Recent data suggests that 88% of buyers research products online before making a purchase. A brand, therefore, must work hard to provide compelling information to consumers. As content writers, your job is to make content readable, informative, and persuasive. This takes skill, and it is easy to get muddled while trying to get all three parameters right. So here’s what you should avoid to create better, more effective content:

1. Writing for yourself

All content writers produce content to communicate a brand’s message to consumers. However, being unable to mould your writing to suit a brand’s personality leaves you with content that appeals only to you. It may be beautifully written, but serves no purpose if it does not efficiently meet the audience’s needs and the philosophy of the brand.

In short, always put yourself in the marketers’ shoes and think like them; you will immediately get a better sense of how to appeal to your audience.

2. Writing without emotion

Neil Patel says, “Content writers think that a boring industry necessitates a boring blog.” As writers, it is necessary to approach every topic, however dull and technical it may seem, with enthusiasm and fervour. Remember, if you aren’t interested in writing it, no one will be interested in reading it. Humanise your content with an emotional approach.

3. Adopting a repetitive approach

All content writers seem to do more or less the same thing – write. But your expertise comes into play only when you mould your content to suit different platforms such as blogs, websites, or social media.

Learn different styles: blogs are conversational and opinionated, news writing will be concise, and ad copy must be short yet persuasive. Being able to write only in a certain way will set you back in this competitive field. Successful content writers are great wordsmiths who can marry their style with a brand’s voice.

4. Proceeding without proper research

Usually, content writers work with strict deadlines that don’t leave them much time for in-depth research on a subject. But as Jayson DeMers writes in his Forbes blog: “High-quality pages and websites need enough expertise to be authoritative and trustworthy on their topic.” Your audience will not become your customers if they find no value in your material.

Take time to gather knowledge: read extensively, make notes, and give your subject its due diligence to come up with a rich piece of content. There is no shortcut to a great write-up.

5. Forgetting to structure and format

There is only a 16% chance that your audience is reading your entire piece; about 79% of readers are simply skimming through it. These stats might seem like a downer, but readers’ lack of interest has much to do with your content. There’s a lot you can do to skew those statistics in your favour.

Approach a piece by having a clear idea of how you see it. Start with a headline, figure out what your intro will say, jot down bullet points on how the rest of the piece will flow, and decide on the conclusion. Preparing this structure will ensure that the piece is better etched in your mind before you put it down in writing.

Don’t forget to format your content. Seeing big chunks of text at first glance can put readers off. Short paragraphs with crisp subheads will keep from overwhelming them. Include appropriate images and infographics wherever possible. Most importantly, proofread your output multiple times after you’re done, for grammatical errors and typos can put your credibility at stake.

Content writing isn’t an easy task. Take each piece as a challenge and do your best. Remember to never make these five common mistakes – and you will soar ahead in your career.