The scariest content mistakes your brand can make
What brand blunders haunt the Speak team? This Halloween, we share content horrors that have us fleeing in terror – and how you can avoid scaring off your audience. Read on if you dare…
Johanna Stiefler Johnson, senior content producer
If you have good stories to tell, you shouldn't have to trick people into reading them. Clickbait – often making content appear more enticing than it is – should be avoided like a haunted house!
You may think you avoid clickbait as a superstitious person would avoid a black cat. But say your header boasts a phrase like: "Everything you need to know about…". Can you really guarantee that you've covered everything there is to know about a topic in one article?
After all, you want your readers to trust you. If you're putting out wild statements that don't accurately capture the story you're reporting on, you'll lose credibility and ultimately disappoint your audience.
This is something you’ll learn right away at Speak. As part of our thorough processes, we check that in every sentence we've maintained the meaning of the story.
Sarah McGrath, junior content producer
Every communications team knows fact-checking is important – it’s practically the holy grail of any brand newsroom. But when it comes to the murkier areas of the process – a dispute around a definition or an unsubstantiated claim – writers can still fall into the trap.
Maybe they’ve cited an unreliable source to back up an argument, or the meaning of an interviewee’s quote has been scrambled in an edit. I can’t count the number of times I’ve consumed content that has taken some terrifying leaps when it comes to assuming, rather than verifying information.
It’s not just a pet peeve that keeps me up at night. Your brand might be digging its own grave – with potential legal ramifications, unhappy stakeholders – and the risk of losing your audience’s trust.
It’s scary stuff – but don’t run in fear from fact-checking ever again. Simply be diligent.
Sophie Parrott, senior content writer
My scariest content mistake? When brands don’t add value with their content. If you’re not creating original, purposeful content that keeps the reader’s needs at the heart of every editorial decision, your audience will go elsewhere and leave your channels in the dust.
By doing this, comms teams will have a better chance of engaging their audience. If you’re providing stories people can’t get elsewhere, they will likely come back for more!
At Speak, the value behind a piece of work is considered from pitch to publication. How will this meet our client’s needs? Does it fit within their brand’s narrative? What will their readers take from it? These all need to be considered so you can offer your audience treats rather than tricks.
Scarlett Sherriff, junior content producer
There are a lot of scary content mistakes that writers and editors encounter every day. Out of all these, there is one that has me truly shuddering…failing to think about legal issues.
From libel to copyright, there are many legal areas that all writers and brands need to be aware of. You can fix a formatting issue, you can fix a typo – you can even fix an article that doesn’t make structural sense. Yet break the law, and there’s no way out. It’s a mistake that could haunt your organisation forever.
Fear not: we can recommend a careful set of processes to help ensure correct attributions and permissions for every article you produce.
Grace Nolan, account manager
Sponsored content that is too promotional haunts me. Brands should prioritise focusing on what they can offer, rather than making a flat, lifeless advert. Authenticity is key – at Speak we ensure that editorial integrity is maintained in any sponsored article, video, or podcast episode that we create.
Brands need to consider best practice, including readability and maintaining trust, keeping their audience in mind.
Saskia Mair, managing editor
One truly fearsome newsroom blunder is trying to include too many tangents in a single feature. It’s all too tempting to pad out a few paragraphs with some meandering quotes, cram in a reference to an unconnected initiative, or get lost in a stream of consciousness, without getting to the point.
Looking through an article that tries to tackle too much is like rummaging through an overstuffed trick or treat bucket – only to find that it’s filled to the brim with dolly mixture, wine gums and parma violets (gross) rather than Haribo Tangfastics (obviously a fave).
Of course, it’s always a balance. An unexpected detail can bring a piece to life – but go too far off topic, and you’ll quickly lose your reader’s interest. Keep it focused, and you’ll keep your audience sweet.
Want to find out how to implement a best-in-class editorial strategy that connects your organisation with your always-on audience?
Contact Gabrielle Bridle from our client services team: gabriellebridle@speakmedia.co.uk.