Clear vs Clever

“The same 26 letters can tell any story in the world.”

As creators it’s tempting to use fancy lexicons. Why are we paid so well, if not to create? But these days, fancy is the new normal.

So how do we become remarkable?

First, delineate stakeholders reading your copy:

  1. Customers
  2. Non customers

Customers love you — at least a little bit — because they pay you. So fancy jargon is OK, because just like the fancy restaurant, “you’re paying for the atmosphere.

Non customers, on the other hand, are unimpressed. They don’t understand your pricing, your logo, your tweets. Non customers are just looking for the truth. Which is why I tell every startup I work with to be clever with your customers, and clear with your prospects.

When a cow’s in the barn, you can brand it. But approach it with a hot iron in the field? It runs.