| Want to Kill Your Authority? Ignore This List  I once heard anything can kill you - such as thousands of paper cuts could potentially make you bleed out and anything taken out of moderation could have harmful effects. The same may be true for your authority - anything could potentially kill it, but that doesn't mean you should lock it up (see #5) or not take calculated risks (see #7). It's all about moderation and using common sense. However, there are a number of embarrassing power killers that will deflate your efforts to build exposure and leverage your expertise. Save face by avoiding these 20 authority killers that will put off your reader's interest. 20 Authority Killers to Avoid - Clichés: They're predictable, leaving your readers completely unfazed and they only add to the noise on the Internet.
- Ignorant: Gain first-hand experience and research to acquire knowledge rather than doling out vague or even misleading information.
- Boredom: If you're bored, your readers will be too. Allow your personality and passion to saturate your articles to be more engaging.
- Old news: Keep up with industry trends and current events not only in your niche, but what's relevant to your audience.
- Be a Silo: Allow others to influence your opinion and/or advances in technology and society to move you forward.
- Not Competitive: Be aware of what your competitors are covering and do more, better.
- Not Make Waves: You need to stand out from your competition. Taking risks can help you gain an edge.
- One-Hit-Wonder: Stop writing about the same information to avoid becoming a hackneyed author.
- Who's this for again? Always know your target audience, their needs, their quirks, what they do/don't do, and what they want.
- Promotion: Some promotion is good as long as it aims to inform. Don't be pushy. Present information that lets readers decide for themselves.
- Silence: Even if you're not churning a new article daily, make sure your social media, editorial, and users-driven signals are strong.
- Circumventing: Avoid writing like a poor politician; i.e., a vague answer or an answer that completely circumvents the question or topic.
- Lack of Transparency: Provide information about you and your company on your website and blog - this should be readily accessible to users.
- Formality: Over-the-top jargon and formalities are not necessary and will put off readers.
- Negativity: Allowing negative commentary to exist unaddressed as well as writing overtly negative content can be disastrous.
- Inauthentic: Be original and real. Inaccuracies and mimicking another brand will confuse readers.
- Unaccountable: You need to be 100% behind what you wrote and prepared to be accountable for every word.
- Complicated: Keep it simple. Readers suffer enough from information overload.
- Cut Corners: Never sacrifice quality to save time and effort.
- No Differentiation: Readers should readily know what unique value you offer over your competition.
What authority killers would you add to this list? Click here to let us know - we'd love to hear from you! |
To Your Article Writing Success & Passion!
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