You can only get one chance on your first impression.
Copywriting is at its most authentic, and you only have seconds to make your point and convince readers to take action.
No one will come back a second time to be persuaded.
Nor do they take the initiative to ask you to clarify what you really mean.
Copying weak sauce into the world is a waste of your time and effort to create it.
Worse yet, it can backfire and instill a Negative image of your brand in the reader.
We don’t want that.
Therefore, use this column as a checklist when you review your next landing page, email newsletter, or other copy.
Avoid these common copywriting mistakes to strengthen your message and inspire conversions.
1. Make word soup
Jargon, buzzwords, silos, and industry jargon are painful for anyone who isn’t you.
considering twenty one% of U.S. adults are functionally illiterate; that is, their reading skills are considered insufficient for everyday life and employment tasks, such as reading labels, menus, and websites.
(Don’t be complacent, Canada.)
Even those with high literacy skills are annoyed by unnecessarily complex language.
If I had to pull out a dictionary or consult an industry wiki to figure out what you’re talking about, we’d probably be done there.
No matter where your audience is, you may be inadvertently alienating a large number of potential customers by being too wordy.
WebFX has a Free Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test Tool You can use it to make sure you don’t write over your audience’s head.
2. Writing from the wrong angle
I liken this copywriting mistake to the guy at the party, nobody wants to get caught up in talking about themselves the whole time.
Great copy consists of two very important things:
- What the author wants to say.
- What readers want to hear.
You absolutely need to understand a product or service from the inside out.
But if what the business wants to say doesn’t match what the reader wants to know, then you’re completely missing the mark.
Pourri, the maker of Poo-Pourri, not only produces hilarious ads, but also writes great copy.
They could have simply said: “Enjoy a fresh, clean citrus scent” and that’s an accurate description of what’s on offer here.
But no, they go and subtly make me imagine myself sipping a delicious beer in the sun surrounded by fresh laundry (others are magically showing up to fold and pack for me).
Great copywriting brings the user perspective that triggers this emotional response.
3. Share a laundry list of benefits
Yes, you must clearly state the benefits of your product or service.
But if you just recite them without thinking about what each one means to the reader, you’re missing the mark.
“It has eight adjustable blades!“
who cares? Are eight blades better than six?
Isn’t 8 knives a bit too much?
use directly with User needs.
“Its eight adjustable blades chop and dice quickly, saving you valuable prep time.“
Great, I love saving time and hate chopping. take my money.
4. Ruminant product description
This works the same way as above.
Don’t just tell me what the function is. Tell me why this is important to me.
Assuming it’s well written, the product description does a good job of laying out product materials, colors, sizes, and other specifications.
So don’t waste your precious copy telling me all this again.
I already know that your course covers these 12 different topics.
Copywriting for landing pages, e-commerce stores, etc. needs to go a step further and help me understand the impact knowledge will have in my life.
5. Use emotional triggers to do evil
I have never liked using negative emotional responses as a sales tool.
Of course, taking advantage of a person’s fear of losing their home to sell a payday loan, or making them feel uncertain about their body image to divert beauty products, can be very effective.
But while creating fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) can drive a product, it is not Healthy and Ongoing Customer Relationships.
FUD copywriting-style descriptions of women’s swimwear are ripe for this. You can focus on features that hide my volume, cover up my stomach dog, and camouflage my flaws.
This style of copywriting is really popular.
But you know what’s more compelling and makes me fall in love with this brand?
Copy like this:
Instead of making readers feel scary about their bodies, Summersalt focuses on the fun adventure I’m about to have in this swimsuit.
Seriously… take my money.
6. Use passive and active voice
It’s a personal annoyance.
Once you learn to recognize the passive voice, I guarantee it will drive you crazy too.
The active voice is direct, actionable, dynamic, and clear.
Passive voice… no.
In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted by the verb.
Here is an example:
Active Voice: Professionals appreciate the simplicity of Basecamp.
Passive Voice: The simplicity of Basecamp is appreciated by professionals.
Did you catch it? Here is another one:
Active Voice: You can find a new partner today.
Passive Voice: A new partner can be found today.
Grammar Premium Great for capturing passive voice and available as a browser plugin.
Hemingway App It’s free if you don’t mind putting a copy into a browser-based tool.
7. Over or under SEO
Focusing too much on optimizing your search copy can make it look clunky, awkward, and unnatural to read.
However, completely ignoring how people will find your content can be just as harmful.
If the copy you’re writing is destined to be published anywhere, you want people to be able to discover it by searching.Reviewing will only benefit you Current On-Page SEO Best Practices and incorporate these into your work.
But don’t go overboard.
Google is much smarter than it used to be. You don’t have to use all the terms in your keyword list to rank in the right place.
Focus on the quality and relevance of your writing.
Casper does a pretty good job with its product page.
This writer manages to work in many places Related Keywords – Down, Pillow, Cool, Night, Down, Machine Washable, Softness.
These are tightly coupled concepts that give Google a clear idea of what this page is about.
However, they are woven into compelling copy rather than serving as stumbling blocks in otherwise logical sentences.
Be thoughtful about how you use your keywords. Like Casper.
8. Absolutely crazy with boosters
Intensifiers are used to strengthen and emphasize adverbs.
Using them in moderation is a great tool.
However, overuse of enhancers can make your writing very hard to read and very hyperbolic in nature.
See what I did there?Saying it would seem a bit drastic Very Difficult to read.is it really hyperbolic extreme?
“Very” is an intensifying word that tends to sneak into copy quite often. Other common offenders include:
- real.
- completely.
- completely.
- Absolutely.
- unusually.
- amazing.
- excellent.
- so.
Pay attention to boosters and challenge your use of each booster.
9. Use idioms, colloquialisms, and other obscure language
Marketers and Minnesota Angie Shortmuller I was once challenged to use the word “cattywampus” in writing a marathon story. She made a promise, and I had to figure out the word.
Otherwise, if the American slang cattywampus appeared in a piece of content, I wouldn’t know what it meant.
If I suddenly lost cod, strop, or dog dinner here, I wouldn’t expect many Americans to follow.
Colloquialisms are slang and regional phrases that add color and personality to an essay. It’s great if you’re writing a novel or short story about people in a particular area.
Not so much in business copy.
Idioms are likewise confusing phrases that, if taken literally, suggest to the reader that something very strange is going on:
- It’s raining cats and dogs.
- Don’t wait until the chicken has teeth to start.
- Time to grit your teeth.
- Do not bend out of shape.
- Not wasabi after lunch yet.
- Some brands are noisy and don’t have walnuts.
These are common in small parts of the world.
But for the vast majority of readers, they cause confusion.
10. Forget about CTAs
Don’t leave me hanging… tell me where we’re going next!
Every copy needs at least one call to action to give readers the easiest path to the next step they want.
It also doesn’t always make sales. You might try to get them to download a lead generator, sign up for an email list, or read another, more targeted piece of content.
Some pages have multiple CTAs. Anywhere you determine a logical next step for your audience, give them options.
It doesn’t have to be all “buy now” and “click here” either. Get creative with CTAs.
I like what Baileys is doing here:
Yes, please.
That’s it! There are no earth-shattering secrets here—just develop good habits as you make it part of your editing routine to eliminate these common copywriting mistakes.
Your readers and conversion rates will thank you.
More resources:
Featured Image: Shutterstock/Nata Shilo com
