TL;DR: Stop trying to impress customers with complex jargon. The most successful and viral content is written at a 5th-grade reading level because it’s instantly understandable, builds trust, and respects the audience’s time. True expertise isn’t showing how much you know; it’s making the complex feel effortlessly simple for others.
We recently went down a rabbit hole, analyzing the mechanics of hyper-viral short-form videos. We looked at creators earning hundreds of millions of views, expecting to find secrets in flashy editing or perfectly timed trends. We found something far more profound.
The secret wasn’t in the visuals. It was in the vocabulary.
The highest-performing content, the kind that connects with millions, is almost always written at a 5th-grade reading level.
While most businesses are adding layers of jargon and acronyms to sound authoritative, the world’s best communicators are doing the exact opposite. They are ruthlessly simplifying. And in doing so, they are building trust, attracting massive audiences, and growing their brands. Maybe it’s time we all started doing the same.
In business, there’s an unspoken belief that complexity is a sign of expertise. We use terms like “synergistic frameworks,” “leveraging paradigms,” and “holistic integration” to signal that we are serious professionals.
But here’s the truth: Your jargon is a wall, not a bridge.
Every time a potential customer has to pause and Google a term you used, you’ve introduced friction. You’ve broken the flow. You’ve made them feel like an outsider when your only job was to make them feel understood. This isn’t just a matter of semantics; it has a real business cost:
- It Creates Cognitive Strain: When the brain works hard to decipher language, it has less capacity to evaluate the value of your message.
- It Alienates Your Audience: Jargon creates an “in-group” and an “out-group.” Your customers, the very people you want to bring closer, are immediately placed in the out-group.
- It Signals Insecurity: Often, complex language is used to mask a lack of clarity or true understanding. True confidence is the ability to be clear and direct.
Authentic connection, the bedrock of any sustainable business, can’t grow in the shadow of a wall.
Radical Simplicity: Why It Just Works
Switching to simple, accessible language isn’t about “dumbing down” your message. It’s about opening it up. It’s an act of respect for your audience’s time and intelligence.
Think of it this way: a fifth-grader has a foundational understanding of the world but no patience for fluff. If you can explain your value to them, you can explain it to anyone. This approach works because:
- It’s Instantly Understandable: In a world of infinite scroll, you don’t have minutes to make your point. You have seconds. Simple language transfers ideas with maximum speed and minimum effort.
- It’s Inclusive and Accessible: Your audience includes non-native English speakers, people from different industries, and individuals with varying levels of education. Simplicity is the one dialect everyone shares.
- It Builds Unbreakable Trust: When you speak clearly, you signal that you have nothing to hide. You are confident in your offering, and you are generous enough to share it in a way that benefits the listener, not your own ego. This is how you turn a curious visitor into a loyal customer.
How to Start Speaking Your Customer’s Language
Tearing down the wall of jargon doesn’t happen overnight. It requires intentional practice. Here are three actionable steps you can take today.
1. Take the “Readability Test”
Before you publish your next blog post, email, or social media update, run it through a readability tool (like readabilityformulas.com). Aim for a “Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level” of 5-8. You will be shocked at how high your current score is. This simple check forces you to replace complex sentences with clear ones and multi-syllable words with simpler alternatives.
2. Mine for Your Customer’s Words
The best copy isn’t written; it’s assembled. Your customers are already telling you how they think and speak about their problems. Where?
- Product Reviews: How do they describe what they love and hate?
- Online Forums (like Reddit): What are the exact questions they are asking?
- Customer Support Tickets: What are their precise points of frustration? Use their language, not yours. It will resonate because it’s real.
3. Use Analogies, Not Acronyms
If you need to explain a complex concept, don’t retreat into technical terms. Find a simple, universal analogy. Instead of saying “Our SaaS platform integrates a proprietary machine-learning algorithm for heuristic data analysis,” try “Our software works like a smart assistant that learns from your data to find hidden opportunities, just like a detective looking for clues.” One is a password; the other is an invitation.
Expertise Isn’t Knowing the Big Words. It’s Not Needing Them.
In the end, the quality of your business is reflected in the quality of your relationships. And the quality of your relationships is built on the quality of your communication.
Every word you choose is either building a bridge or reinforcing a wall.
Choose the bridge. Choose clarity. Choose the simple, powerful, and natural language that invites people in and makes them want to stay.
Ready to tear down the wall of jargon and build a bridge to your ideal customers? Book a free, no-obligation Discovery Call with us. In 45 minutes, we’ll help you find the simple, powerful story your audience is waiting to hear.