Hot Takes: Lyon Content’s Most Controversial Content Writing Opinions

How many ways can you write a blog article? Plenty — but how many ways can you write one well? Not as many. Lyon Content’s team of seasoned content writers has seen it all when it comes to blogs on life support, from boring, run-on sentences to absolutely no branding, personality, or flair. 

We caught up with the ladies of Lyon Content for their hot takes on the most controversial content writing opinions:

• Christina, CEO and mastermind behind Lyon Content, whose commitment to branding, tone, and detail promise perfection in every sentence.
• Natalie, our beauty and lifestyle writer, whose upbeat writing beams brighter than Sephora’s new eye cream.
• Chrissy, our technical and marketing writer, who makes boring stats and software jargon pop with personality.
• Rebecca, our lifestyle writer and graphics guru, with a penchant for pop culture and astrology that glimmers in her easy flowing and conversational writing.
• Kim, our SEO manager, who makes sure the whole world sees your kick*ss content with proven strategies for high search engine rankings.

Let’s poke the bear.

What’s your biggest pet peeve in written content?

Christina: Long-winded sentences

“There is just simply no reason to pack so many clunky words into one sentence – especially if you’re asking someone else to read it. Language should be accessible, and you can absolutely sound savvy, funny, or unique without losing people. “Keep it simple, sweetie” is a quote from my Mom that I always apply to writing and editing.”

Rebecca: SEO over content quality and personality

“Of course SEO matters to get your audience there — but if they arrive at low-quality content? You’ve lost their trust. Another pet peeve is content writing with zero personality. If we want to prevent the AI overlords from taking over, our best weapon is our humanity and personality — we shouldn’t be afraid to use humor, pop culture, anecdotes, emotions, and all the qualities that connect us to others on a human level. 

Natalie: Writing that isn’t conversational

“I think you can always tell when a writer doesn’t read their writing out loud in the editing process, and it drives me nuts. Why? It lacks euphony — you can hear it when something just doesn’t flow harmoniously. That’s probably the number one thing I look for when editing. Rhythm and readability are obviously important in any kind of writing, but I think it’s especially important in brands that want their writing to ooze personality. I’m not saying it has to be poetic or lyrical by any means, but it HAS to sound pleasing to the ears… almost in the way you’d naturally speak.”

Chrissy: Regurgitated writing from your competitors

“I’ve seen brands regurgitate competitor content in rephrased sentences with keywords to land on the SERP, without actually offering anything unique or of value. I try to stay curious in my writing. Some practices I’ve developed to avoid regurgitated content: 

• Quotes: Interview employees, brand owners, or subject matter experts (SMEs) for unique quotes you won’t see anywhere else.
• Brand reports: Inquire about internal studies or reports that I can feature and repurpose into various content types.
• Examples: Find demonstrative examples and screenshots to describe a topic from my own research and client ideas.”

Kim: Crummy user experience (UX)

“Stop center-aligning your content. No one likes to read it that way. It’s bad for UX and, therefore, is going to hurt your SEO.”

To piggyback on Kim’s point, content should be easy on the eyes and flow logically across the page. Google likes it this way, and your audience likes it, too.

What’s something way too overdone in content writing?

Christina: Obnoxious keyword placements

“We should absolutely optimize our content with keywords, but I’ve developed such a sharp eye for keyword placements in content that when I read articles, they actually appear isolated from the rest of the sentence to me. Almost as if they’re in another font or size. It reads so loud when you create content for search engines and not real people, and it’s not cute.”

Natalie: Flowery language, aka “purple prose”

“Overly flowery language (called purple prose) is something I’ve honed after Christina pointed it out to me in some pieces we’d worked on. I think painting a super vivid picture is great because it helps transport the reader into whatever world we’re exploring–be it skincare or PPC campaigns. However, Christina’s feedback has taught me that there’s a delicate line… too much flowery language detracts from your message and overwhelms your audience. Now, I can’t unsee it.”

Kim: Using SEO as an excuse for robotic or rewritten content

“Something that’s way overdone is using SEO like a robot. Remember, Google isn’t signing up for your newsletter list, buying your products, or booking a call. Real people are, so your content should be written for them, not the algorithm. 

Don’t just rewrite what the top-ranking blogs have written. People are coming to your site because they want your opinion, your hot takes, and your method. A big ranking factor that’s emerging is creating unique content. With the rise of AI, there is nothing that’s going to be less effective than creating cookie-cutter content.”

Chrissy: Ultimate guides or articles over 3,000 words

“These monster articles definitely answer a bunch of audience questions in one piece, but I hate scrolling through them to get to my question. I prefer reading (and writing) more focused, specific articles that break down specific topics than giant articles about everything under the sun. I’m confident writing them and I know these pillar pages have their place in SEO, but I find reading them overwhelming sometimes.”

via GIPHY

What’s a hill you’ll die on in the content writing world?

Christina: AI writing will never produce the best possible written product

“Robots don’t understand your audience, therefore, they can’t hold a candle to human research and creativity. Asking chatbots to write a compelling article and expecting results from said article is simply not going to cut it. If you’re willing to cut corners on your content, why should people invest in your brand?”

