My editor Dana Cass commented on an article I’m drafting for Animalz: “I don’t understand this - you’re not actually talking about learning jargon, right?”
I really do mean jargon.
All writers have been taught to avoid it. But complex, profession-specific words don’t trip up algorithms. In fact, they tell them more precisely what you want.
I already wrote about this in What Only You Can Tell AI:
“AI mirrors the quality of its input. If you’re an expert at something, you can describe what you want with precision non-experts can’t match.”
Jargon is that precision, compressed into single words.
Consider the difference between these prompts:
“Write me an article about the benefits of CRM systems that will give me more business.”
Versus:
“Write me a BoFu article that opens with a strong hook on sales people losing deals because they’re not using a CRM. Make sure there are no more than five H2 sections, and end with a CTA that connects to the MQL goal we have for H2.”
Most content marketers understand the second prompt, but most other people don’t. It’s full of content jargon, but it gives the AI much more precise instructions.
Since I’m trying to graduate from self-made vibe coder into professional AI engineer, I can benefit from upping my engineering jargon.
For example, I’ve started reading a book called System Design Interview - volume 1. (Claude recommended it when I asked “Should I learn to code?” It said “No, read this instead.”)
The book targets senior engineers at Big Tech companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon. I don’t understand half of the chapters, but the other half has given me a better understanding of system design, and more precise vocabulary to talk to AI models.
I now find myself saying things to Claude like, “What’s the TTL we’ve set on that cache file?”, or “Shall we set up a message queue for the QA step?”
Jargon doesn’t replace real skills, of course. But learning the insider language is a cheap way to get more out of your prompts and agents.
Next Thursday (August 27) I’m joining the Ahref’s AI Content Marketing Roundtable, live with Ryan Law (Ahrefs), Kirsti Lang (Buffer), and Emma Young (Hostinger). One hour on the tools, guardrails, and failures behind AI content.
It’s free: register here. 27th August | 10:00am London, 11:00am Berlin, 7:00pm Sydney
