6 Common Writing Mistakes New Writers Make (And How to Avoid Them)
- Janette Beier
- Jan 15
- 6 min read
It’s time! You arrive at your computer. The smooth, clicking keys are begging to speak, and your fingers want to fly across the letters. You have your writing assignment and are ready to dive into to create your outline. But you begin to second-guess yourself, your writing chops, and your formatting. How you write this blog or article determines if your work spreads to the masses or falls on deaf ears. The question is -- how can you improve your writing (and confidence) in a way that makes your content more invaluable to readers and more marketable to paying writing clients?
With so many ever-changing rules of online content and copywriting, it’s easy to get tripped up by writing mistakes. We'll help you jumpstart your writing career with tips you need to improve your writing. Check out these six new writer mistakes and how to avoid them!
1. Speaking to the wrong audience
Writing for business websites, company blogs, and branded social media each requires a different approach. Because the audiences are different, and how they expect to engage with your content is unique to the platform, your writing needs to adapt. Knowing when to use professional, high-level industry context versus witty, slang-infused headlines comes down to an understanding of your audience.
Your clients will usually tell you who the intended audience is for each assignment. But you can take a few extra steps to better understand the style and tone you should take.
Review past blogs, articles, or posts to see how the client does it.
Look through competitor content to gauge how the industry "speaks" to the common audience.
If you're still unsure, ask your client for more information on the intended audience or for buyer personas you can reference.
Online readers, in general, seek accurate and helpful information, but in bite-size segments that are easily digested– in other words, they can be understood easily and in a hurry. They also expect authors to be knowledgeable and trustworthy. So, offer accurate and impactful information. They also want to feel a personal connection to the author or the brand. Look to humanize the tone with conversational wording or personable anecdotes.
2. Not connecting with the reader
Even if you identify the correct audience to address with your writing, you have to provide value to them if you want them to engage. Online writing requires some chameleon work. A medical website will merit an authoritative voice; a fashionista blog will benefit from playfulness and exuberance. And in either scenario, you'll want to provide value in a few key ways:
Entertain: Connect with something entertaining to read.
Empower: Give them tools they didn't have before they read your article.
Enlighten: Demystify a concept or shed light on something less commonly understood.
Educate: Provide unique and relevant data or insights they find helpful.
Engage: Capture their attention with storytelling that leads them to a solution to their problem.
And always remember -- readers will tune out if you're merely regurgitating common knowledge or take too long to get to the point. Avoid fluff at all costs and provide value with every paragraph you write.
3. Using the wrong writing format
As you're drafting your assignment outline, it's time to think about formatting your blog post or article. It’s time to think about Oxford commas, punctuation in or out of the parentheses, and proper formatting for titles. And the great format battle of APA vs. MLA ends in a double smackdown, with SEO (search engine optimization) reigning supreme. Follow any formatting instructions your client gave you. Then, infuse your layout with a little SEO.
SEO formatting connects users to their desired content and helps businesses reach their desired audiences. This happy marriage relies on strategically placing keywords and key phrases throughout the piece. It also means knowing the difference between H2s and H3s, when to bullet lists, and when to incorporate FAQs. The more you learn about SEO, the more valuable you become as a freelance writer.
4. Not implementing primary and secondary keywords effectively
If your finalized blog is a bridge, your keywords are the suspension cables. They hold everything together, connecting your content (the bridge) to your audience (the travelers), ensuring your blog is sturdy and visible, and getting people where they want to go. Without strong, well-placed keywords, your bridge might not reach its destination—or worse, it might not even get noticed!
Your client will usually share the primary and secondary keywords to use in your assignment. Once you've finished writing, use the "Control F" function to quickly find them all and make sure you've followed these best practices:
Include your main keywords in the introduction.
Repeat your primary keyword at least 2-3 times throughout.
Blend the keywords seamlessly in the writing so it doesn't feel like an ad. (no keyword stuffing.)
5. Not using internal and external links the right way
Linking is a BIG must-have for any online writing assignment. Your client may have directions or a linking strategy for you to follow. But if they're not sure, it's up to you as the writer to fill in the gaps.
Internal Links
Inform Google's algorithms that what you're writing has value and is both reputable and authoritative with internal links. Internal links are embedded links within your copy that point back to other pages on your client's website. They could be other blog posts, other website pages, or the home page itself.
Don’t overlink. You want to appear helpful, not pushy. Only add a few links per piece (depending on the length) and link only to pages that directly correspond with the information being linked.
Use an internal link in the opening paragraph. It's usually best to include one internal link within the opening paragraph. Ideally, you'll want an internal link to show up before any external links.
External links
External links to outside sources are about credibility. Readers want to see that the writing is based on research and facts, not opinions. Offering at least one external link to substantiate an impressive claim or research study boosts the legitimacy of your piece. Unless your client specifies an external linking strategy, try to incorporate one every 500 to 700 words.
External links need to be timely. Only use sources that are dated within the last two years as a general best practice.
Don't link to competitors. You don't want to attract a reader and then send them to the competition.
Avoid linking your primary keywords with external links. You want to rank for those. So, don't link them to other brands.
6. Forgetting your own voice
With all the online writing rules and SEO guidelines to follow, it can be really easy to robotically produce formulaic writing. But always remember why you chose to be a writer and that you have a one-of-a-kind voice behind your work that only you can offer the world. It's what your client is paying you for, too.
Find ways to maintain your personality and style in all your work, even in subtle ways. Whether you are a copywriter, content writer, or ghostwriter, there is always room for your uniqueness to shine through. And audiences respond best to that.
Bonus tips and mistakes to avoid with your writing
Check out these other common freelance writing mistakes to avoid so you can effectively set yourself up for success with every paying assignment you get.
Mistake: No CTA - Make sure everything you write has a natural call to action or next step you want the reader to take. In your closing paragraph, wrap up your topic and provide a "contact us" link for your client or "read more" link to another blog topic on the client's site.
Mistake: Too much jargon - Don't get overly technical or write so sophisticated that you overshoot connecting with your target audience.
Mistake: Not enough research - Spend enough time researching your title and topic and exploring what the conversations are around your topic. Your research strength will make you more valuable as a writer.
Mistake: Over-reliance on AI - ChatGPT is great for helping you with outlines and writer's blocks. It's NOT good for your writing or your client's blog traffic results. And AI is not always accurate. So, do your own homework and keep with your own copy.
Mistake: Not double-checking your work - Get the free version of Grammarly or pay for a subscription to Grammarly Pro, Copyscape, or Hemmingway. Polish your grammar and punctuation, and make sure you're 100% plagiarism-free.
Improve your writing with The Pajama Writer
The good news is - you're not alone on your writing journey. And you certainly don't have to learn all the tips and tricks for compelling copy all at once. Take your time. Implement one new thing with each blog or article you write. Create some templates and checklists for yourself to follow. Take your writing to a new level with processes and The Pajama Writer! Your writing support is just a click away.
For more help fine-tuning your writing skills and getting your writing business started, let The Pajama Writer help! Get professional writing tips, find helpful guides, and download free templates to take the guesswork out of earning with your writing.
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