Most PMMs don’t write copy. But they do review it. Approve it. Sign off on it. And ...they do miss something.

No. They don’t miss the words. But they might overlook the sentence structure. The syntax that shapes how meaning lands.

You see ...

People don’t receive your message as a concept. They receive it as a structure first.

Here’s what I mean: 

• What comes first in the sentence feels more important
• Passive voice removes responsibility & agency
• Rhythm can mimic logic
• Grammatical structure can simulate truth
• Repetition can make contradictions feel natural
• Language structure can disguise uncertainty as certainty

And this is not about writing style or tone. This is about how language shapes thought before it even forms.

And if you’re a PMM, you don’t have to write copy. But it’s useful to know when a sentence is lying in rhythm, not logic.

Because polished messaging that performs clarity without delivering it … Is one of the most dangerous and deceptive things you can ship.

Here are some examples: 

1st example

Manufacturing certainty through phrasing

↪︎ e.g., “Connect your data and get instant insights.”

Why it fails:

• It creates the illusion of value without showing how insights are created.
• It collapses the entire cause-and-effect chain into one polished sentence.
• “Insights” sounds precise, but it means nothing unless defined.
• If people don’t see the value, this structure makes it feel like it’s their fault.

This sentence performs a result instead of explaining it.

2nd example

Avoiding clarity through passive scaffolding

↪︎ e.g., “Complex tasks can be automated using custom workflows.”

Why it fails:

• It’s grammatically fine, but mentally inert.
• No subject. No action. No ownership.
• It mimics explanation while hiding how action unfolds.
• People feel like you said something, but communicated nothing.

This sentence performs activity while describing none.

3rd example

The illusion of choice encoded in syntax

↪︎ e.g., “You can customize your view by going to settings.”

Why it fails:

• “Customize your view” sounds like freedom.
• But it only operates within predefined constraints.
• The sentence frames limited control as empowerment.
• It’s not the limitation that’s the problem.
• It’s the way the sentence inflates permission into autonomy.

The sentence performs fake generosity. You don’t have to write a sentence.

But as a PMM, you do need to know what this sentence is doing. You need to feel when syntax …

• hides agency
• implies logic that isn’t there
• performs clarity without delivering it
• collapses complexity into false ease to avoid friction

Because syntax isn’t neutral. It doesn’t just carry ideas. It constructs their perception.