bad copywriting

There’s no need to be shy. You’re reading this because you’re worried your content, well, sucks. You get a few positive comments on your work, but you’ve noticed the results aren’t backing up those friendly comments. Great content drives traffic, is engaging, and sparks discussion in the comment section. Excellent copywriting doesn’t become popular right away, so if you just wrote a piece, you need a little patience. But, there are cases where your content just isn’t great.   Great Copywriting? Let’s Have a Reality Check   Great content can still go unnoticed. If your blog or website is relatively new, you’re not going to have the same following as a blog that has been around the block a few hundred times. Readership alone isn’t a great way to gauge how bad your content is. Also, just because some people say they like your content doesn’t necessarily mean it’s great. Think of who is complimenting you. Are they family, friends, and coworkers? You’re not going to get an honest opinion from your close friends — after all, what kind of friend would say “hey, this sucks?” There’s not a single clue that tells you your content sucks. To help you decide if your copywriting is lacking, we’ve compiled a list of 23 ways to tell if your content needs a re-do.   1. You Yourself Don’t Give Your Content High Scores Ask yourself what you really think of your own content. Be honest here. On a grade of A (for awesome) and F (for bad), what would you give? If you can’t give your own content an A, then it is probably a good indicator you’re not doing what you should be.   2. You Don’t Have Any Comments Let’s face it: people read and comment on stuff that is great, and they skip right over the stuff that sucks. If you don’t have any comments or just a fine trickle here and there, you’re visitors are telling you something. If you have a new blog you probably won’t have hundreds of comments, but if you have a lot of subscribers and no one is saying “boo,” there you go.   3. You’re Not Really Targeting Your Readers If you aren’t addressing your reader’s issues, problems, or frustrations, it’s unlikely you’ll have a high engagement level on your blog. These days, readers want it all about them – and one of the most useful practices for good copywriting is to create content that actually targets them. What are your readers looking to solve? What problems do your readers face? Think about the issue from your reader’s perspective next time you write, and you might boost how many comments you get.   4. You Only Post the Good Stuff for Paid Accounts There are some sites that only give the good stuff to their paid accounts, but how on earth do they expect people to buy a subscription if there is nothing but crap to preview? It’s true. If you want people to pay, you need to show off what they’re going to find in a paid account. Give them some good reads for free as a preview of what more is to come if they pay.   5. You’re Negative No one wants to read a downer. If you have lame excuses, “poor me” styled posts, or you’re just down right moaning all the time, no one wants to read much further. You need a positive spin and something that is uplifting to your readers.   6. You’re Throwing Out Journal Entries Instead of Blog Posts You might not start your posts out with “Dear Diary,” but your content and blog posts read like a journal entry. Yes, back in the day that is what blogs were for, but today blogs and websites serve a purpose and read like magazines. Take a look at what you’re writing about. If you’re blabbing on about your dog, the weather, etc. you have a problem that needs serious fixing.   7. The Average Visitor Bails Fast Websites should have Google Analytics installed — if you don’t it’s time to get on that. See how long your average visitor sticks around. If they bail less than two minutes into their visit, it’s obvious your content isn’t holding their interest. SearchEngineWatch.com has an interesting post about how reports in Google Analytics can give you more insight.   8. You Spend 30 Minutes or Less Creating Your Work Most of the best copywriters write their pieces by taking no less than 30 minutes for short pieces and anywhere from two to eight hours on longer pieces. Copywriting is a work of art — not a short essay assignment. The more time you spend on your content, the more appreciated it will be by your readers.   9. You Have Very Few Followers Popular people get all the love. If you have no followers and haven’t ever received a “hey your site is awesome” message, then you have definitely got a copywriting issue. When your copywriting does it all, people will be compelled to tell you how great it is.   10. You Don’t Have Any Haters Great content gets those people who dislike the content too. They aren’t saying you suck; instead, they want to argue with a point you’ve made and start a debate. Haters who mock and disagree are a sign you’ve written something great just as much as fans are.   11. You’re a Keyword Junkie There’s no better way to write horrible copy than stuffing it with every keyword imaginable. If you are focusing on keywords or basing your posts around keywords, you’re tainting the quality of your work. Focus on real, high-quality posts — not keywords. Read more about the SEO trends for 2014 in this article by Entrepreneur. You’d be surprised how little focus there is on keywords these days.   12. You Care Too Much About SEO If you think SEO is the way to create a popular … Read more