Let me give it to you straight

Every few minutes I look over my shoulder at the sign to see if it’s changed. Either way, I know it’s wrong.

I recently took my first flight of the Covid pandemic. Even if it’s been awhile since you’ve flown, you have likely experienced this:

Your plane is about to board when an announcement references a vague delay. There’s a murmur at the gate as everyone retreats to a seat.

The sign that once declared 1:00 boarding now says 1:15.

A few minutes pass and it’s extended to 1:30.

Can you see where this is going?

The next time the sign is advanced 30 minutes, to 2:00. The guy next to you is already calling other airlines.

And nobody in the terminal believes anything written on the sign.

This is the same feeling of skepticism that developers experience on most marketing websites.

The same way the boarding time adjustments warn you, words on your site send signals.

To limit negative developer reactions, here are a few common phrases to nix:

• “Easy”
• “Drop it in”
• “All you need is…”
• “Infinitely scalable”

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In an airport terminal, passengers are much more trapped than a developer on a website. In fact, the “close tab” and “back button” options are always within reach.

Squash the skeptics by being clear about what’s possible. Beware of “the over promise” and “the hand-wave” that can so commonly infiltrate technical marketing.

The first places to look are your home page and product/solution pages. A less obvious culprit? Your pricing page.

There’s a lot that page does and many interests in it. A good pricing page (which shows up a few places in our developer experience reviews) helps developers find these answers:

1. Can I sign up and try right away?
2. Is there a trial and how long is it?
3. What about a free account?
4. When and what will I be charged?
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Don’t make developers look over their shoulder like a stranded traveler.

Put on your skeptic hat and browse your site anew. Or reach out to our team for an external perspective.