Dear Publicists: Trendy Jargon Is Killing Your Pitch

Trendy words make journalists want to pull their hair out.?

Seeing the same jargon and nonsense repeatedly makes me automatically delete the email. Yup, I don't even read it if it has two or more trendy words in the subject line.?

Who even wants to read an email with the subject line: How this innovative millennial organically built up her impressive social following by being authentic

Blah. Next! Your pitch has been killed by trendy jargon. The more fluff words you use, the less authentic the person or company you're trying to pitch comes across. We see right through it. You can be authentic without having to fill your pitch with meaningless phrases.?

How? Well, start with just presenting the facts. How much did your client raise in a funding round? What's their annual revenue? How large is the community they built? What's their reach? Sticking to the facts and sharing their story will garner a positive organic response from journalists.?

Keep in mind that the more fluff, the less successful we think they are because if you have to add all these trendy words to make them sound good, how good are they really??

Words To Eliminate From A Pitch

Organic

Unless it's food, omit it from your pitches. Everyone refers to everything now as organic. It's lost its value.

Authentic

Shouldn't we all be authentic in our approach. Yes, now, with AI flooding the headlines, I can see how being authentic might be relevant; however, unless AI actually built a company from the ground up, it's assumed that the founders are true to their mission and branding.?

Innovative

This one can be tricky. When AI first came out, yes, that's innovative. The doctor who can help blind people see, yes, that's innovative. The first self-driving cars, yes, that's innovative.?

What's not innovative is a new skincare line launched by a celebrity. Did the celebrity come up with the formula? Probably not. How many other skin care lines use the same formula or ingredients? How about a new inclusive, innovative children's clothing line? Or a new innovative executive group? Or innovative bed sheets?

Only use the word innovative when the company or person is first in the market.?

Disrupter

This goes along the lines of innovative. Just don't say the company or person is a disrupter; fully describe how. How are they beating out the competitors? How is their revenue or fundraising so much more spectacular than others in the space. That's what grabs the attention of a journalist and their readers.

I highly encourage you to use facts over fluff.