“Before the debate, Bush is concerned about the lectern; he’s worried about the room temperature and the lighting. Kerry is making the mistake of worrying about the issues.” –David Letterman
Late October 8th, John Kerry was flying high. He had just smoked George Bush in the second presidential debate and had shown America the power of his superior grasp on public policy. His performance was steady and packed with intellectual chutzpah. Republican and Democratic pundits alike agreed that he was clearly the “smartest” candidate.
Americans agreed and elected George Bush anyway.
Stunned pollsters and political groupies looked long and hard. But finally they grudgingly acknowledged a startling truth…
Americans thought Kerry was smart but preferred to have a beer with George.
Kerry should have seen this coming because Gore had suffered the same fate in 2001.
What happened?
Well for one, human beings are impressed with smart people but are not persuaded by them. This little paradox has big consequences for us bloggers..
Are You Dumb Enough?
The other day, I asked a non-blogger friend to critique a post that I had (lovingly) written. It was one of those gut-check posts that pulled no punches. You know, the essay that finally sets the world straight.
After reading it, she leaned back and uttered. “Hmm…”
I knew what was coming – a little constructive criticism.
Surprisingly, she told me about a friend that was also doing a lot of writing and asked for a similar critique. She recognized that we both had the same problem.
Our problem was that we thought we were making a difference by being smart rather than being helpful.
Our work was decisive but depressing. Our points were sharp but drew a tad too much blood. We blew right past witty and landed squarely in sarcastic.
I wrestled with her critique until I decided to write this “Letter to Smart Bloggers”. By walking in my reader’s Crocs™, I gained a much better grasp of what most people are looking for in a blog, forum and even a brand.
As for you, this quick note is meant to give you another point of view about “Smart People Posts” and give you a better way to reach and influence your audience.
Here we go.
Dear Smart Bloggers,
You know what? Smart people are cursed.
You see the world in all of its heart-breaking, cynical glory. Every point has a counterpoint; every perspective has another point of view. The High IQers among you cannot resist the debate and the allure of a rhetorical victory.
The problem is…
I really don’t care. And frankly, you are irritating me. We especially hate reading the buzzword laden, abstract thesis papers you pump out. For some reason, we tend to finish your posts feeling like we’ve done something wrong.
Look, my life is pretty simple. I have goals (some fuzzy and some distinct) and I have problems. Problems prevent me from reaching my goals. When that happens, I use the web and people I trust to find answers. If your blog delivers that answer – you win my loyalty and a percent of my income.
That’s all.
Save the cynical, foreboding view of the world for your friends. Your persistent sarcasm is best suited for the Washington Post op-ed section.
Instead, here’s how you can use all that intellectual wattage to actually influence me.
- Show Me the Silver Lining
Sure, you can tell me that life is hard, I need to work my butt off and that I can’t get rich quick. However, also tell me what I’m doing right. Show me how to laugh at my mistakes. If you want to be my coach, learn to pat me on the ass and send me back in the game. - Talk to Me Like a Friend
Listen, I’m not an idiot. I don’t want to wade through your conceptual mush every time we talk. Save the buzzwords and take the challenge of actually talking without them. Act as if we are sharing a beer at the bar and you have a cool story to share. Believe me, we’ll go further together. - Answer My Questions with Practical Advice
I have a problem. I need help. Give me solid, proven advice that works. Understand that I need to understand “the why” and “the what” of your solution. If you can explain to me in plain (non-salesy) terms why your solution works, I will happily buy the “how”. - Make Me Smile
Lighten up. Quit taking our relationship (and yourself) so seriously. Don’t worry, I understand that you are serious and passionate about your subject. I am too. After all, I need your expertise to get me through this tough spot. We can do it without the frown – Ok?
Finally, don’t chide me when I don’t live up to your standards. Remember, for better or worse, I have the power right now. I want to be your friend not your counterpoint.
Sincerely,
Your Devoted Reader
Your community wants to identify with a human being that has a few more answers than they have. They want to use the cool social tools at their disposal to have a real conversation with you. They want to believe that your brand is something that they can identify with and rally behind.
Don’t let your intellect stand in the way. Use it to inspire your relationship – not dominate it.
It’s Your Turn
Have you been guilty of the heavy-handed post? Do you feel more comfortable lecturing from the front rather than have a barstool chat? Tell me what’s on your mind below.
About Stanford
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Hey Stanford,
I always try to cut straight to the cheese. Writing long-ass,seemingly smart and sarcastic posts just don't have value – we know there are crappy things going on, but why not focus the things we can do about them ? I believe simple and straight to the core is the way to go, flavored with you uber-personal style that shows the character behind the post.
My recent post Video- How to Take your Brand to a Higher Level !
