How to Sound Human When Selling Technical Products: A Guide for SaaS Startups
Your product is brilliant. Revolutionary. A genuine game-changer.
But your website reads like it was written by a robot that's been force-fed technical manuals and corporate buzzword dictionaries for breakfast. And it's killing your conversion rates.
What if I told you that sounding more human isn't just nice – it's your secret weapon for standing out in the increasingly crowded SaaS landscape?
Let's dive into how to sell your technical product without sounding like you swallowed a computer science textbook.
Why technical products desperately need a human touch
Most SaaS websites read like they're competing for the "Most Jargon Per Paragraph" award. But here's the problem – no one's giving out that trophy. And your conversion rates are suffering because of it.
According to Forrester Research, a staggering 81% of tech buyers make purchasing decisions based on emotion first, then justify with logic later. That's right. Even your most technical B2B buyer is still a human who responds to human communication.
But wait, there's more...
When Unbounce analysed conversion data across thousands of websites, they discovered something fascinating: using simpler language (at around an 8th-grade reading level) increased conversion rates by up to 30%. Simpler language. Higher conversions. It's not rocket science – though ironically, even rocket scientists prefer clear communication.
The paradox is painfully obvious: technical founders speak technically to non-technical buyers, then wonder why no one "gets" their product.
Perhaps most telling is data from Nielsen Norman Group showing that users typically read only 20-28% of words on a webpage. That means your carefully crafted technical specifications? Most visitors won't even see them. They'll skim, scan, and make snap judgments based on whether your copy speaks to them as humans.
The psychology behind human communication in technical sales
Let's talk brain science for a second (in human terms, promise).
When your potential customer encounters dense technical jargon, their cognitive load increases. Their brain works overtime trying to decipher what you're saying instead of connecting with why it matters to them. It's exhausting. And exhausted brains don't click "Buy Now" buttons.
Compare:
"Our proprietary algorithm leverages machine learning techniques to optimize database query performance."
vs.
"Your searches get faster the more you use our product. It literally learns what you're looking for."
One makes your customer think, "Ugh, I need a computer science degree to understand this." The other makes them think, "Huh, that would actually solve my problem."
Research from the University of Edinburgh found that using contractions in copywriting can increase engagement by making text up to 30% easier to process. That's because contractions mirror how we actually speak, reducing the mental effort required to process information.
This is where the concept of "processing fluency" comes in – the easier something is to understand, the more we trust it. And in the SaaS world, trust is everything.
7 techniques to humanise your technical product copy
Here are seven techniques that will make your technical product sound like it was built by humans, for humans:
1. Use conversational language and contractions
Which sounds more human?
"We will assist you in configuring your integration."
or
"We'll help you set everything up."
The second one, obviously. It's shorter, clearer, and doesn't make your reader feel like they're wading through corporate treacle.
Read your copy out loud. If it sounds like something you'd actually say to a colleague at the pub, you're on the right track.
2. Break grammar rules strategically
Remember all those grammar rules you learned in school? Some of them deserve to be broken.
Starting sentences with "And" or "But." Using sentence fragments. Ending with prepositions. These "mistakes" can make your copy flow more naturally and create rhythm that pulls readers through your content.
For example:
"But that's not all. This feature saves you time. Lots of it."
Break rules purposefully, not out of ignorance. There's a difference.
3. Transform features into emotional benefits (because feelings trump specifications)
Your customers don't care about your "multi-threaded processing architecture."
They care about finishing work in time to make their kid's football match.
🔴 Feature: "Our platform uses advanced data compression algorithms."
✅ Emotional benefit: "Stop waiting for reports to load. Get answers instantly, so you can focus on decisions, not data."
According to Gartner, 64% of people find customer experience more important than price when making a technology purchase. That experience starts with how you make them feel through your messaging.
4. Create clear mental images with metaphors (make the complex familiar)
Technical concepts become instantly more accessible when you connect them to something your reader already understands.
🔴 Instead of: "Our multi-tenant architecture provides enhanced security isolation."
✅ Try: "Think of our system like an apartment building with a security guard. Your data lives in its own private suite that only you have the key to."
When to use it: When explaining complex concepts, architecture, or technical differentiators.
Test your metaphors on non-technical people. If they get it, you've nailed it.
5. Write at a secondary school reading level
The average adult reads at approximately a 9th-grade level. But according to multiple readability studies, content written at a 7th-8th grade level performs best – even for highly educated audiences.
Tools like Hemingway Editor can help identify overly complex sentences and suggest simpler alternatives.
The more complex the product, the simpler the language should be. Counter-intuitive, but proven effective.
6. Use customer language, not internal jargon
Your team might call it a "cross-platform integration module."
But what do your customers call it in their own words?
Maybe they say: "The thing that connects my apps."
The language your customers use to describe their problems should be the exact language you use in your marketing. This means doing customer interviews, analysing support tickets, and hanging out where your customers talk (Reddit, industry forums, etc.).
💡 Create a swipe file of actual customer language to reference when writing copy.
