8 Ways You Scare Away Your Readers

Some bloggers write authentically, straight from the heart; some write eloquently with a Thesaurus open on their lap; some write with the aim to dazzle with their witty turn of phrase, and others send you to sleep.

But you know what? Doesn't matter what style bloggers aim for… certain bloggers are successful and some are not and it has nothing to do with their vocabulary, turn of phrase, witty repartee, or subject matter… in many instances, it comes down to personality. That's right. It can be as simple as "do I like this person, or not?"

Now think about certain personalities that grate on your nerves or you just don't like their style… imagine them writing to you… imagine them blogging. Or maybe you suspect you might be one of these bloggers, or maybe you are not sure.

To lessen the confusion, here are 8 ways you may be frightening your readers away:

1. Yawn! You send them to sleep. You are so boring you send insomniacs to sleep! You write in a boring manner and/or you 'waffle'. Nobody has time to read a whole page of something that could have been conveyed in one sentence. Your readers are bombarded daily with a plethora of emails, blogs and instant messages, some of which are much more interesting than your offering. If your writing is dull and boring it is going to get lost in the abundant competition.
What to do: UP the mood. Be zippy and creative. Make your writing informative and fun. Use active voice, not passive voice, and if you don't understand that, Google the terms plus "grammar" and get a quick online lesson! Your writing must entertain, inform and motivate because people are too busy to waste time reading boring rubbish that leads them nowhere.

2. You are "full of it". Do you think all your readers are gullible or stupid? Do you not realize they can see through your outrageous claims and statements and this is the hugest turn-off of the century for them?
What to do: It's time to be honest. Recently there have been too many businesses ripping people off with lies… don't join them if you want to be successful. People can spot a phony a mile away.

3. You are "so" important that only your voice counts! Hmmm…if the good news is there is a time and a place for everything, the bad news is there is never a time or place for arrogance. Your readers could care less how clever or important you are… they just want to know how you can help them.
What to do: Stop trying to prove how important you think you are. Nobody likes or trusts a "big head". Your focus should be on your customer's needs and wants and not on yourself.

4. Not only are you arrogant, you're heavy-handed. Pushy, pushy, pushy! You are overbearing and full of self-importance and it comes across loud and clear in your copy which is pure heavy-sell in nature..
What to do: Nobody likes a pushy salesman. You may know all there is to know about your subject but instead of pushing how fantastic and clever you or your product is, how about sharing your knowledge with your readers and let them decide if it is right for them and if so, how far they want to take it. Don't shove it down their throats.

5. You are trying too hard to impress. This harks back to trying to be too clever with fancy words and phrases. Do you want people to think, "Wow, what a fancy vocabulary… too fancy for me!"or "Wow, this person knows a lot and is prepared to share it with me so I want to follow them!"?
What to do: Don't use jargon or "buzz words" in an attempt to impress. Keep it "real". Be honest and transparent and trustworthy if you want your customers to trust you and take it seriously. If your service or product is as good as you say it is, you don't have to bend over backwards to prove it – it will prove itself.

6. Oops, Wrong Market! Are you wasting words and effort on an audience who could care less? Have you attracted a readership with one line of thought only to switch on them halfway?
What to do: Aiming your blog/marketing message to all and sundry is like shooting in the dark. You can't hit anything because you can't take aim and you can't take aim because it's black and you can't see. Don't target your marketing willy-nilly – take aim and fire with accuracy.

7. You're shallow and can't follow through. You start off well with wisdom to share but after a few months you have less wisdom to share… folks aren’t buying and when the going gets tough you get going… in the other direction.
What to do: Why waste anybody's time? Rome wasn't built overnight – sorry, tired saying, but still true. Either leave or re-focus. Realize you don't just have to rely on your blog to promote your business – there is other social media networking, articles, joint ventures… research your product or service. You must have believed in it once to have started this!

8. Not Taking Care… If you have been reading that correct spelling and grammar doesn't matter, then you are reading the hard-sell of an uneducated person desperate to make a sale to someone he thinks he can fool. Let me repeat, people are not stupid but they may think you are if you cannot spell!
What to do: Spell check and review your writing before posting. The odd mistake folks will forgive – but not regular frequent errors – that will just make you look stupid and nobody will trust you or what you have to say.