To Hype or Not to Hype?

One of the discussion lists I follow had quite an exchange of messages about the place of hype in writing.

Hype, of course, generates emotion, and we see it used extensively in sales copy. But it also turns up in some employee communication, and especially in staff newsletters when the wrong people get involved.

But getting back to the discussion; as it evolved it became clear that hype comes in two kinds, a good kind and bad kind. Something like good and bad cholesterol, I suppose.

Good hype might be described as arising out of genuine enthusiasm. It's sincere and an expression of satisfaction, joy, a desire to share something good, or some other positive emotion.

Bad hype, on the other hand, comes from a desire to influence us without taking our needs into account. Take a look at the spam email in your inbox, and it won't take long to find faked enthusiasm. Lots of upper case letters and exclamation points, for example.

In our writing, we should aim to stay within the boundaries of good hype. Yes, we should convey our enthusiasm for things in which we believe and feel that others should know about, too. Our writing shouldn't take us over the line, though. Not only for the sake of our own integrity -- and that's what this boils down to -- but because the people with whom we're communicating will likely respond negatively.

We can look for that fine line in a couple of ways.

First, we can subject ourselves to some self-examination. Obviously, we could start by asking ourselves about our motivation, "Why am I writing this" or "What do I hope to achieve by writing this way?"

We might also examine the context of the hype. For example, if I've just been on a holiday and had a great time, then I think I'm justified in raving about the elements that made it a great time. In contrast, think about the people who have hit you up with an offer to give you a free vacation if you