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What are the 3 common mistakes a copywriter may make?​

What Are The 3 Common Mistakes A Copywriter May Make?

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    As you look at enlisting the help of a copywriting service, there are certain facts that you’re going to need in your possession. You going to want to know just what a copywriter should be delivering and you’ll need to know how to measure the effectiveness of what is being produced. On top of this, you’ll need to know what the watch outs are. 

    While you get used to working with your chosen copywriter, you’ll want to make sure that you have sufficient knowledge so that you can spot when things are going wrong. If someone was to ask you, “What are the 3 common mistakes a copywriter may make?”, it would be extremely useful to have an answer. By reading on, that’s exactly what you’re going to learn. That means if you’re still pondering on whether or not you should outsource your copywriting tasks, you’ll soon be able to move forward in confidence. 

    What Is Copywriting?

    Before we start to explore the 3 common mistakes that a copywriter may make, it’s worth being clear on just what copywriting is and what a copywriter does. The job of a copywriter is to create copy that is clear and compelling. It is used to persuade the reader to take a certain action. This could be to buy a product or service or it could be to sign up for an email list. Given that there are over 6 million new pieces of content published every day, your business must have copy that grabs attention, and converts.

    A copywriter can create copy for numerous formats. These include:

    • Web pages
    • Blog posts
    • Email marketing campaigns
    • Social media
    • White papers 

    These writers should understand your company and your brand message. They work with you to strengthen this and to get more eyes on what is being produced. They form an integral part of your marketing team and are there to ensure that your company message is consistent, regardless of the channel that is being used.

    Now that we have a clearer idea of what the role of a copywriter is, let’s start to explore the 3 most common mistakes that are made.

    Ignoring The Needs Of The Reader

    Ignoring the needs of the reader

    When producing compelling copy, an effective copywriter understands that there is one person that matters more than anyone else: the reader. When it comes to sales copy, it makes sense to view the reader as the main character in the writing. A story is created where the reader’s life transforms all because they go ahead and buy your product or service.

    The first common mistake that copywriters may make is writing for themselves, or even for the business that has hired them. Yes, it’s important that a business is satisfied with what’s produced but, still, the copy is there to have an impact on the reader alone. 

    It’s common to produce copy that’s written to come from an expert. The thing to remember here is that the reader doesn’t care about the expert. What they care about are the benefits that this expert can bring. Less experienced copywriters lose readers as they spend far too long bigging up the expert and listing their credentials. Yes, this may help with trust but this needs to be kept brief and there is a need to quickly move on to what the reader is actually there for.

    Another similar mistake is made when the writer gives far too much coverage to the product or service. Yes, the reader needs to be made aware of what’s on offer but, just as is the case with the expert, the reader doesn’t care. They just want to know what’s in it for them. Just a list of features will turn a reader off extremely quickly.  

    How Can This Mistake Be Fixed?

    While this is a common mistake made by copywriters, it’s one that’s relatively easy to fix. First off, you need to be clear with your brief. Be sure that the writer knows the purpose of what they’re creating and that they know who the target audience is. With this information, a copywriter needs to then put themselves in the shoes of the reader. The reader wants what follows to be all about them and it’s the writer’s job to make this happen.

    If you’ve taken the time to create a customer persona and provided a detailed brief, you should find that your chosen copywriter can overcome this first common mistake. If they can’t the solution is simple: you need a new copywriter. If you choose to ignore the problem, you’ll never get the return on investment that your business deserves. 

    Copy That Lacks Personality 

    Copy that lacks personality

    The second common mistake made by copywriters is producing lacklustre copy. At times, it may even border on being bland or outright boring. If you have a copywriter who’s making this mistake, then things need to change.

    When you consider branding as a whole, the aim is to tell people about your business and who you are. This needs to spill over into copywriting. The copy should clearly carry your brand voice and reflect its personality.  When this is forgotten, what’s produced tends to have a generic feel about it This happens because the writer is aiming for a professional style rather than considering what your brand is actually meant to sound like. 

    This mistake then links back to producing copy that ignores the reader. A copywriter needs to understand that readers are individuals with their own personalities. If they’re going to interact and engage with a company, they expect to see the personality first. 

    How To Address This Mistake

    As the second of the 3 common mistakes that copywriters make, this is again one that can be remedied. This is not something that you as a client can tackle. It’s one that the writer themselves need to be aware of so that they can make the relevant adjustments. 

    The key to addressing this mistake is research. The copywriter needs to take the time to develop an in-depth understanding of the brand that they are writing for. They need to know the demographic that’s been targeted and they need to fully appreciate the brand voice that they need to recreate.

    When it comes to avoiding the bland feel to copy, tools such as Grammarly will even let a writer know the tone that’s detected in a piece. Over time, a writer gets the experience so they rely less on such tools. 

    Poor Proofreading 

    Poor proofreading 

    When it comes to the question, “What are the 3 common mistakes a copywriter may make?”, this one should, arguably, be up there at number one. This isn’t just an issue for new copywriters. It spills over to those who are highly experienced too. The problem is that when a writer tries to proofread their own work, it’s about as effective as not proofreading at all.

    What happens when proofreading is that the writer only sees what they believe they wrote. As they read, their brain recalls the time of writing and skips ahead. The brain trusts itself and trusts that it knows how you write. The reality is that this leads to some really simple mistakes not being picked up.

    This is one of those mistakes that is easy for a client to pick up on. When they do, it makes the copywriter appear sloppy and unprofessional. This has a huge impact on credibility and can cause serious long-term harm. 

    How Can This Mistake Be Avoided?

    There is no getting away from the fact that a copywriter proofreading their own work is highly ineffective. Yes, there may be some mistakes identified but the brain will still mainly register what it knows you were supposed to write

    One solution here is to use tools that can identify mistakes. The problem here is that even paid tools, are not infallible and they can still misinterpret what a writer is trying to say and allow poor grammar and spelling to slip through the net.

    The most effective solution here would be to have a third party proofread any copy. If a copywriter is part of a company, this is something that can be done with ease as other team members may take on the role of proofreaders and editors.

    Let Content Conga Solve Your Copywriting Problems 

    If you’re still searching for a copywriter for your business, you can be sure that you’ve found your answer here. If you already have a copywriter and you’ve grown tired of experiencing these 3 common mistakes, along with others, then we can help you too. Our reviews show just what our customers think of us and they show just what we could be delivering for you.

    While you’re dealing with headaches, other businesses are benefiting from our hugely experienced UK writers and getting the copy that they need. If you want to join them, there’s never been a better time. Get in touch now and let Content Conga handle all of your needs.