Writing About Tech Without Falling Headfirst into a pile of Hyperbole: A How-To Guide
- August 4, 2024
One of the most frequent questions I hear comes in several flavors but boils down to this: How do you write about emerging tech without letting hyperbole take over?
Can you hear me now? Treat your audience like royalty, and address them as such.
Marketing 101 teaches us to “know your audience.” What it often leaves out is what to do once you get to know them.
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Don’t assume prior knowledge.
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Avoid industry jargon, and if you have to use technical terms, explain them on first use.
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Use concrete examples to drive home your point, not techno-babble.
Not doing these things can easily lead to hyperbole slipping into your writing as you can find yourself detached from the simple facts you want to convey. Don’t be afraid to use more words if it means keeping it simple.
Speak to your audience where they are, not where you think they might be.
“If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.”
– W.C. Fields
While what W.C. Fields said may work for show biz, it’s too often the guiding principle of writing around technology these days. Don’t fall into the hyperbole trap, your audience will thank you for it.
Can you feel me now? Find a balance between over the moon excitement and mind-numbing practicality.
So don’t tell them about how your next-gen software is disrupting the industry with game-changing artificial intelligence (AI). Instead, show them how your existing customers have used that widget to save millions, or streamline production, or whatever it is your widget can do.
Fill their heads with bullshit and you’ll end up with a disengaged audience buying someone else’s widget. Show them how you can help, and you’ll have customers.
Can you see me now? When writing about tech transparency is the key to the kingdom.
I’m about to say something that some may deem heretical.
BONUS: Can you generate me now? Uncanny valley, thy name is AI.
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By remembering to get to know your audience, you’ll learn where they fall on the utopia-dystopia spectrum and can tailor your language and level of detail accordingly.
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By remembering to maintain a healthy balance between enthusiasm and practicality, you’ll be better prepared to temper your language and talk about AI in ways that highlight the ways it will help solve those customer pain points and steer clear of overblown hyperbolic claims.
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By remembering to be transparent with how you’re using the algorithms and machine learning that back AI tools (if your product does, in fact, use such technology), you will keep your audience engaged and interested in the actual tech and how it can help them, rather than stoking hysteria or fear-mongering.
Jesse Kelber
Hi, I’m Jesse Kelber, a freelance writer based in Seattle, WA. I specialize in creating impactful content tailored to help you stand out and succeed in your industry.
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