1. Misuse of apostrophes

Always punctuate as though your audience is a group of academic pedants, even if you need to write as though it’s a gang of glassy-eyed, slack-jawed 14-year-olds.

2. Management-speak

People seem to think it makes them appear impressive. The same could be said of lycra bike shorts.

3. Sentences that go on and on and on

without appropriate punctuation or any sense of a logical progression sometimes with irrelevant diversions is that a bird at the window and by the end you can’t remember the beginning and come to think of it not even complete sentences.

4. More ‘we’ than a toddlers’ wading pool

The focus should always be on you. No, not you, for crying out loud. ‘You’.

5. Random Use of capitals for no Good Reason

6. Overuse of the passive voice

Want to sound like a politician attempting to deflect blame after a sex scandal? No? Then don’t do it.

7. Poor spelling

It will defiantly lesson your creditability.

8. Exactly duplicating the message conveyed by the art

Ever laughed at a joke after it had to be explained to you? Precisely.

8½.  No call-to-action

You don’t always need one (hence the half), but most of the time you do. On an unrelated matter, you can subscribe to our blog here.

By Ryan Wallman, Head of Copy at Wellmark.

Connect with me on Google+ at +Ryan Wallman