Six Fatal Writing Flaws You Make And Their Easy Antidotes

Did I write that?

Do your blog posts suck?

You’ve been hammering at your blog for a couple of years, but it’s not working, and your site’s growth is sluggish at best. Earnings are meager, leads are lean, and even the best of your posts wither and fade without so much as an echo in the halls of your empty comment section.

The serious online writer’s job is to serve two separate readers: the reader who will opt-in to the product, service or idea you’re selling, and the reader who will market your message with the verve of the converted.

The right copy simplifies marketing. But, if your posts don’t lead and motivate readers into action, you must fix your writing.

Effective communication happens by using your worldview as a guide to synthesize communication with others. Whether you’re writing a sales page or a humorous blog post, you have a job to do, so don’t let a few, fixable flaws impede your progress.

Maybe it’s fancy pants writing, as it was for me. More likely, you suffer from one or more of six flaws:

1) You Ramble

In the real world, we notice visual cues from the people subjected to our verbal battery. Online, we miss the clicks and shaking heads. You may be lucky enough to find a few readers willing to tolerate your blah-blah blogging, and may even get a few hundred subscribers genuinely enjoying it. But, this won’t be enough to feed your family, put gas in your tank, or drive you forward at the pace you deserve.

Say what needs said, without excluding anything important, and do so within a reasonable word count. Reveal your personality, but don’t make every sentence about you. Draw reader attention and hold it by showing consideration for their time.

2) You Don’t Look Your Reader in the Eye

Timidity breeds limp writing.

If you place little value on your writing, your readers won’t raise the price for you. Clear your throat, step up to the page, and speak without breaking eye contact with your reader.

Confident writing unleashes the genuine you, and only the real you will understand your audience; who they are, why they exist and what makes them tick.

If you find yourself with knobby writer-knees when speaking to a sea of unknown readers, set your voice in a specific direction. I often write to my wife, son, daughter, mom, dad, or good friend.

Know who you speak to with every sentence, and write without flinching.

3) Your Big FAT Ego Blocks the Doorway

Do you write for yourself, or to impress other writers?

Attention is awesome, and addictive. But, it can keep you poor, too. Like it did me for my first year online. I wrote for comments, links and digital high-fives.

Yes, you should bond with your audience. And yes, putting your best pen forward is central to online success. But, the best blog copy has purpose, and clarity is more important than cleverness.

Solving a problem is more important than impressing other writers.

It’s okay to occasionally write for accolades to fluff the feathers of your mighty writer’s ego. Accolades bring you attention and links, and that’s good. But, traffic is just traffic; without a mechanism to monetize, it’s as empty as a monitor without a plug.

4) Your Headlines are Weak

A flaccid headline will never rouse a reader.

You have two seconds to get the click, and a non-commanding headline is a reader’s invitation to stop reading.

Pique curiosity, rattle attention, tease, or provoke, but elicit some sort of response. Your headline will work harder than any other part of your copy, inviting readers to the page, keeping them there, and helping them share what you’ve written. Don’t get bogged down if the headline is exact, so long as it generates interest.

Take this post’s headline as an example. Obviously, not everybody reading this is making the same mistakes. But, writing a headline like, “6 Fatal Flaws You Might Be Making” is less direct. Less bold. By stating that YOU make these mistakes, I’ve gotten you to click whether you make these errors, or are just curious as to what the mistakes are.

5) Your Timing Sucks

Words have rhythm; you supply the beat.

Ideally, every sentence moves your reader to the next, like verse to chorus, until they’re eventually at the bottom, leaving the page with anything from a smile to a download.

Like setting up a punch line, timing has a rise and fall, a tension and release.

A song not following the traditional verse-chorus-verse pattern may delight music majors and true aficionados, but it won’t get booties shaking or DJ’s playing.

Write for your reader and know they’re expecting to hear a certain type of tune.

Write your blog posts in a way that creates a win-win between you and the reader. Put enough of yourself on the page to enjoy the craft, but make your readers feel like you spilled ink only for them.

You’ve been at this a while and you deserve more success than you’ve seen. It’s not that you aren’t working hard, but you can make your copy work harder. Give your posts another glance and consider the tweaks that will truly make a difference.

6) You Don’t Edit.

Nothing breaks the flow of a post quicker than horrible grammar or a typo. Do yourself a favor and at least review your post before hitting publish.

Better yet, edit the post. Not once. Two or three times.

Writing errors stick out like a sore thumb, and call attention away from your story and message. Errors make you look ignorant, or worse—like you don’t care about your readers.

I’m not saying you need perfect prose, but at least avoid obvious gaffes. I edit my posts no less than three times. It doesn’t mean mistakes won’t creep in. Sometimes, during the last edit, you might decide to change stuff around, thus increasing the odds of errors. It happens. The best thing you can do, though, is give yourself space of at least one day prior to your last edit. Give your writing some space to breathe and your eyes some time to relax. Fresh eyes spot errors that tired eyes miss.

Writers experience two commonalities. We make mistakes, and we can learn from them. If you’re wise enough to spot mistakes, and humble enough to learn from them, great writing awaits.