How to avoid content failure

Sometimes there will be disappointments when great content you've worked so hard on will fail to impress. This blog post will pinpoint the areas to watch out for and help you overcome the obstacles.

The subject matter hasn't been targeted
I cannot stress enough the importance of researching your market and audience. You may have the best idea in the world but it will fall flat if you send it to the wrong magazine, or don't pitch it correctly to potentially the right magazine. The best advice I can give you is to read that magazine from cover to cover first and make a note of style, content, word length and article topics as you go through. Then while it's still fresh in your mind, build a readership profile.

Rubbish title / headline
Creating eye catching titles and headlines is an art and for most of us it doesn't come naturally. A great title is one that is actionable, brief, clear, definitive, and intriguing. Spend some time working on this. It's like anything, you'll get better the more you practice.

No attention to detail
Don't let a great piece of work go to waste because you didn't spell check it! Proof and edit your work preferably with the help of a friend.

These next three are more related to blogging / website content, but still worth a mention.

Lack of promotion
There's a whole world of people out there and it's right on your doorstep courtesy of the internet. You took the time to write the piece, so now make the time to share your content with your friends, family and colleagues through social media sites Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Blogger - to name a tiny minority.

Not socially enabled
What the heck does that mean? Basically add social media buttons to each post you write so people can click on them and share your content. This will give you more exposure.

No SEO
Ok, now we're getting really techy and I've probably lost you...! I've talked about Search Engine Optimisation before. People will find your website by searching for you in Google, as an example. On a simple level, your website needs to be sprinkled with key words to help search engines pick up those words and therefore pick up your website.