Words: the most powerful and important tool that any writer has in their possession. Though words only have the power we allow them to have, this makes utilizing them correctly even more crucial. You only have so many words you can say to your audience and only so much time to write them. Make every word count, because words either convey great thoughts and imagery, or nothing at all.
With enough experience, most content writers believe they have all of the right words figured out. But this experience can also lead to a sense of arrogance and even falling into poor habits or word choices. Nevertheless, writers may never realize these problems without having them called and pointed out. By understanding common problems many content writers face regularly, you can write stronger content. Writing stronger content can not only promote self-growth but attract the customers your brand and clients have been looking for.
Knowing what you write about gives you a sense of confidence—confidence that can also inflate our egos. Sometimes, we go in too far, using lingo beyond the average person’s vocabulary and fall into lengthy explanations. You might sound smart at first, but sinking into the deep end with it can turn off readers.
Slamming your audience with new terminology overwhelms and confuses them, especially with longwinded explanations. But this does not mean you should talk down to your readers or over-simplify your work either. Making the reader feel stupid will detract them from your work and search somewhere else for better answers. You want to strike the right balance that gives readers the necessary information, but without slinging them through crash courses. Briefly explaining industry jargon or providing a glossary for larger terms can make both the reader’s and your life easier.
When you write clichés frequently, you already failed to write unique content, and your content is “dead as a doornail.” Even assuming your audience is filled with brand new readers, they have read these sayings in many other places. Utilizing clichés goes beyond lacking originality, it makes you an outright lazy writer incapable of standing on your own. Falling into the trap of using some clichés can be surprisingly easy. Search your work for any patterns of them and begin cutting them out of your vocabulary entirely.
Furthermore, the problem with clichés is many of them tend to be exaggerated and blown out of proportion. Exaggerations also further hurt your writing due to their superlative or even outright false nature at times. Claiming your brand to be “industry-leading” or products as “state of the art” begs for trouble in content writing. You want to provide the facts, and exaggerated words and phrases distance you from the truth.
Instead of claiming to provide the best services, consider using the straight facts and statistics that can prove your point. For example, consider how many clients your business serves on average, or how much a product has sold. Avoid boasting about being the “biggest” or “best” and give your audience the truth. That truth will speak for itself with the right presentation and your superb writing capabilities.
Educating your readers and providing them with truthful, original content are high priority tasks as a content writer. But beyond that, you must avoid dancing around words and say exactly what you mean. Using words such as “maybe,” “might,” “very,” or “really” give the impression that you, the content writer, lack certainty. Despite the sparse use of absolutes in writing, you still need confidence in your words and phrasing. As a rule of thumb, treat your words like a light switch. They either mean something, or they don’t, just how light is either on or off.
Beyond potentially doubting your own words, you should also know the words you say and specify clearly and concisely. Instead of a vague phrase like, “I cleaned the car,” consider “I polished the car,” or “I dusted the car.” Unless your words go beyond the audience’s usual vocabulary, you want words as specific as possible that leave no questions. If you see yourself using a word you lack familiarity with, look it up! Not only does it expand your vocabulary, but it also helps you write clearer overall.
With the right confidence and knowledge, your writing can excel further beyond yourself even now. If you find yourself struggling to write content for your brand, we can help. Through services such as law firm marketing, social media management, and blog distribution networks, Actionable Agency can help. By offering many marketing solutions and web development for law firms across the country, we extend their reach and develop their business. At Actionable Agency, we can provide an analysis of your current strategy and website of your firm to help formulate new solutions. For more information, call us toll-free at (855) 206-9689.
