5 Common Copywriting Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Sep 1, 2021 · 5 min read

Careers in copywriting have been steadily growing in popularity as people are turning to freelance and online jobs. Although writing blog posts and articles isn't that difficult, it still requires a particular skill and dedication. Whether you're a newbie or expert in the field, there is always room for improvement! Let's look at the 5 most common copywriting mistakes and what you can do to fix them.

Mistake #1: You Don't Know Your Audience

When working as a copywriter, your most important focus is the reader. Who are you writing to, and what do they want to hear? You can't just write for yourself — you need to know the specific type of person reading your post. Knowing your audience will help you determine your writing tone and voice.

Someone interested in the advanced specifics of a computer program might not want to read something in the same tone as a parent looking for kid-friendly recipes. You need to know exactly who you're addressing to get the style and point of view right. If you don't, you risk putting off readers.

For content writing, always try to make it conversational. Unless you're writing a technical piece, avoid jargon and confusing vocabulary. Depending on the blog post, you might use interjections, questions, ellipses, and more to make it more casual and reader-friendly. Know your audience to get the tone and voice right!

Mistake #2: You Don't Use SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) improves your online traffic and visibility through organic search rankings. This digital marketing strategy determines how high your article will rank on the search results page. SEO isn't hard to learn — you just need to be willing to study the concepts!

To take advantage of SEO, you should research which keywords are most relevant to your article and make sure you include them throughout your writing naturally. It needs to be relevant, helpful, and organic — not just carelessly thrown in to reach the keyword count.

A part of SEO that copywriters and ghostwriters often overlook is the importance of a good headline. Your title and meta tags are crucial to the overall success of your blog post. These also incorporate SEO and can help increase your online presence and ranking. You only have one chance to draw your readers in and get them to read your copy, so take the time to research and curate a perfect headline.

Your title needs to get to the point and clearly state your topic while also being catchy. Don't forget to include your keyword and search your title first to see if it's already taken. There are many online references and guides which break SEO down into easily understood concepts. Your content writing service will only ever be as good as your SEO skills!

Mistake #3: Your Message Is Cliche

There always needs to be something unique in your article to set you apart from other copywriters and blogs. Come up with new ideas and topics instead of just repeating what someone else has already said. You can use other posts as inspiration, but you should remember to add your own spin and make it different. No one wants to read a cliche (or plagiarized) piece.

Your message is cliche when it uses basic or repeated ideas. For example, if your topic is "How to Unwind Before Bed," you should avoid using the same tips as other articles. Don't just suggest turning off your phone, reading a book, and taking a bath — those are commonplace and typical answers! Try to be creative and give your readers something they haven't heard before.

If you have writer's block and struggle to develop ideas, you can always use programs and apps to help create unique pictures. ContentForge is a new AI copywriting assistant that can help you get going with your writing by providing unique ideas or generating pieces of content based on your research.

Remember, copywriting is all about creating something relatable and interesting while proving your credibility and authority on a subject. You can't just write on a topic without having the evidence to back up your claims. Readers can quickly tell when you don't have experience with a subject. Cliche messages make it clear that you have no credibility!

Mistake #4: You Have Poor Writing Skills

You can't expect your article to be of high quality if your writing skills are lacking. It's frustrating to read a post with incorrect grammar and rampant spelling errors. Although you want your tone to be conversational and informal, it still needs to flow well and easily understand the readers.

Avoid using overly long sentences and complicated vocabulary. Short and simple is best! Readers want to be able to quickly skim an article and understand its gist without needing to reread any sentences.

Some writers don't realize that structure and format are just as important to their writing as the words they choose. Make sure your font is legible, and your paragraphs are kept small. Utilize bolding, italicized, and spacing to make it more reader-friendly.

There are many online tools that check for errors and even give you suggestions on how to improve your writing, one commonly used tool is Grammarly. You can either use their free services or pay for added features. Even using a generic text-to-speech tool can help you find any copywriting mistakes. Don't be discouraged if your writing isn't perfect right away. The best way to improve your writing quickly is to write constantly!

Mistake #5: You're Too Sales-Focused

Most copywriters have a specific product they need to sell with each article they write. However, you never want to come across as pushy or too sales-focused. Your audience won't like it, and your rankings will fall. You're not giving the readers any helpful information by just pushing a product onto them. Every article you write should provide something valuable and informative while also happening to sell something.

Readers will be much more open to advertising if it's done naturally and tastefully. Don't include an Amazon link to random gear after every section if you're writing about personal development. Make it tailored to your topic and only link it when it pertains to the paragraph. If you include a product that you genuinely love and endorse to improve personal development, it will feel more organic and not just like a sales pitch.

If your article is about a particular product, make sure you get as specific as you can. You need to clearly outline your item and provide answers to every question a reader might have about it. People won't like what you're selling if you're not clearly explaining it. Don't just talk about the features — mention the benefits, too! This goes hand in hand with credibility. If you can't fully break down a product, your audience won't believe what you're trying to sell.

Every copywriter needs to know their audience, utilize SEO, have original ideas, improve their writing skills, and focus on their message and credibility. If you avoid these common copywriting mistakes, your articles and analytics will consistently improve!

Lars Koole

@larskoole