of the inconsistent mood. Same thing’s applicable to your content. Your tone and voice are important elements of your content.
An inconsistent tone and voice can make your content appear disjointed and unprofessional. In addition, it fails to communicate with your audience. To keep a consistent voice & tone, define your content purpose and understand your readers. Besides, write like you’re talking with someone.
10. Not Including a Call-to-Action
A Call to Action (CTA) doesn’t always necessarily mean a sale pitch. Every content (blogs, Newsletters, Social Media posts, etc.) should have a clear CTA that encourages readers to act. It could be signing up for a newsletter or following you on social media. However, always make sure that your CTA is clear and compelling. You can add a strong CTA speech at the end of your content that encourages readers to take the next step.
Conclusion
Alright, so finally, we’ve covered the 10 common mistakes we do while writing content. And these mistakes are not only made by new writers but also by experienced ones like me. Hence to avoid all these drawbacks, I consider thoroughly proofreading the entire article. Next, I edit wherever necessary; otherwise, I push the content for publishing.
By avoiding these flaws, your content will resonate with your target audience. And that will likely drive organic traffic and engagement.
Share this article with your team or friends if you found it useful. And follow me on Linkedin for more insights.