When trying to establish trust with an audience, words such as “unique,” and “leading,” work against you. Try replacing these words with facts and supporting documentation.
1) Unique
To be unique is to be one of a kind. By definition, you can’t be very unique. You either are or you’re not.
Global Thermoelectric is the world’s largest supplier of thermoelectric generators and remote power systems and a very unique manufacturing operation.
The sentence below effectively uses “one-of-a-kind” rather than unique, and offers detail of interest to the reader.
Read Sharp’s history of making one-of-a-kind products based on founder Tokuji Hayakawa’s dream to “Make products that other companies want to imitate.”
2) Leading
To be leading you need to be ahead of the competition. In the sentence below, you are left to wonder what they lead in. There are no facts to back up the statement.
The leading manufacturer of revolving door technology, Crane’s passion for quality, precision and innovative design makes the company’s products a favorite among architects, specifiers, interior designers and others in the commercial building trades.
The following sentence establishes leadership with fact-based information.
For the fifth consecutive year, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) announced that Pella Corporation has earned an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year 2011 award for their commitment to manufacturing energy-efficient products and educating consumers about them.
What other “Puff” words would you like to see used less often?
