Valley PR Blog

Curb Your Enthusiasm

By Dan Wool on January 17th, 2007 In Writing

Banned Words List #001: Excited, thrilled, pleased

All three of these words are lazy adjectives, usually used in press release quotations.

First of all, if you have to actually say how excited you are, it’s probably not that exciting. It’s the whole “lipstick on a pig” thing. Talk instead about the impact of the so-called exciting thing. Let the reader take notice about what you’ve written or how you’ve written it.

Also, what’s exciting to you is not exciting to everyone else. I saw “more exciting growth ahead” used in a tech company’s press release today. Exciting to who? Them.

Here’s another one I see all the time from public companies: “We’re pleased with our results this quarter.” Of course you were - the numbers told me. Instead, cut to the chase. Talk to me about the impact your business plan is having on the overall results. Interpret. Distill it down.

New hire releases are the worst culprits. “We’re thrilled to hire So-and-so….” Really? Climbing Mount Everest would be a thrill. Hiring a middle manager? Ummm…not so much. I mean, was your company so desperate, so devoid of positive developments that this was thrilling? Again, provide insight. Discuss impact. “So-and-so’s 20 years in real estate enables us to establish a real estate practice group.” Interesting…tell me more.

Comments

I have to agree - these words have ceased to have any meaning or value thanks to their overuse. If nothing else, they’re ways of saying, “passively positive.” I think “fascinating” was dying the same death in the mid-90s, and thankfully has been given a rest ever since.

If we’re throwing words on the fire, though, I would love it if we could all get together and ban “verbage” to the dark side of the moon. This is a non-word used when one wants to use a big word for, “ad copy.” And it gives me the creeps.

Glad to see someone else blogging on Phoenix PR! Be sure to give us a visit!

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