I’ve been working as a writer in one form or another for more than a decade now. In that time, I’ve honed my craft, metaphorically (and sometimes literally) putting pen to paper on all kinds of projects.

As expected, I’ve made a lot of errors along the way.

Many of those mistakes came from common fallacies that less experienced writers tend to fall victim to.

Here are four common misconceptions that could be holding your content writing back.

1. Complicated language means better writing

In my spare time, I like to write short stories, and I keep them all in a folder on my laptop.

On the rare occasion that I look back at some of my earliest work, it’s clear that I bought into this first misconception in a big way. I thought that complicated language equals better writing.

Characters who were meant to be present-day children spoke as if they were Victorian aristocrats because I used so many unnecessarily complex words.

I often see new content writers fall into the same trap.

You might believe that using a lot of complex or technical language makes you appear knowledgeable and lends you more authority. In reality, it makes the writing dull and inaccessible.

Readers will be far more engaged if you speak in plain language that everybody understands.

This is especially important when writing financial planning content because it’s easy to get caught up in technical jargon and in-depth calculations. Yet, if you want to engage your audience, you need to explain complex financial concepts in language that doesn’t send them to sleep.

2. It’s all about consistency

When I started working as a content writer and learning more about marketing, I constantly heard that consistency is key. To build a successful content strategy, you need to make sure you post regularly.

I’m not saying this isn’t true – it’s absolutely important to have a regular posting schedule – but it’s a mistake to think that consistency is the only thing that matters.

You can post three times a day, every day. But if the content you put out is terrible, then people won’t want to read it. It sounds simple, but some writers do lose sight of this and focus on quantity to the detriment of quality.

The key is to find a balance between both. For instance, you may have more success if you send out a monthly newsletter with three exceptional articles, rather than trying to post every other day and rushing out poor-quality writing.

3. Good content sells itself

Engagement is an important part of a winning content strategy. Encouraging readers to share your content expands your reach, and inviting comments gives you an opportunity to connect with potential leads.

Some would argue that the best way to inspire that engagement is to create excellent articles worth sharing because good content sells itself.

That’s true, to some extent. Naturally, if a piece of content is well-written and insightful, people are more likely to share it. But only if they see it in the first place.

Unfortunately, most people don’t check financial planners’ websites regularly to read the latest financial news and views. So, if you don’t push your content, it’ll likely fly under the radar.

To prevent this, you might share your content on social media and send regular newsletters directly to clients and prospects. Then, once it’s in front of a captive audience, excellent writing will inspire more engagement.

4. You don’t need humans to write content anymore

I was working as a freelance content writer when generative AI tools such as ChatGPT first appeared on the scene.

Even when the technology was relatively primitive, I had clients asking if they could use ChatGPT to write content and then have me edit it (for a lower fee, of course). I even lost clients who said they were taking their content writing in-house. Reading between the lines, this meant I’d been replaced by robots.

It’s understandable, and now that AI technology has progressed significantly, many people fall into the trap of believing you don’t need humans to write content anymore.

Yet, it’s important to consider what kind of content you want.

ChatGPT can absolutely write generic content about financial planning to fill your website, but it won’t be tailored to your specific audience. It’ll also be the same as thousands of other pieces of AI-written content online.

More importantly, in very tiny letters, hidden at the bottom of the results on ChatGPT, you’ll find a disclaimer that says, “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.”

Not exactly ideal when you have strict compliance standards to uphold. And if you present potential clients with incorrect information about financial planning, they’re unlikely to trust you to manage their wealth.

In comparison, if you work with our experienced team of content writers, you benefit from bespoke content designed with your clients and prospects in mind. We also have a comprehensive checking process in place to ensure that all content is correct and compliant.

Additionally, we can be creative in a way that AI can’t, so you benefit from unique, engaging content rather than the same generic article that has been posted by every other financial planner.

Get in touch

If any of these misconceptions are holding your content back, or you simply need more support, our team of content writers is on hand to help.

Email hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call 0115 8965 300 today to learn more about our services.