7. Focus on transformation, not specifications (sell the destination, not the plane)
Nobody buys a drill because they want a drill. They buy it because they want a hole.
Similarly, nobody buys your SaaS product because they want software. They buy it because they want the transformation it enables.
🔴 Instead of: "Our platform includes 27 customisable report templates and exports to 5 formats."
✅ Try: "From drowning in data to presenting insights that make you look brilliant in front of your boss – in about 3 clicks."
Especially important in headlines, emails, and calls-to-action where emotional impact matters most.
See it in action: before and after examples
Let's see these principles in action with some before-and-after examples:
Website headline
🔴 Before: "Enterprise-Grade Solution for Optimised Resource Allocation"
✅ After: "Stop wasting money on unused software. We'll help you cut SaaS spending by 30%."
Product feature description
🔴 Before: "Our multi-dimensional analytics engine processes data points across numerous parameters to identify anomalous patterns."
✅ After: "Spot weird stuff happening in your data before it becomes a problem. It's like having a security guard who never sleeps."
Technical specification page
🔴 Before: "Leveraging containerized microservices architecture ensures optimal scalability and resource utilisation."
✅ After: "Your system grows as you do – automatically scaling up during busy times and down when things are quiet. No crashes, no wasted resources, no stress."
Email marketing campaign
🔴 Before: "Request a demonstration of our proprietary platform to visualise implementation scenarios."
✅ After: "See exactly how much time you'll save – book a quick demo that's actually worth 20 minutes of your day."
Case study highlight
🔴 Before: "Implementation of our solution resulted in a 42% improvement in process efficiency."
✅ After: "Team meetings shrunk from an hour to 25 minutes. Everyone went home earlier on Fridays."
How to build a human voice for your SaaS startup
Creating conversational copy isn't just about following a formula. It's about developing a consistent voice that reflects your brand's personality while speaking human to your technical audience.
1. Create a brand personality
If your brand were a person, who would they be? The brilliant but approachable expert? The supportive coach? The straight-talking problem solver?
Defining this personality gives you a framework for all communication. When writing, ask yourself: "Would [brand personality] say it this way?"
Read more ⬇️
Tone of Voice Workshop: 7 Exercises to Discover Your Brand's Authentic Voice
Brand Voice Training: The 20-Minute Onboarding System That Actually Works
2. Develop voice guidelines (a rulebook for breaking rules)
Once you've defined your personality, create guidelines that show exactly how that personality manifests in writing:
Tone: Friendly but not overly casual? Professional but not stuffy?
Sentence structure: Short and punchy? Varied with rhythm?
Vocabulary: What words do you use? What words do you avoid?
Grammar rules: Which ones do you break? Which ones are non-negotiable?
👀 12 Grammar 'Mistakes' That Make Your Copy More Human: Breaking Rules Strategically
3. Train your technical team (because everyone writes)
Your developers write documentation. Your customer success team writes emails. Your product managers write feature descriptions.
Everyone in your company contributes to how human (or not) your brand sounds.
Create a simplified version of your voice guidelines and run workshops to help everyone understand how to apply them in their specific role.
4. Maintain consistency across touchpoints
Nothing confuses customers more than inconsistent communication. If your website sounds human but your onboarding emails read like they were written by a legal bot, you've lost the trust you worked so hard to build.
Audit all customer touchpoints regularly to ensure consistent voice:
Website
Product UI and microcopy
Emails (marketing, onboarding, support)
Documentation
Social media
Customer support interactions
Common pitfalls when humanising technical products
Even with the best intentions, humanising technical copy can go wrong. Here are the most common mistakes to avoid:
1. Oversimplification of complex features
Being conversational doesn't mean dumbing things down to the point of inaccuracy. Technical buyers still need to understand what your product actually does.
The solution: Layer your information. Start with simple, benefit-focused language, then provide more technical depth for those who want it.
2. Inconsistent voice across marketing materials
When your landing page sounds friendly but your case studies read like academic papers, it creates cognitive dissonance.
The solution: Create templates and examples for every type of content you produce, showing how your human voice adapts to different contexts while remaining recognisably "you."
3. Pandering instead of respecting customer intelligence
There's a fine line between being conversational and being condescending. Your customers are smart people who happen to appreciate clear communication.
The solution: Never sacrifice accuracy for simplicity. Find the sweet spot where clarity meets technical correctness.
4. Focusing on trends rather than authentic communication
Just because "sounding human" is trendy doesn't mean you should force a voice that doesn't fit your brand.
The solution: Develop a voice that authentically represents your company's actual personality and values, not what you think is cool this month.
The bottom line
Your customer doesn't care about your architectural brilliance nearly as much as they care about how you'll make their life better, their work smoother, their problems smaller.
So break some grammar rules. Use contractions. Write like you talk. Tell stories. Be the rare technical brand that sounds like it was built by humans, for humans.
Need help finding a human voice for your technical product?
Let's chat about developing messaging that's technically accurate AND delightfully human. Book a no-pressure consultation with me.
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