This is what makes your writing so persuasive Mars. It took a while for me to realize that readers want your content and point of view not the snarky attitude.
Stanford, I’m not sure you have to be dumb to put people at ease, but it helps to show that you don’t take yourself too seriously. I like to whip out my diplomas (yes, that was an “s” on the end of diplomas) when I’m in an argument, but with a buddy drinking a beer? Yeah, I like to whip them out then, too! But if you’re kind and considerate, you don’t have to be as dumb.
Stanford, you already know how much I enjoy your insight. This post was another home-run. Excellent tips! I'm with you… I always enjoy posts that share a story and have a conversational tone. I wish more bloggers shared something from the heart in addition to just what's in their head. Thanks again for the informative post!
My recent post TEDWomen- Brilliant or Belittling
@michelletripp – your TedWomen post is an excellent example of how to write a post that is really thought provoking without the sarcastic overhead.
Thanks for that. I feel like I should tape those points to my computer before writing my next column
My recent post Plastic Surgery for Love
Stanford, this is so on point for me it hurts! I am that smart kid that gets results but cost people don’t really care for. I’ve been lucky in my blogging to break away from that some what but I think my latest little slump is indicative of the phenomenon you describe exactly!
I feel that some of my readers visit the blog because I AM the smart kid. But that the same time, I know I lose people too. It’s such a fine line! I would love to see more posts from you on walking that fine line between being a smart, almost academic authority and being the friend who always has the right answers. I like playing both roles!
Found this on third tribe!
You got it Tara. This is a touchy topic but important. The "Smart Kids" have a ton to offer we just have to figure out how to not turn people off.
I like you because you're smart, Tara. Breath of fresh air.
My recent post Are you blogging or web logging Is there a difference
Right on, Standford! I told myself early on that I didn't want my style to be one that cuts down, but rather motivates, inspires and offers solutions. I think it comes from hanging out at a particular weight loss forum where a group of people were fanatical about a certain way of losing weight/dieting. They slammed anything else and weren't open to other people's opinions.
When one has a "ranty" style, you may get some people supporting you, but you're turning off tons of other people — well, that's my two cents, anyway!
(And if I do feel the need to rant a bit, I'll warn my readers ahead of time 
)
My recent post Portion Sizes – How Much is Enough
I'm not one for "buzzword laden, abstract thesis papers" but I do put out a smart post noaw and then. And they universally bomb!
Last week was a typical example. I provided a smart and fun case study showing how four different companies can sell cinnamon buns over social media and it was kind of a ho-hum. Then I wrote a post about the 20 craziest things you can do on Twitter and it went viral.
Instead of dumbing down, I want to continue writing the smart stuff but i agree — sometimes it doesn;t seem to matter!
Thanks for the kind-of smart post : )
My recent post Social media bloggers who hit it out of the park
Don't dumb down your stuff, Mark! I loved that case study post!
However, as we discussed, it is often the simpler, wackier, "dumber" posts that get RT'd and commented on the post. The challenge is to strike the balance between the two. Provide value without being too high brow.
My recent post To imitate or innovate
I feel better after reading this as I class myself as a bit of a dumb blogger! 20 years of not having to write anything helps this.
For me the main issue I have is that we are conditioned almost to try and be smart and live upto the reputations of the some of the more prominent online figures. I tried this and failed miserably!
Great article and thanks for the advice and for sharing this
My recent post When Did You Last Leave A Blog Comment
Great post and one I must comment on. I is not dum and you ain't talk to me this way. (Quick note, spellcheck only corrected one thing about that last sentence and also told me "spellcheck" was spelled incorrectly. Translation = we do not live in the smartest of worlds.)
Something has happened over the course of the last 20 years and I'm not sure who to blame. People's skins have grown to be recognizably thinner. The epidermis of the rustic farmer from days gone by was thick and could withstand the hardest of wits and the wizened intellectuals of the 70s, 60s, and 50s, and before never even listened to criticism. But something has happened to where we are now much more prone to our feelings being hurt and needing "PC, common speech" to understand concepts.
I'm all for writing in ways that your readers understand though, one of my favorite things to do is use post-long analogies to make my points easier to digest. I guess it all comes down to your target audience. Do you want to have a readership like the New York Times (smart, but no fun at keggers) or would you prefer the mass appeal of say, Perez Hilton? Once again it all comes down to choice and I think you have written a great post here with a lot of wonderful insights.
P.S. I LOVED your letter to "Smart Bloggers". I read it twice.
I agree. I think our language has become sharper while our skins have become thinner.
In this post, my intention was to remind bloggers to use their intellect to connect with readers rather than impress them. Actually this does require intelligence but maybe the "Emotional" kind.
