I know I harp on this a lot, but I am going to say it again: Don't put fluff in your articles! I’m called the No-Fluff Writer for a reason. It’s because I like to get to the point and give readers what they are looking for without any extras.

Fluff is content that really isn't saying anything helpful. It's basically used to fluff up the word count to appease the SEO Google gods, or a demanding client.  Are you giving your clients and readers bad customer service by creating content that doesn't have enough meat?

Think about it while I tell you a little story.

Fluff and Angry Customers

The other day I was on Facebook and I saw a post by a popular women's magazine. I liked the title and preview linked in the post, so I clicked and read the article. IT. WAS. BAD.

The article was supposed to be about laundry secrets you just must learn ASAP. The article, though, gave washed up (no pun intended), old advice that anyone within their target audience would already know. A few old tips and done. Nothing meaty and useful to the reader.

I was curious to see what others thought of the article, so I clicked back to Facebook and looked at the comments on the post. Almost every single comment was about how basic the article was and how the title was very misleading.

Over the next week or so, I started checking the comments on other articles. The articles that I felt didn't live up to their title or gave simple information that most people already know had so many negative comments. What really shocked me was the multiple offenders. These publications continually drew in readers with flashy titles, then served up mediocre articles that left their readers yawning, confused, or even worse, angry.

Angry readers matter, my friends. Many of those ticked-off readers that I came across voted with their clicks. In the comments, they stated that they were unfollowing the website and/or canceling their subscriptions.

You know it didn't stop there, right? Those angry people probably told their friends, which probably lead to more bad feelings toward's the website and the brand.

How to Stop the Fluff that Leads to Bad Customer Service

Articles or blog posts aren't just a great way to bring in views to your site or your client's site. They are, in a way, a customer service. Sure, you aren't talking directly to potential customers to complete or help with a transaction, but you are talking to your customers. You're providing a service with your content.

If you don't spend time crafting a great piece that will be interesting to your readers and delivers on the promise made in the title, then you're giving them poor customer service. I don't need to tell you that poor customer service makes you lose customers. You know that already.

Here's the elements of a meaty article:

• Research in the form of quotes or data

• Tips that are different from the million other articles on the web on the same topic

• A personal story to illustrate a point

• Testimonials

• Media like gifs, photos, graphs and videos

If you can't come up with ideas for new, interesting content, take a look at this article for tips. There is no reason for posting fluff. Just don't do it. Give your customers what they want.