Jargon: Handle with Care
When I reviewed business Web sites for the Webby Awards earlier
this year, one of the most common and annoying obstacles I ran
across was jargon - insider language that got in the way of
understanding what the business behind the site actually did for
its clients. The same barrier detracts from the effectiveness of
many press releases.
Troublesome jargon comes in at least three varieties: buzzwords,
or trendy phrases used by people who consider themselves on the
cutting edge of their field; acronyms, the dizzying alphabet
soup of obscure abbreviations; and technical or specialized
phraseology that just isn't much known outside of a particular
niche.
"GCKL's Enterprise-level Viral Marketing Solutions Offer Leading
Value-Add for the P2P Revolution": that's a fictional headline
containing no less than seven buzzwords. Most journalists hate
buzzwords, and you should therefore avoid them, just as you
should try not to complete the previous thought in this sentence
with "like the plague." If you think my made-up headline makes
perfect sense, then please take my word for it that the number
of people who truly understand such messages is extremely small.
Usually when you attempt to translate buzzwords, all that comes
from the effort is mush.
Acronyms such as "CRM," "CSS," "CSP" and "CTR" are a bit
trickier to provide advice about, because they are much likelier
than buzzwords to become elements in searches of the Internet at
large or press release databases. In other words, potential
clients and media people might actually search for "CRM for
small business" or "CSS tutorials," so that you want those
phrases to appear in your release if that's what you do.
Even so, you need to remember that many media people and
potential clients may not have a mental definition for such
acronyms. For instance, publishing insiders can email each other
about "POD initiatives," but in a press release "POD" should not
only be clearly explained as "publishing on demand" but that
term given a brief gloss as well. By using both the acronym and
the written-out words that the letters stand for, as well as
further definitions when a phrase is relatively new or
specialized, you communicate clearly and set the stage for your
news to be found through search engines.
Now what about specialized vocabulary - "hematoma," "habeas
corpus," "chakra" and "candlestick charts"? Such phrases have
precise and established meanings in certain fields, but people
who don't use the terms every day may have a hazy comprehension
of them. Thus, you should handle them as I recommended for
acronyms. Provide a brief, unobtrusive definition in close
proximity to their first use in a release.
When you do this subtly, tucking an explanation into your
release, neither the in-group nor the outsiders take offense.
For instance, within Eastern medicine "qi" is a standard term.
You could define it discreetly as in this sentence: "Acupuncture
restores balance and regulates the flow of qi, the basic life
force." The last four words prevent both confusion and insult.