This was the opening line of a review of my book a couple of years ago by my good friend, and well-known and respected engineering editor, Martin Rowe. Martin’s words are worth re-visiting as business leaders of technical companies - from owners to sales and marketing leaders - are reminded of this tough audience.
One example, and tip, Martin shares in the comments section of this article is about what he calls “poof articles”. Here’s how he explains them:
I've been in this technical editor business for 23 years, 11 months and one thing hasn't changed: PR/marketing people still send "poof" articles.
Poof articles?
That's when a "technical" article describes an engineering problem and then poof, buy my company's product, problem solved. I rejected one such article just today.
So to you PR/marketing people, if you want someone to write a "poof" article, put it on your own web site.
You can read more about Martin’s thoughts on the book, and tips on building trust with your engineering audience in the article here. As I like to say, it’s a marathon not a sprint - authenticity, starting with education, and persistence pay off in due time.
