Why Your Texts Get Rejected

Lazy copywriting is bad copywriting nobody wants to buy. Here are the three most annoying things that make editors reject your work instantly.

Do not believe bloggers and ads that tell you how cool it is to be a copywriter. That this job is all about hanging out at resorts and leisurely typing some articles. If you have submitted at least one text to a client you know, this is ridiculous.

However, it is a way to earn money relatively easy. Some people convince themselves, that it is even easier than it should be. And that is exactly when they start to get one rejection after another. There are some common misconceptions about copywriting for websites that can affect not only beginners but also experienced writers.

Don’t Be Tone-Deaf

If you are writing for a specific website or blog, start with looking at the articles they already have published. The tone of those articles is important. If the website has texts written in a casual way with a pinch of humour it must be obvious that the editor will not be thrilled to except a jargon-heavy bland Wikipedia wannaby article. Despite all common sense this happens very often.

Matching the tone is important. It is something the audience is accustomed to. The people who subscribe and read the content find this way of communication preferable. If you see that the texts are no BS and aimed at professionals, don’t write a text for a soccer mom. And vice versa. This feels like an insult.

Copy-Paste Writing

Content can be compared to the goods you buy at your local store. New stuff is always considered more valuable and expensive. And second-hand or cheap rip-offs have a certain reputation. Now apply this to the content you send for review.

There are countless free and paid tools that help webmasters and editors check how unique your article is. This is the fastest way to find out if the texts is worth anything. For websites, the content must excel in two functions. First, it must be acceptable to the machines. The robots that tirelessly scan the Web, find, analyse and assign ranks and attributes to the pages. That is why copy-cat texts get exposed and rejected. Robots know you cheated. They are watching you. Second, it must appeal to actual humans. A good article must be either helpful or entertaining. Or both.

Read Guidelines Twice

It is great when your client has a set of rules and recommendations on how to write for the website. Someone actually found time to spell them out for you and they will get mad if any one of those rules is ignored. This is not the situation where rules are meant to be broken. The editor actually tells in those few lines all the quality criteria for the article.

Don’t rub them the wrong way. Read the guidelines carefully before you start writing. Maybe take notes in the document to help you remember something important about those rules. And then read them again after you finish writing to check if every rule is properly followed.

 

Basically, if you want to be a good copywriter, just remember what it means to be a reader. If your own text makes you cringe at the second sentence, it is a bad piece of work.

Author's Note

If you are struggling with the professional language, always check the meaning. And check all the numbers and specs you add. Charts and calculators will be helpful: https://wheelssize.com/tires/honda/accord/2002/