Here’s Why Your Content Sucks

Word slop is the enemy of good content.

Let me explain: Our integrated configuration system utilizes top-performing sequences to procure high efficacy outcomes.

Did your eyes just glaze over?

Content like that appears more frequently than it should. On websites. In brochures. In sales materials. It doesn’t work. It alienates potential customers. Trust me. Clarity is your friend.

The other big issue with most content? It’s boring. I said it.

In our fierce drive to produce more content and get our brands out in front of consumers, companies have stopped worrying about quality. The existence of content has become more important than making it good. Or funny. Or smart. Or useful. Or on brand.

This brings us to a related problem: watered-down key messages. Or the wrong key messages, brought on by a lack of understanding about what makes a brand resonate with its audience and what that audience needs to know.

Good written content requires thought and effort.

Remember: not everything people produce needs to go into the world. If you’re bored while engaging with it, so is your audience.

Let’s say you get the written part right. You know what else kills good content? Bad imagery.

Fair enough – not every project comes with a photography or illustration budget.

But stop using the first free photos that come up on your preferred image site. What is with those images with “Team” or “Marketing” spelled out in Scrabble tiles? Stop using them. They’re not engaging, and they say the wrong things about your organization or brand.