Ah!! I love this post!! I don't believe I do that. My posts are short, for the most part, and I try to be succinct and ….reach a universal…something. Thanks for the pat on the back. hahahaha (I'm taking this as a win!) http://idanceiwrite.com/
"reach a universal…something"
I believe that bloggers are realizing that they need to be simple and direct to make sure that make an impact on their readers. Looks like you are already there.
Love this bit of reality, Stanford.
I am still attempting to get the right balance for blogging. I am a business writer and I try to balance the professional client entertainment of sitting on that barstool without getting stupid drunk and falling off that barstool!
My recent post Shouldn’t Change Start With Customers
"without getting stupid drunk and falling off that barstool! " – I wish I could work this into the headline
I don't talk about it often, but I have about a 165 IQ. I'm smart — really smart — but I'm in some ways almost anti-intellectual. When I discovered how smart I was, I spent some time hanging around other people with similarly high IQs, and they were some of the most incredibly boring and socially inept people I've ever met. With a few exceptions, I tend to feel the same way about reading, whether it's a book or a blog. I don't mind being made to think — I just don't like being made to work at it just to understand what you're saying.
When we were writing The Virtual Handshake, we were getting the feeling that some of the content might be a bit cerebral, and not as accessible as we'd like. We used Word to run a Flesch-Kincaid readability analysis on the whole manuscript, and it came out at about 16, i.e., grad school. So we went through it meticulously and chose simpler wording, phrasing and sentence structure wherever we could, while keeping the same meaning. We worked it chapter by chapter until we had every chapter down to 12 (high school graduate). It resulted in a far better book — I'm certain that's had a lot to do with its popularity and continued relevance.
I'm now thinking it might be a good idea to use that same technique on some of my longer, meatier blog posts and articles!
See… this post made me think without making me work for it. Well done!
My recent post The Problem with Being Slightly Famous
Holy Kow – 165! Remind me to never challenge you to Trivial Pursuit.
Thanks for your comment –
You nailed it with this…"I just don't like being made to work at it just to understand what you're saying. "
This is something I catch myself doing a lot. It’s a hard habit to break. I try to make my blog posts conversational, but since I annoy people in real-life conversations by “using big words” and “talking to people like I’m smarter than them,” I have some more work to do still. Thanks for this post. It has some great ideas.
Hmmm… My problem with most blogs is that I find them so "simple" as to be unhelpful. I really enjoy long, meaty blog posts! But then again, I didn't want to have beer with George either.
I think we are on the same page Beth. I am not advocating frilly, empty, and useless posts in the name of simplicity. I am challenging everyone (and myself) to write "meaty" posts that actually get read and understood by our communities.
We have great things to say, unfortunately, "HOW" we say it is getting in the way of the message.
My comment on Twitter concerned your intro. Bush did win in 2004. Had the voting public been aware of various policy choices he made during his first term, however (including approving the use of torture), I'm fairly certain he would have lost. So I'm not willing to conclude that being dumb, or playing dumb, or not rubbing your smartness if the face of voters/readers, is the right takeaway.
Having said that, I understand why you wrote the rest of the post, and from the point of view of marketing I can't disagree with it. If you want a wider/larger audience, you necessarily have to 'give them what they want' rather than what they might need. Too, at some point — and I mean no offense here — if you want a larger audience you can't talk in ten-cent words about abstract theory.
For myself, I've taken a look at this issue more than once, and I've never been able to sweeten the message or otherwise change what I'm saying because what I'm saying usually involves explaining (relatively) complex processes or issues. I know my longer posts get read less, but I don't really care about drive-by readers, bored readers, readers looking for kicks or giggles, or anybody other than the narrow group of people who might really want to understand that particular issue.
Even if it's only one person, if I dumb down my message then that one person — who had a genuine interest — may be left wanting. And I'd rather err in the other direction.
As to the question of writing in a tone that's too sharp or direct, I don't disagree that a softer style is often more appealing. Over the years I've tried to take the edge off my own writing (allowing for conscious exceptions), and in general I think it's helped. Discussions are more on the merits now, rather than about tone.
Risky using the Election and George Bush for that matter in a post. I'm not as interested in the politics but I am fascinated with how the majority made of the electorate made a choice.
Both times, you had experienced, sharp, and intellectually-tough opponents and both times he won.
But this may be missing the point. People like plain-talkers, people who speak their language, and those who shoot from the hip. We created these cliche' to communicate our wish to deal with "regular" people.
Sometimes, bloggers miss this point.
If you audience requires a complex read then do that. My intention is to keep a close eye on readablity and dial back negativity (something us smart people sometimes ignore).
Stanford, I just had this sent to me by Carol Roth and gave it a read. Here is my take on the dumb/smart thing. I have always been of the mindset is that you set your tone by the level of your audience.
