Latest / Video Marketing with Fexingo: Short Form, Long Form, and Video-First Strategy / Why Video Marketers Should Use the Curse of Knowledge Test
Transcript
- Lucas: So I was watching a colleague try to explain how to use a new analytics dashboard to a junior team member, and about thirty seconds in, I realized the person teaching it had completely lost the learner. He was throwing around terms like 'session attribution' and 'cohort analysis' without pausing to define them. Luna: Classic curse of knowledge, right? You forget what it's like not to know. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what we're talking about today — the Curse of Knowledge and why video marketers specifically need a formal test to guard against it. Because in video, once you lose someone, they don't rewind. They scroll. Luna: And they're gone. So what's the 'Curse of Knowledge Test' you're proposing? Lucas: It's a three-step audit you run on any video script before you film. Step one: identify every term, acronym, or assumption that an absolute beginner wouldn't know. Step two: give the script to someone outside your field — literally someone who has never used your product — and watch them try to follow along. Step three: rewrite anything they stumbled on at a fifth-grade reading level. Luna: Okay, that sounds simple. But is there a real-world case where this actually moved a metric? Lucas: Yeah, Canva. In 2023, they redesigned their main explainer video — the one that plays on their homepage. The original version used phrases like 'intuitive drag and drop interface' and 'seamless brand kit integration.' The redesigned version started with 'You can move things around on the page. Just click and drag.' Luna: I remember that. They showed a before and after in a case study. Completion rates went up something like 22 percent, and click-through to sign-up increased by 15 percent. Lucas: Right. And this wasn't a huge production overhaul — they just removed the jargon and assumed zero context. That's the core insight. When you're an expert, your language becomes a barrier without you realizing it. Luna: And video amplifies that because you can't stop and ask. If someone reads a blog post and hits a term they don't know, they can open a new tab. In video, they just leave. Lucas: Exactly. So let's walk through a concrete example. Imagine you're making a short-form video explaining how to set up a Facebook ad campaign. The typical script might say 'create a campaign at the objective level, then define your audience parameters in the ad set.' Luna: I can already feel myself zoning out. 'Objective level' — what does that mean to someone who's never seen the Facebook ads manager? Lucas: It's meaningless. So you rewrite it: 'First, pick a goal for your ad — like getting people to visit your website. Facebook will ask you to choose that goal. That's called the campaign level.' You're teaching the term while you use it. Luna: That's a good rule — never use a term without defining it in the same breath. Especially in short-form where you have maybe fifteen seconds to earn their attention. Lucas: Right. And the Curse of Knowledge Test applies just as much to long-form video. I've seen thirty-minute tutorial videos where the first ten minutes are filled with assumptions about what the viewer already knows. You can lose people in the first sixty seconds. Luna: So how do you actually implement the test in a production workflow? I mean, most video marketers are already stretched thin. Lucas: It doesn't have to be elaborate. After you write your script, read it out loud to someone who isn't in marketing. A friend, a roommate, your mom. Ask them to stop you the moment something sounds confusing. That's the test. Luna: Your mom test. I love that. And if she doesn't understand, you rewrite. Lucas: Exactly. And the research backs this up. Studies on the curse of knowledge show that even when people are explicitly told to ignore what they know, they can't. It's a cognitive blind spot. You need an external check. Luna: What about B2B video? There you have an audience that does know the jargon — do you still dumb it down? Lucas: That's the nuance. You don't dumb it down for your core audience. But you should always start with the simplest version and add complexity only when needed. Duolingo does this well. Their short-form ads assume you've never heard of the app, even though their core users are active daily. They open with 'Learning a language? This app helps.' Luna: Yeah, their retention is insane precisely because they never outgrow explaining the basics. Every video treats you like you just arrived. Lucas: And that's the philosophy: assume zero context. Even if you're addressing experts, they appreciate clarity. Nobody complains that a video is too easy to follow. Luna: So let's talk about the actual test. Can you give listeners a checklist they can use before their next shoot? Lucas: Sure. Step one: print your script. Highlight every word or phrase that is specific to your industry, your product, or your internal team. Step two: replace each highlighted term with a plain-language equivalent or add a one-sentence definition the first time you use it. Step three: have a non-expert read the script out loud. If they pause anywhere, rewrite that section. Luna: How long does that usually take? Lucas: For a two-minute script, maybe thirty minutes. But the payoff is huge. Canva's 22 percent lift in completion rate is not an outlier. I've seen similar results from clients who do this routinely. Luna: I want to add one more thing. The test also applies to the visual side. Your on-screen graphics might use terms that your audio is explaining, but if the viewer doesn't know those terms, the graphic is noise. Lucas: Great point. The Curse of Knowledge isn't just verbal. If you put 'ROI' on a lower third without defining it, you've lost the person who doesn't know that acronym. And it's three letters — you have room to write 'return on investment' instead. Luna: I think the biggest challenge is ego. Marketers want to sound smart. Using insider language signals that you're an expert. But the best marketers I know are the ones who can explain complex things simply. Lucas: That's the paradox. The people who are truly expert are usually the best at explaining to beginners because they've internalized the concepts so deeply they can strip away the jargon. It's the intermediate practitioners who overcomplicate. Luna: So if you're scripting a video today, what's the one thing you should change? Lucas: Go through your script and find the first sentence where you assume the viewer already knows something. Then rewrite it as if they've never heard of your company. That one change will probably fix half your clarity issues. Luna: And if it feels too basic, remember that your audience is busy and distracted. Simple cuts through. Lucas: Exactly. And that's really the core of the Curse of Knowledge Test — it's a humility exercise. You're admitting that your expertise might be getting in the way. And that's okay. The goal is connection, not showing off. Luna: Honestly, if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used — maybe a script rewrite or a new way of testing — that's exactly what listener support helps keep going. Lucas: Yeah, this show stays ad-free because of people who find value in it. If today's episode was worth a coffee to you, that's the link — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: It's a small way to say this kind of content matters, and it keeps us going episode after episode. Lucas: So back to the test — I think one underrated benefit is that it forces you to slow down. When you're forced to define every term, your pacing naturally improves. You give the viewer room to breathe. Luna: And that pacing is especially important in long-form. If you're making a ten-minute tutorial, the viewer needs moments to process. The curse of knowledge makes you rush through because you think it's obvious. Lucas: Right. So to wrap up, I want to challenge everyone listening: before your next video goes live, run it through the Curse of Knowledge Test. Find one insider term, replace it, and see if your early retention improves. I'd bet it will. Luna: And if you try it, let us know. We'd love to hear what you found. Lucas: That's it for episode 70. Next time, we're talking about the psychology of color in video thumbnails — specifically why red outperforms blue in click-through rates. See you then.