I'm not going to pretend I'm some kind of brilliant writer. But I've had my share of success through emails, blog posts, articles and a best selling book.

So I often get asked to give feedback on other people's writing. Here are some basic mistakes I see made time and time again:

1. Trying too hard to be clever

I can't tell you the number of times I've seen people trying to use clever puns, aliteration, cutesy phrases. Especially in the vital areas of headlines and email subject lines.

It doesn't work.

In marketing you want clarity first. If you can be clear and write something clever or funny at the same time that's great. But very few people can. Instead they write something vaguely humourous that fails to get across the key points.

Focus first on being clear. And in your headlines and subject lines make sure you get across the benefits of what you have to offer.

2. Writing that's too complex

This was my big achilles heel when I started. I'd have big long sentences with complex clauses and multiple commas.

Often the only person who could understand what I'd written was me. And if I read it a day later sometimes even I couldn't decipher what it meant.

It's a particular challenge when you have quite detailed knowledge and you see shades of grey.

You want to caveat everything. Lay out all the different situations and complexities.

But if you confuse all your readers you achieve nothing.

It takes work to simplify your writing yet still get across a complex message. But you have to put in that work.

3. Writing that doesn't go anywhere

A lot of writing just peters out.

The writer makes their main point, then kind of rambles on a bit. Then it just ends.

In almost all marketing-related writing you need a call to action. And I've seen many people fight shy of calls to action.

They don't want to be too pushy. They're hoping people will just spontaneously know what to do and do it.

But they rarely do.

If your article has given a clear reason for taking some action, then ask your readers to take that action.

If it makes sense and it's a fit for them, they will. If it isn't a fit they won't.

Don't make their decisions for them by not giving them the choice.

Of course, now I've said that all good marketing-related writing needs a call to action, I need to have one too.

Normally it would be something suggesting you join the %mctrial% trial of Momentum Club.

But what I really want you to do this week is just pick one piece of your writing. A important blog post or email for example.

Read through it and just tick off where you're trying to be too clever. Where your writing is complex. And mark a big X if you don't have a call to action.

Do this for your next half dozen pieces of writing and I promise you it will improve.