The One “Must Learn” Rule Programmers Can Teach To PR Professionals

Technology Public relations professionals should take a cue from what programmers learned through failed attempts and revisions, making tech communications easy for anyone to understand.

Best practice in software development involves seeing the end product from the user’s perspective, before you write a single line of code. While many programmers build products that run smoothly for those who think like they do, offering tools for the less technically inclined proves more difficult. Keeping user-friendliness at the forefront, is extremely important for the long-term success of apps, web platforms and new hardware devices.

Recent developments gave rise to more intuitive, user-friendly interfaces and functionalities, particularly in mobile and web-based products. However, this is only after long periods of receiving negative feedback from end users. End users’ complaints focused on the poor interfaces, which forced them to think like a programmer in order to use tools they needed.

Creating effective messages about technology demands the unique ability to envision products from two perspectives. Like programmers, PR must see through the lens of both techies and average users. They should tweak their writing to make it an impact on the broadest range of people. With an increasingly tech savvy population PR agents should take care not to patronize customers. This would alienate a large group of potential consumers.

This becomes increasingly true if the product itself is fairly niche, with particular appeal for programmers or tech hobbyists. However,employing industry jargon or heavy specifics not only turns away many customers, but often proves unnecessary to get the message across. Maximizing reach and visibility for products does not require the same methods as teaching others how to build or even use them. Cultivating and sustaining curiosity about the products is what’s important. Once a user develops an interest, they can make their own choices in terms of how proficient they become with it.

To create successful PR campaigns for emerging technologies, it’s important to have above-average knowledge of how the products work. In other words, it doesn’t hurt to have a geeky side and be willing to indulge it. Being moderately adept at technology helps when it comes to  knowing which features to promote, which customers buy the product, and how it might hold up over time.

At the end of the day, the ability to put yourself in the shoes of the audience demands a knowledge base unique to those in the marketing and PR industry, no matter what field their clients are in. If it were a simple imagination exercise, clients would not need PR and marketing specialists.So, while technology PR may seem to exist in a separate category from most types of campaigns, the same basic principles apply

When creating a PR strategy for technology clients and their customers, work on producing materials that draws the interest of your target group; whether it is teenagers, grandparents, or  young professionals. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible.

Nowadays the tech market features a more general mix of age groups. Luckily, the new generation of products are easy to understand for a broad range of users. Keeping consumer perspective at the forefront will ensure that your technology PR campaigns are as cutting edge as the companies they represent.