Many forms of communications writing are about persuading the audience to take a particular action, choose your brand or organisation, or buy your product.
Do not oversell your product. If you talk up the offer too much, you will lose credibility. Your claims and language must be accurate, even when you are trying to shift your audience’s opinion or decisions:
This course will teach you the methods used by legendary real estate investor, Jane Smith, as she amassed a multi-million-dollar property portfolio.
not
This course will give you the tools you need to build a multi-million-dollar property portfolio. Starting with an initial investment of $50,000, you will be a millionaire in just 5 years!
Organisations have a legal obligation to avoid overselling or false claims: the Australian Consumer Law covers issues around ‘misleading or deceptive conduct’ as well as ‘false or misleading claims’, which apply to advertising and promotion. Overselling or false claims also run the risk of reputational damage and loss of trust from customers.
In press releases, it can be tempting to oversell a story to grab media attention. For example, in reporting scientific research, it can be tempting to claim certainty where only possibilities exist. Always retain the qualifying language to keep your story accurate:
The study may show the way to a new treatment for ovarian cancer.
not
The study will deliver a new treatment for ovarian cancer.
See also Accurate language for more information on writing about evidence, data and statistics, and risk.
