Substance and Style

    Avoid These Common Digital Copywriting Mistakes 

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    1. Not having a clear call to action (CTA). You should have a specific goal in mind as you write any copy, and every part of the text should support that goal. You have to know what you want the reader to do, and it should be obvious to them. Don’t leave them confused about how to become a customer or how to subscribe to your newsletter or anything else you want them to do. Know what you want the reader to do and make it easy for them to do it.
    2. Using too much jargon and too many keywords. It’s important to write the way your audience speaks, and it’s fine to assume they know industry-specific vocabulary. But too much of it is obnoxious and distracting. Similarly, you do need to be aware of keywords so you show up in the right searches, but you don’t want to use them so much that they take away from the meaning of what you’re saying.
    3. Having too many main ideas. Typically, if you’re writing to an online audience, each piece of writing should be about one thing. Cramming multiple ideas into one piece pretty much ensures that your audience will drop off before reading all of your points.
    4. Not getting to the point fast enough. Even if you only have one main idea, you don’t want to take forever getting to it. In some writing, it’s very effective to put the most important point at the end. In copywriting, you have to assume some of your audience won’t make it to the end, so you need to lead with the most important point.
    5. Writing in the wrong tone. Everything about your brand should be consistent. While you do want to tailor your messaging to the norms of each platform, you need to keep your voice the same wherever you go. Remember that your core audience is your core audience regardless of the platform.
    6. Writing to the wrong audience. You really need to put yourself in the place of your customers or clients, and give them the information they need. It’s hard to step outside yourself and not provide the content that interests you, but it’s crucial to your success that you provide what interests your customers instead.