Breaking Up with Buzzwords: Speak Your Audience’s Language

CMOs, brand leads, in-house creatives, agency folks, and copywriters (myself included)—this one’s for you. And sorry, but it’s kind of an intervention.

The Buzzword Overload: Why We Use Them

By Emily Garrity, Senior Copywriter

We need to talk about buzzwords. Not because they’re wrong, but because they’re wreaking havoc on your messaging. Somewhere between the brainstorm and the billboard, words like “disruptive” and “ecosystem” weasel their way into the copy, and suddenly, you’re not talking to your customers anymore. Your message starts to sound like it was written by a committee of LinkedIn posts.

You’re not alone. We’ve all done it. “Solutions” sounds smarter than “stuff.” “Leverage” feels fancier than “use.” But when your audience is just trying to figure out if you’re worth their time, money, or trust, corporate jargon doesn’t impress. It alienates, confuses, and perhaps worst of all for a marketer—sounds exactly like everyone else. Instead of standing out, your message is lost in a sea of sameness.

Why do we keep using these words? What do they actually sound like to the people we’re trying to reach? And how can we swap them out for language that actually connects?

Let’s break it down and take a look at some of our favs:

Leverage: When Using Sounds Like Squeezing

Not going to lie, I kind of love this one and use it regularly, especially when speaking. But, like most things…there’s a time and a place. This is one of those words that sounds great in theory but lands weird in practice.

What You Think You’re Saying vs. What Humans Hear

What you think you’re saying: “We’re strategically utilizing our assets to maximize value.”
What humans hear: “We’re going to squeeze every penny out of this somehow.”

Reality Check: What to Say Instead

What to Say Instead of Leverage? When brands say “leverage,” customers picture a crowbar. Not exactly the warm, partnership-forward vibe you’re going for. Try “use,” “build on,” or “make the most of” instead. Revolutionary, I know. But in a crowded marketplace, saying what you mean and meaning what you say is the way.

Best-in-Class: The Truth Behind the Title

No one’s going to say that they’re not the best, but there should be a law that if you say you’re the best you have to include at least one qualifier.

What You Think You’re Saying vs. What Humans Hear

What you think you’re saying:  “We’re the industry leader in quality and performance.”
What humans hear:  “We’re really expensive and probably not worth it.”

Reality Check: Prove Your Value

 “Best-in-class” is corporate code for “premium price tag.” Want to prove your value? Drop the title and show the receipts—metrics, reviews, real results. Specificity builds trust.

Solutions: When Simplicity Is More Effective

I’ll be honest, this is another one I am guilty of regularly using. Clients don’t generally like to say “we solve stuff” because it sounds too simple, so we dress it up with this corporate favorite.

What You Think You’re Saying vs. What Humans Hear

What you think you’re saying:  “We provide comprehensive answers to your business challenges.”
What humans hear: “We can’t be bothered to explain what we actually do.”

Reality Check: Swap for Clarity

 “Solutions” is the marketing equivalent of “stuff.” It sounds big but says nothing. Swap it for what you actually offer: software, services, products, tools. Clarity > cleverness.

Scalable: Hiding Fees in Fancy Words

Woof. That’s all I’ve got to say about this one.

What You Think You’re Saying vs. What Humans Hear

What you think you’re saying:  “Our offering grows with your business.”
What humans hear:  “You’ll pay more later.”

Reality Check: Simplicity Wins

 “Scalable” is helpful in pitch decks, but sounds like hidden fees in public-facing copy. If you mean it works for businesses of any size, just say that.

Optimize: More Than Just a Buzzword

I’ve never woken up thinking “Can’t wait to optimize today.” But people do want to seize the day. Let’s play to that instead…here’s why:

What You Think You’re Saying vs. What Humans Hear

 What you think you’re saying: “We’ll make your processes more efficient and effective.”
What humans hear: “We’re going to make you do more work.”

Reality Check: Benefits Over Buzzwords

 “Optimize” sounds like homework. If the end result is more time, less stress, or better performance, just say that. And maybe what they can do with said extra time and better performance.

Disruptive / Innovative: Aggressive or Genuine?

These days, it feels like everything is innovative but no one can truly say why. And their why is often something that isn’t truly innovative. They’ve just slapped that label on it because maybe it is innovative to them…or they just want to give it some sales legs.

What You Think You’re Saying vs. What Humans Hear

 What you think you’re saying: “We’re revolutionizing the industry with groundbreaking solutions.”
What humans hear: “We’re going to break something that was working fine.”

Reality Check: Improvement Over Disruption

Disruption sounds aggressive. People don’t want their lives disrupted—they want them improved. Lead with the benefit: “Finally, a way to [solve problem] without [existing frustration].”

Buzzwords Aren’t Always Bad: Use Them Wisely

OK. I know I’ve talked pretty badly about buzzwords, but I just want to clarify: it’s ok, we all use them and they exist for a reason. Internally, they create alignment. They give presentations structure. They help sell the idea in the room. But out in the world? They fall flat. They sound generic, inflated, or just plain meaningless. The fix isn’t to ban them completely. It’s to translate them. Make them useful. Make them human. Use them sparingly.

Here’s a simple rule of thumb: Would you say it to a friend at a barbecue? If the answer’s no, it probably doesn’t belong in your ad. Let’s compare:

Corporate speak: “Our innovative platform leverages cutting-edge technology to deliver synergistic solutions that optimize your operational efficiency.”
Barbecue version: “We built an app that helps all your work tools talk to each other so you can stop jumping between screens and just get stuff done.”

Same message. Much clearer result.