Writing · Business and creators
10 Content Pitfalls Every Creator Should Avoid
By Richard K. Marshall · Originally published
What you don't post matters as much as what you do.
Creators spend a lot of time hunting for fresh ideas to grow their reach. Spend some of it on what to leave out. These ten kinds of content can damage your reputation and your engagement.
- Racial or ethnic slurs. Universally damaging to your brand and reputation.
- Hate speech. Content promoting hatred of any group based on identity invites immediate backlash.
- Intentional misgendering. Deliberately using the wrong pronouns can come across as disrespectful and alienate part of your audience.
- Threatening language. Anything suggesting physical harm or violence will cost you credibility and visibility.
- Excessive profanity. Mild language might slide. Aggressive or extreme profanity drives a wide audience away.
- Derogatory mental health terms. Using words like "retarded" or "insane" as insults offends many people, including people living with mental health conditions.
- Lazy political labels. Throwing around "Nazi" or "Communist" carelessly weakens your argument.
- Sexual harassment. Anything that could be read as sexual harassment brings serious backlash.
- Dismissive language. "Snowflake" or "get over it" sounds insensitive and hurts your community.
- Denying historical facts. Denying well-established history wrecks your credibility and spreads misinformation.
Avoid these and you'll keep a respectful, engaging presence, and build a community that values thoughtful, inclusive conversation.
Before you post today, run your draft past this list.
— Richard K. Marshall Lexington, Kentucky
Originally published on X: https://x.com/RichMarshall/status/1840779772030332931 · . Refreshed .