5 Reasons You Won’t Read This Blog Post

Whether I’m writing for print, online, or in cuneiform, my job as a content producer is to serve you, the reader.

You are investing precious time with me, and I better not disappoint you. There are, after all, at least a few other sources you could visit instead.

So why do I ignore this? 

Probably because I forget to write as if I was on your side of the screen (or page, or tablet).

I create content that I wouldn’t read if my name wasn’t beneath the headline. I create the content equivalent of talking to myself on the train.

It’s embarrassing and a little bit pitiful. But the first step in recovery is admitting I have a problem, right?

So, here are 5 reasons you stop reading my posts:

1. I Make it All About Me

I forget to give you benefits. I forget to make sure there’s takeaway value. I tell you a story about my life that has nothing to do with yours and serves no greater purpose.

I treat this space like a personal diary even the nosiest of siblings wouldn’t want to read. I write selfishly – for me only.

2. I’m Trying Too Hard to Sell You On Something

I want your business so badly that I can’t contain myself. I don’t show patience and build a relationship with you over time with valuable content, I jump right into the hard sell and turn every sentence into marketing speak.

I unceremoniously link to product and services pages that have little to do with the story (or lack thereof) that I am (not really) trying to tell. I tell you about my expertise instead of showing you. I bore you with my marketing drivel and try too hard to sell you on something. And my desperation reeks.

3. The Passive Voice is Used and You Are Put to Sleep

The points are not made in a passionate way. The concerns of the audience are not addressed. The meaning is lost in translation. The writing is ignored due to lack of enthusiasm. You are put to sleep.

4. I’m Not Telling You Anything New, or Even Telling You Something Old in a New Way

I’m regurgitating existing thoughts instead of hatching new ones. I’m covering the same old ground instead of exploring new territory. I’m telling you something you already know with words you’ve already heard. I’m stating the obvious, again and again.

5. I Don’t Respect Your Time, Your Eyesight, or Your Attention Span

I say in 1,000 words what could be said in 100. I drone on and on for the sake of droning. I take my time getting to point. I over-explain and then explain the explanation again. I tell you what I’m going to tell you, I tell you, then I tell you what I told you. I use long blocks of text and run-on sentences that push the bounds of literary correctness, your patience, and the server load of most reliable servers. I don’t let you scan, don’t let you skip, and think every word of my manifestos are worth poring over. Twice. I make you work too hard to understand what I’m talking about – or I don’t understand what I’m talking about and take a long time explaining it so I look like I do. I challenge your patience, not your perspective. I disrespect your time with meandering sentences that take you nowhere. I bore you to death.

And the worst thing is, I don’t finish posts with a solid statement that summarizes the main point succinctly. But then again, why would I? You stopped reading long ago.

And I don’t blame you.

[image: adrian_s]

Related articles

• My voice is passive. So what? (professorbainbridge.com)
• Ensuring Your Articles are Original and Informative (gabrielcatalano.com)
• Reaching your audience with conversational language (prsa.org)