Jargon Isn’t the Problem
A few months ago, a business reporter reached out with a simple question about a press release I’d sent her: “What does ‘self-perform’ mean?”
The question caught me off guard.
In construction, self-perform is everyday shorthand for a contractor that puts its own crews in the field rather than hiring subcontractors to build the work.
I’ve spent so much time inside the industry that it never even occurred to me that an outsider wouldn’t immediately understand the term.
I thought I had scrutinized the press release from every imaginable angle, but I’d missed a problem staring me in the face.
That’s the tricky part about jargon. It’s invisible to the people who use it most.
Who’s Reading?
It’s easy to write off jargon as a scourge that should be banished from all writing, but the language itself isn’t the problem. Writing for the wrong reader is.
The issue boils down to a fundamental marketing maxim: connect with your audience by speaking their language.
If I had sent the release only to construction trade reporters, I wouldn’t be writing this post. But I was seeking media coverage in general business publications and didn’t consider their frame of reference.
Big mistake.
Thankfully, the oversight didn’t sink the story; the reporter still wrote the article, and my client benefited from the coverage.
Still, the whole episode was avoidable, and a little embarrassing.
In retrospect, that reporter did me a favor. Her question reminded me that good writing isn’t just about grammar, accuracy and readability. It also has to land with the people it’s meant for.
That doesn’t mean dumbing everything down. With the right audience, jargon is efficient…sometimes even expected. It saves time and signals that you know your stuff.
The challenge is that the same word can be precise for one reader and a roadblock for another. You wouldn’t explain the concept of tolerances to a room full of senior engineers. By the same token, you shouldn’t hand a business reporter a term that leaves her scratching her head.
Know your audience. Then write for it.