Product Content — The Words Inside the Product
The most-read words Nightjar has are not in its docs. They are on buttons, in error messages and in the email that says a site is down. When Priya pastes shop.example.com without https://, the form replies: "Error 422: validation failed." She has no idea what went wrong or what to do about it.
The rule
Words inside the product say what happened and what to do next.
Product content is the text that ships in or with the product itself:
- Labels and buttons name the action they perform: "Save monitor", not "OK" or "Submit".
- Error messages say what happened and how to fix it, in plain words, without blaming the reader. Error codes can stay, but as a detail for support, not as the message.
- Empty states, the screen shown when there is nothing yet, say what will appear there and offer the first action.
- Notifications and alert emails carry the point in the subject line, because many people read only that.
- Onboarding hints and tooltips give one short piece of help at the moment it is needed.
This text works under tight limits: a handful of words, a reader in the middle of a task, and no room for background. It must also match the docs word for word. If the button says Add monitor, the docs say "Add monitor", never "Create a check". Writers often shape these words together with designers, and some specialise in it under titles like UX writer or content designer.
The shortcut
Every piece of product text answers two questions, in this order: What happened? What do I do now? Then say it in the reader's words, as briefly as the screen demands.
What happened?
The address has no
https://orhttp://at the start, so Nightjar cannot tell how to reach it.
The trap is the message that blames or shrugs: "You entered an invalid URL", "Something went wrong", "Invalid input". The first makes the reader feel at fault; the others leave them with nowhere to go.
Drills
Answer fast — trust the rule.
Which label is best for the button that saves a new monitor?
Which empty-state message is best for the Monitors page?
Which error message follows the rule?
The button says "Add monitor", but the docs say "Create a check". What is the problem?
Which is the best subject line for an outage alert email?
Remember
- Words inside the product say what happened and what to do next.
- Shortcut: answer "What happened?" then "What do I do now?", in as few words as the screen allows.
- Trap: messages that blame the reader or leave them with nowhere to go.