7 of the Worst Article Writing And Marketing Tips

Oct 8, 2013 | 0 comments

olutaller

“There is nothing more hateful than bad
advice.” – Sophocles

There’s a lot of bad advice whispered in the
dark corners of the Internet. What appears like the fountain of quick-and-easy
success is often a nightmarish journey toward credibility ruin.

While there are many, here are 7 of the worst
article writing and marketing tips we’ve found circulating that you should
steer clear of and why.

“Write Content
for Content’s Sake”

Writing articles merely to churn out content
will not help you – it may pick up a few wayward readers, but it will not
sustain your growth. If your articles lack originality, a primary goal, and
audience targeting, then you will lack the ability to engage readers.
Everything you write should have a purpose and meet a need – your readers
should be able to walk away with something. Be informative while sharing your
exclusive and original content.

If you lack the necessary insight on a hot
topic, expand your horizons by performing the necessary research that will
benefit your audience. Integrate this new information with your own commentary
or insight on a particular topic. [Learn
more]

“Write What’s on
Your Mind”

Are your neighbors aggravating you again? Did
you make a pie that was simply inspired? Heard something on the news that makes
you see red? Is your relationship going through its paces? Unless the heart of
your expertise is relevant to any of these issues or you plan on tying any of
these experiences to illustrate an informative point, understand this: article
writing is not social media, nor is it a platform to publish personal diaries
or journals.

Write quality, original, and objective content
that meets the interests and needs of your audienceand you will succeed at becoming a leading authority in your
niche. [Learn more]

“Make Sure it’s
Absolutely AMAZING”

Good grammar, spelling, and cohesive ideas are
important, but not at the expense of your time and energy. Don’t get stuck in
publishing paralysis: you are stuck in a cycle of proofreading and editing
without publishing content. Develop a system bent on quality creative execution
and stick to it.

We recommend at least 7 steps to create
quality content fast: (1) Brainstorm, (2) Outline, (3) Write, (4) Revise and
Edit, (5) Proofread for Spelling and Grammar, (6) Perform Final Edits, and (7)
Submit It! [Learn
more]

“Write for
Keywords”

Keywords can have great power. When used
responsibly, they can increase your ability to be found on searches and create
eye-popping titles readers crave. However, keyword stuffing (scattering
keywords throughout the article) creates low quality content, a terrible user
experience, and reflects poorly on the author (as well as anyone associated or
affiliated with that author).

Raise the quality standards bar to create a
positive and memorable experience for your readers.[Learn
more]

“Promote Yourself
and Your Stuff in Articles”

Readers expect articles to be non-self-serving
sources of informative content. Adding self-serving information (i.e.,
advertising yourself, your organization, your brand, etc.) before the Resource
Box is like a spam-tripwire for readers and breaks their trust. Save
promotional content for areas of your blog or website dedicated to discussing
information about you, your business, and your products or services.

Write quality, informative articles (non-self-serving content)
that targets your readers’ needs and wants to build trust because earning trust
increases your credibility, maximizes your exposure, and is more successful
than a hard sell. [Learn
more]

“Use Exact Match Anchor Text”

Publishing the same anchor text aggressively in articles, blog
posts, and guest posts both on and off your website doesn’t benefit your
optimization – it hurts it! Intended for optimization, exact match anchor text
occurs when an unnatural amount of keyword phrases create a static link
profile. Avoid appearing unnatural to readers and search engines by creating a
great user experience.

Find balance in an organic mix of anchor text to add variety and
depth to your link profile while maintaining relevance and transparency. [Learn
more]

“Use an Article Spinner”

Article spinning software is a complete waste of money and time.
It serves no other purpose than an attempt to plagiarize good content, whether
you own it or not. Article spinning occurs when the user places text into a
software program that replaces the original words with synonyms. Alternately,
there is the “manual” version where content writers attempt
“rewrite” content by tweaking a sentence here and there. We’ve said
it before and we’ll say it again: Article spinning is “word vomit.”
Don’t waste your time or a reader’s time with it.

If you’re interested in squeezing more value out of content you
own exclusively, then consider using it on social media, transposing it into
videos or audiobooks, create webinars from it, compile it into an ebook or
report, and create easy-to-read infographics. Avoid creating derivative content
by planning ahead and exploring a wide variety of angles. [Learn
more]

What bad advice would you
add to this list? Click here to let us know – we’d love
to hear from you!