Seeking perfection, or just overthinking it? How tech CEOs should handle the press
For many technical CEOs, accuracy is part of how they operate. When you have built or led the development of a complex product, you know the details, the limitations, the use cases and the exact wording that separates a fair claim from an exaggerated one.
The ‘perfectionism’ quality is valuable, especially in specialist markets like fintech, AI, payments, compliance, cybersecurity and capital markets technology, where credibility depends on being able to explain complex products properly. However, when it comes to press, there is a difference between being accurate and overthinking the message until it becomes too detailed, too cautious or too difficult for anyone outside the company to understand.
A journalist does not usually need a full product walkthrough or every detail behind a claim. They need to understand what the company does, why it matters, why it is relevant now and what their audience should take away from the story, as well as how your insights can connect to wider market trends. If the explanation becomes too technical too quickly, the strongest part of the message can easily get lost in the details.
Accuracy should make the message clearer
Accuracy in press outreach should help people understand the company better. It should not make every sentence feel like it has been reviewed by five departments and stripped of meaning.
This is where many technical leaders can trip up. They may want to solidify every statement, include every exception or avoid any wording that feels slightly simplified. While that caution is understandable, it can make the final message less useful. A quote that is technically safe but too vague, complicated or overloaded with detail is unlikely to land well with a journalist or their readers.
The better approach is to decide what level of detail is actually needed for the audience. A trade journalist covering infrastructure or trading technology may need more details than a broader business publication, but even specialist readers still benefit from clear messaging. The goal is to keep the general idea while making it easy to follow.
Start with why it matters before explaining how it works
Technical CEOs often want to begin with how the product works, and the specifications, because that is usually where the innovation sits. For press, it is usually better to start with why it matters and if this product is solving a pain point in the industry.
Before going into features, workflows or technical functionality, it helps to explain the wider problem. What is changing in the market? What are firms struggling with? What risk, inefficiency or opportunity does the product address?
Clear language does not oversimplify the product
Some technical founders worry that simplifying the message will make the company sound less sophisticated, or ‘techie’, but clear language can make the value easier to understand without reducing the substance behind it.
This is particularly important in B2B technology, where the buyer may be part of the C-suite, technical or both, but still needs to understand the commercial relevance quickly. A CEO, CTO, head of operations or compliance lead may all care about different aspects of the same product, so the message needs to connect technical capability to practical outcomes.
Slow approvals means missed press opportunities
Press opportunities are usually time-sensitive. If a journalist is writing about breaking news, a market development, a regulatory announcement or a wider industry trend, they may only have a short window to gather comments before the article moves on or the news cycle changes.
This can be difficult for technical CEOs who want to re-review every line before it goes out. The intention is usually to protect accuracy, but if the approval process takes too long, the opportunity can disappear. By the time a comment has been rewritten, re-approved and checked again, the journalist may have filed the story or decided the angle is no longer relevant.
PR should help translate complexity
For technical CEOs, a good PR team should not simply remove detail or make everything sound basic. The role of PR is to help translate complex ideas into messaging that is accurate, credible and useful for the audience.
That means identifying what needs to stay, what can be simplified and what should be saved for a more technical conversation with prospects, clients or analysts. The CEO brings the expertise, while the PR team helps shape that expertise into a message that works for the journalist, the publication and the wider market.
Handled well, press engagement does not require technical leaders to choose between accuracy and clarity. The best messaging usually does both. It respects the complexity of the product, while making sure the value is understandable, memorable and relevant.
Need help turning technical expertise into clear messaging?
Our team helps specialist B2B technology and fintech companies communicate complex products and services in a way that resonates with the media, and focus on transitioning a techie CEO into an industry talking-head.
If you are preparing for press engagement or struggling to simplify your message without losing the detail that matters, reach out to one of our experts today!
