The Curse of Knowledge
Why experts struggle to explain things simply when they forget what it's like to be a beginner, and how to avoid this trap in your marketing copy.
In this issue
Hey 👋 The Crew here.
Don’t know about you, but we’ve officially entered “gotcha” season.
You know the one where the midday warmth makes you overconfident, only for the evening chill to humble you on your way home. Urgh. Chills.
It’s nature’s little reminder to never get too comfortable.
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It’s like a secret handshake. Except there are no hands. Or shaking. Actually, it isn’t like a secret handshake at all.
But it is a damn good way to run ads that convert.
Ever tried explaining your job to your parents?
You think they understand the nuances of split testing, or how backlinks help Google realize your website is the real deal.
You use metaphors. You channel your inner David Attenborough. You think you’re being clear, but their blank stares say otherwise.
You bear the curse… of knowing too much.
The Curse of Knowledge is the cognitive bias where experts struggle to remember what it’s like not to know something. Once we learn information, we can’t unlearn it, and we tend to assume others share our knowledge base, too.
Research confirms this: In a 1990 Stanford study, participants tapped out well-known songs while others guessed the titles. Tappers estimated 50% accuracy.
The actual success rate? Just 2.5%.
The tappers heard the melody in their heads and couldn’t fathom why listeners only heard random tapping.
Marketers do this all the time. You live and breathe your product. You drown in features and benefits.
But your customers? They hear about you for the first time, and it’s usually followed instantly by a distraction, a notification, another ad…
If you’re unaware of this bias, you will alienate the very people you want to attract.
Three ways you can leverage The Curse of Knowledge
Kill the industry talk. Or, explain it…
How does this sound: “Unified payment structure with “RESTful API integration”?
Does it make you feel like you absolutely need that product? Probably not.
Well, believe it or not, that’s Stripe. But instead of leading with this jargon, Stripe redesigned its homepage in 2020 to say this:
Every technical feature got a plain-English translation.
They assumed visitors knew nothing about payment processing. So they translated expert-speak into everyday language. This removed friction from the buyers’ journey.
Pro tip: Before publishing your copy, hand it to someone outside your industry. If they can’t explain your product back to you in one sentence, rewrite it until they can.
Show, don’t tell
What would you rather do: Watch a 3-minute video, or read a 30-page technical manual?
You don’t have to answer, we already know which one you’d choose.
Dropbox also knew, so instead of sharing technical documentation, it famously created a simple explainer video that showed exactly how the product worked.
That video generated 75,000 signups overnight.
The video didn’t discuss “cloud-based file synchronization protocols.” It showed someone saving a file on their laptop and accessing it on their phone.
Visual demonstrations bypass the curse of knowledge entirely. You’re not asking customers to imagine how the product works, you’re showing it in situations they recognize.
Test with outsiders or beginners
Harsh truth: Most of our friends don’t know what a “free full stack marketing newsletter” is.
We do, of course. But we can’t proofread our message because we’re already “cursed with knowledge.”
So what’s the answer? Get an outsider’s fresh perspective to spot your blind spots.
A great way to do this is with a five-second test. Show a new user your webpage for just five seconds and then ask what they remember.
If they can’t tell you what your company does or what you want them to do next, your message is too complicated. It’s a quick, effective way to see if your communication is clear.
Us? We just say we will make you a smarter marketer for free. And that’s it:
You understand it right away.
And if you’re feeling smarter now after reading this issue, it’s probably the truth, isn’t it?
AI EDUCATION: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Midjourney… So many names, but what’s actually useful for you in your work? There’s a newsletter called The Deep View that exists to sift through all the noise and get you up to speed on what’s actionable with AI products, and it’s free. Join 452,000+ subscribers with one click and let AI empower you.*
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ADVERTISING: Is Black Friday magic fading? Data shows a staggering 68% of consumers found BFCM “no longer compelling” in 2024 with deal fatigue taking over. This report explores this and other trends that you can expect this Q4, so check it out.
INSTAGRAM: Your Reels, but on the big screen. Instagram is officially exploring a TV app that would adapt its vertical content for living room viewing. Don’t expect movies or sports, though; Instagram plans to focus on existing formats. Does this mean new advertising frontiers on the horizon, too?
E-COMMERCE: Amazon’s surprise exit from Google Shopping auctions left a vacuum, and you might be benefiting from it. New Q3 data shows Shopping ad clicks jumped 15% and CPCs fell 1%. This opens an opportunity as Google’s AI-driven Performance Max campaigns continue to gain momentum. Hm…
ICYMI, last time we looked at Maslow’s Hammer..
The “We know too much” Crew
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