I give far more details to CFO's than I do to CEO's of major corporations and I would consider neither of them dumb. They are just looking at information differently. The CEO is looking from 35000 feet and wants broad brush strokes. The CFO wants the meat and potatos, gravy, carrots, had the appetizer and is craving the dessert.
My goal is to make my point understood by the majority of people who follow my writing. I want things to be thought provoking, give insight and allow the end user to make up their mind whether what I say has meaning to them or not.
Blogs should focus on what the blogger feels is important to them. People follow blogs because they relate to the writing style and substance of the writer. Otherwise put, the level of your blog will attract a readership to equal it.
Great thought and great comments.
Regards;
Ben Baker http://www.cmyksolutions.ca
Incentives that WORK!
twitter@cmyksolutions
I agree. Especially with this point – "People follow blogs because they relate to the writing style and substance of the writer."
I've seen some bloggers lament that their comments are filled with spiteful and negative people. But if you follow their tweets and blog posts they are filled with the same bile.
One idea though…an open, genuine, and simple tone is key for getting your readers involved. It's a balancing act, but ultimately, we want (need) engaged communities, Keeping it fresh and simple is the key to that.
Stanford, very insightful post. I am too guilty of the "lecture" post on my medical education blog. Although the goal of the blog dictates that I provide information-rich posts, I think that the lecture-style is a turn-off for most. Thanks for the reminder. Russ
No problem Russ. Guess what? The lecture style post does work as long as you are engaging and open. We run into problems when we use the lectern as a "stick" rather than a tool for connecting with our readers.
I love it. There is finally a place for us "dummies" that are actually quite smart. The internet has provided a place for us to be who we are and whether we "make it" or not is totally democratic. No bullshit. I for one welcome the challenge!
My recent post Matt Cutts
Stanford,
I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciated this post! Very insightful and it hit right home for me!
-Matt
My recent post Holly Jackson Reveals the Right Writing Tool for Writers
Great Matt, thanks for stopping by!
Wow. Absolutely wonderful post. Thanks for sharing your insight. I think I'm guilty of this. I struggle to write thought-provoking posts that sound like I really know what I'm talking about, when I really should be focusing on how to talk in terms my readers (and prospective clients) can understand. Thanks for the thoughtful reminder!
Laura, you've got it. To connect we need to shift our focus to the reader's expectations and needs. Ironically, the simpler we are the smarter we become!
Reminds me of Jeff Bezo's commencement speech at Princeton this Spring where he cites his grandfather saying: 'It's harder to be kind than to be smart.' http://goo.gl/EvgQ
I definitely agree with your point of view. Sad but true. Sometimes I do tend to over-explain with too much detail without thinking that I may be getting too technical for the reader. I guess I have learn to dumb down my posts. Great post btw
My recent post Credit Repair After Bankruptcy Or Foreclosure- The Secrets They Don’t Want You To Know
Again, you hit the nail on the head. I wish it wasn't my head. But maybe it will help me get over myself and get back to some basics.
Thanks.
Sean
My recent post Who-Do of the Month Nominations- July 2010
I just found your blog from a twitter post from Copyblogger. I must say that I love Whit as well as sarcasm, but I guess that can come off as condescending. I think you inspired me to change my tone (just a little bit)
I believe in writing to #1: The lowest common denominator, and #2 The highest common denominator.
Everything else in between doesn't really work too well!
My recent post I’m Going To Kick My Own Ass- The Last Days Before A New Beginning
Wow! This really resonated. I never thought of smart people not being persuasive, although the Bush example was glaringly obvious!
I'm going to focus on helping and not trying to impress.
This was awesome Sanford-thanks!
Great blog, Stanford! Love it! We have to be sure to think of how the reader sees things rather than how we see them.
My recent post How To Achieve Mediocrity In Writing- Installment 3
Lol!!!…..I love this post Stanford; it applies to me a lot. I’m currently building my online business as Spanish-copywriter, of course, English is my second language. I subscribed to a few blogs: copyblogger, men with pens, remarkable communication and yours…One thing all of you have in common, your writings are simple; you guys provide practical information, info that I can use right away (by the way, thank you for your post on how to use Twitter).
If you ever want to reach a different market, you have to make it simple… don’t try to be smart in what you write.
Hi, #dadwhotalks!
You’ve given me a lot to think about, and just in time, too. I appreciate it, my friend!
(I’m @ChildWillRead in my real world. This is my other real self, who doesn’t talk like a teacher, walk like a teacher, and tweet teacherly things.)
I look forward to getting to know you in THIS space too.
Paula
Hi Stanford,
These sentiments are also echoed in Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. The gist is that being smart doesn’t trump being human.
Great friend you’ve got there, she inspired you to write your best post!
Thanks for the reminder.
WOW! I now have a TOTALLY different perspective.
I think I’m a dumb blogger who likes smart readers!
Great post!