The most common pattern: teams choose Payload because it's developer-friendly, then forget that editors still need to use it. The admin UI is capable but requires thoughtful configuration. Neglect that, and content teams struggle.

We also see teams underestimate the code-first tradeoff. Payload's power comes from configuration as code. If your team wants to click through a GUI to add fields, or if non-developers need to modify content models, that's friction.

Another pattern: treating Payload like a traditional CMS instead of leveraging its flexibility. It can be embedded in your application, share your authentication, run in the same deployment. Teams that deploy it as a separate service when they don't need to add complexity they could avoid.