Way back when the ‘web’ was still a novelty, I had a go-to principle for usability debates when developers, clients, or bosses wanted to do the wrong thing:
“Don’t make me think”
Coined by usability consultant Steve Krug in his bestselling book of the same name, the idea was simple:
If users need to stop and figure out how something works or what to click next, you’ve already lost them.
Fast forward 25 years, and I can’t help thinking that tech marketers need this principle now more than ever.
Just as “don’t make me think” captured the essence of web usability, today’s equivalent might be:
“Make it make sense”
Faced with a flood of AI-powered everything, X-as-a-Service overload, and tech jargon galore, it’s what your audience is silently thinking.
In today’s attention economy, you don’t get a second chance to explain. If your message doesn’t land the first time, it doesn’t land at all.
Customers won’t tell you you’re not making sense
You built something great. You’ve got a website, a pitch deck, an explainer video. But something’s off.
Visitors don’t convert. Prospects don’t follow up. You’re left wondering why people just don’t get it.
Here’s the problem: no one tells you when your message doesn’t make sense. They don’t say, “Your value prop was confusing,” or “Your explainer video lost me.”
They just move on.
And that’s why messaging problems persist. Because the signals are subtle.
Making sense means more than clarity
Clarity matters. But clarity alone won’t make your message land.
To really make sense, your message must be:
- Relevant: “This is for someone like me.”
- Resonant: “This solves a problem I recognise.”
- Actionable: “I know what to do next.”
If it fails on any of these, it fails, no matter how many slides, sessions, or blog posts you throw at it.
Sometimes, good products don’t make sense either
Even brilliant startups lose attention because their messaging assumes too much:
- Too much knowledge: industry jargon, insider logic
- Too much patience: long-winded setup, unclear points
- Too much context: “You had to be in the strategy meeting”
You can build something game-changing and still confuse your audience. If they can’t make sense of it fast, they’re gone.
What “making sense” actually looks like
A message that makes sense isn’t just understandable. It’s usable.
Making sense:
- Starts with what your audience already knows
- Frames the problem in their world, not yours
- Makes the value obvious
- Guides the next step clearly
- Builds trust through proof, not puff
You know it’s working when people nod halfway through your explanation, not because you’re done but because they’re already with you.
Content isn’t a shortcut to clarity
One of the biggest traps is trying to fix unclear messaging by creating more content.
That never works.
If your core message isn’t landing, more blogs, videos, or decks won’t help. They just turn confusion into noise.
Most startups don’t just need more content. They need messaging that makes sense in the first place.
So, before you hit publish on the next thing, ask:
- Does this support a message that already resonates?
- Is it based on something our audience already believes?
- Would someone outside the company understand this in 10 seconds?
If the answer is “maybe,” don’t hit publish yet.
Final thought
You don’t need a rebrand. You don’t need to tear everything up.
You just need to ask one deceptively simple question:
Does this make sense to someone who isn’t already inside our business?
If it doesn’t, or you’re not sure, that’s your starting point.
The good news? Once your message makes sense, everything else gets easier.
