Before I tell you what this common error is, let me tell you that writing an article that produces great results is a certain form of art.

As I write this very article, I know that it might not get the attention it deserves, but I know that if even a few people learn from what I am about to point out in this article, my work is done.

Many people focus far too much of their time and writing ability just on the body of their article. This is understandable. After all, some inexperienced school kid wrote an eBook once telling people to “focus on writing 1500 words of body, telling people how to rule the world”. I’m not sure if that eBook was worth the 10 minutes it took to create.

Well actually, let’s clear our minds for just a minute. Let’s stop blowing smoke and look at the cold hard facts of a successful article.

1. The article must be useful and informative to the intended reader
2. The article must be free of grammatical errors
3. The bio box should have an incentive for people to follow on from your article
4. The article must have a killer headline that stops people in their tracks and literally forces them to buy

Point number 4 is the key here. Take a look at it once more if you wish. Because if there were 7 days left to the end of the internet, point number 4 is what I would tell every single article marketer to deploy immediately.

In fact, if there were 7 days left to the internet I’d have to start looking for a “real” job again (shudders).

This brings me to my very critical point, your headline. This where people screw up time and time again. One of the mistakes I see emerging more frequently than ever these days is people taking a certain technique too far. What is it?

Curiosity.

People just get carried away with this. Sure curiosity works well in marketing and advertising; it has been the backbone of many campaigns and techniques in marketing and advertising history. I actually use this element in many of my projects online and offline.

But when curiosity is blown out of proportion, you are effectively killing your article dead in the water.

Don’t make people guess what you have to tell them, make it abundantly clear if you must. Whether that means using recognizable words or just telling them exactly what you article is about, make sure you get to the point pretty quickly within your headline.

Curiosity is powerful, but only when used skilfully and appropriately. Next time you’re thinking about using curiosity in your article headlines, make sure you don’t throw all your hard work away by overshooting into total obscurity.