Natalie: Simplicity is always the better choice

“Confusing jargon, overly technical phrasing, and convoluted structures. These sentences that drag on forever are a one-way ticket to disinterested readers. Know your audience and make sure that whatever you’re talking about, you’re doing it at a level they’ll understand.

For instance, our client Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery often has us break down intricate surgical procedures for their audience of potential patients with minimal knowledge about different types of anesthesia, incisions, medications, etc. Therefore, these topics need to be broken down in a way that their readers can digest. That’s what makes it helpful, understandable content. Otherwise, you lose them. 

This is why I’m so glad we edit each other’s work. When you’re writing about the same topic for so long, the jargon can start to feel less jargon-y.  The editing process keeps these from occasionally slipping through.”

Chrissy: Reddit is gold for audience research

“I swear by forums, unless I can talk to an actual customer or audience member. A huge part of content writing is knowing how to get into the heads of both your audience and competitors. I leave more formal research to industry-leading publications and news sources. But to wrap my head around a particular niche like we’re tasked to do with our wide variety of clients? Reddit, Quora, and social media all the way. I love diving into threads to learn about audience pain points and infusing much more authentic empathy and understanding into my copy.

For example, I was tasked with writing a ton of content for our client Daniel Alain, who makes high-quality, luxurious wigs. One of their audience segments is women struggling with postpartum hair loss. This thread gives such an accurate insight into their struggle.”

Rebecca: Review articles are ideal for research

“The best research sources are review articles (i.e. literature review, systematic review, meta-analysis). One study doesn’t prove anything, plain and simple. Although reviews take longer to read through, they give you a more accurate summary of what multiple studies on a topic may prove.”

Another hill Rebecca defends til the end? Structure is just as important as the content, says Rebecca:

“Knowing how to edit and structure your writing well is just as important as knowing how to write well. This is a personal challenge, as I struggle with paring information down, but that’s what a good team is for! Plus, too much information in one article may be telling you to split into two articles that can answer different questions.”

What’s your hot take on DIY writing?

Christina: DIY will always be biased

“I struggle to even DIY my OWN content. As a biz owner or in-house marketing direction, you’re simply not objective enough to write about subjects without inserting bias. I’m happy to craft an article for a client and can do so efficiently, but when it comes to my own blog, the wires often get crossed resulting in SOS messages to my team to jump in and help. 

Having an objective, discerning eye (or better yet, multiple eyes like our dynamic writing team) will help you publish more effective, targeted content. I wouldn’t dissuade someone from DIYing, I would just recommend going into it with a balanced and realistic expectation of how much work is involved. Research, sourcing quotes from subject matter experts, fact-checking, editing, and publishing alone is an undertaking.

Just take a look at everyone featured in this article: they ALL have a hand in our blog, Roar!. Kim does our SEO and blog strategy, Chrissy, Natalie, and I write and edit the content, Rebecca creates designs, uploads, and publishes, and Steve (Co-founder and my husband) handles all admin tasks related to marketing and project management. In other words? It takes a village.”

Natalie: Business owners will never have enough time for it

“Content writing has a lot of backend sh*t that I think newbie writers (like me when I first started) have noooo idea about. I can imagine the same goes for biz owners considering taking on content creation solo. A big one that comes to mind? SEO. It ain’t as simple as Googling some keywords and sprinkling them into your copy. There’s an intricate strategy to it that I’m STILL learning to master, even after 3-years of writing full-time. 

When Christina says writing is an art that has to be honed over time, she’s speaking big facts. Effective content writing takes meticulous research, time, fine-tuning, and constant adaptation. 

Taking it on yourself, especially with limited knowledge of what the digital marketing landscape entails, might be a lil overly-ambitious. And it definitely won’t make the same impact as hiring a writer with a proven track record of high-performing content writing.”

Kim: OK to start, but not sustainable to scale

“If you are a new business or a business without a big budget for content creation, DIYing your content can be a great option… if you have the skill and the time and aren’t copying and pasting whatever generic garbage you pulled from ChatGPT. When you are first starting out, something is better than nothing as long as it’s relevant and useful.”

Start by pulling those FAQs that are always popping up in your email or in your DMs and turning them into a comprehensive blog post. How-tos, Best-ofs, and Ultimate Guides are always great places to start. But what’s really going to help you grow and scale and free up time is hiring expert strategists and copywriters to take it to the next level.”

Ready to offload to the pros?

So, we’ve unleashed our most controversial content writing opinions. And we’ve only been able to form these strong opinions from honing our copywriting craft over the years.

Christina started Lyon Content in 2018, and the digital landscape has evolved at lightspeed. Staying apprised of all these nuances and avoiding mishaps that result in bounces and clicks away from your site will help you dominate the SERP.

And who better to craft your content than writers who do this on the daily?

If you’re craving more content writing advice — or need a complete blog overhaul? It’s time to pounce on new traffic and conversions. We’re ready when you are.