Summary: When presented with structured data like a JSON error response, it’s natural to ask whether there’s a message or a story hidden beneath the surface. But not everything written in digital text is narrative; some of it is just raw function. In this post, we break down why a simple error message—like one signaling an insufficient account balance—isn’t a story, and why it’s critical for professionals, marketers, and communicators to distinguish between data, message, and narrative before attempting to create marketing or storytelling content from it.
Not Every Text Is a Narrative
A narrative relies on certain elements: a character, a goal, a conflict, and movement toward resolution. That’s the structure our human brain expects when we say “story.” It’s ingrained. When someone submits raw programming output—like a JSON response indicating “insufficient account balance”—we’re not dealing with a narrative. We’re dealing with infrastructure.
A JSON message such as:
{
"error": {
"code": 402,
"message": "Insufficient account balance."
}
}
…isn’t trying to take you somewhere. There are no choices at stake, no human struggle, no lesson—just a simple status update. Trying to turn that into a story without context is like trying to write a romance novel from a shipping label.
Why It Matters in Marketing and Business Communication
In structured communication, especially with software applications, business systems, or automation tools, not everything that looks like text is meant to engage emotions or drive behavior. Sometimes it’s just informing. Knowing this distinction matters if you routinely work at the intersection of technology and communication—especially in high-trust fields like finance, health, or law.
Why? Because your clients often confuse data with message. And marketers often mistake message for story. Are we informing? Are we persuading? Are we inviting action? You have to know where you are in the funnel and what kind of material fits. Good storytelling begins where the facts end and the interpretation begins.
What a JSON Error Message Is (And Isn’t)
It is:
- A machine-triggered response to a violated condition
- Structured in a systematic format (name/value pairs)
- Reliable for technical troubleshooting
It is not:
- A story
- A call to empathy
- Something with a main character, plot, or arc
And that’s okay. Just because something can be described doesn’t mean it can—or should—be dramatized. It’s crucial to separate technical communication from user-facing messaging. Storytelling enters only when the data is interpreted into consequences relevant to a human being.
So When Does a Story Begin?
Now imagine you’re designing a dashboard for a fintech app. One user keeps hitting that same error: insufficient balance. Now the question becomes: Why?
Does this tie to real-world behavior? Are they low on funds because a payment is late? Because of sudden medical expenses? Because they don’t understand cash flow forecasts? This is where the story emerges—when the error connects to human need, fear, confusion, or opportunity.
Marketing doesn’t come from rephrasing data. Marketing comes from translating consequences. The error message itself isn’t a story—it’s a pebble in the shoe. The story begins when someone reacts to it.
Rewriting Without a Story Is Just Confusion
Trying to “rewrite” the original JSON message is a category mistake. You’re not rephrasing to clarify. You’re trying to extract juice from a dry stone. That’s not effective communication—it’s wasted energy. This is where strategic silence, as Chris Voss puts it, becomes a powerful tool. Rather than forcing meaning into spaces where none exists, it sometimes pays more to watch and listen.
You might ask: “What does this message mean for the user?” Or even better: “What problem was the user trying to solve when they hit this?” That moves you from raw text into human motivation. That’s where marketing and messaging live.
Building Better Systems by Distinguishing Between Format and Function
Developers need to send error messages. Designers need to interpret them. Marketers need to contextualize consequences for humans. These are different jobs. If you conflate them or try to force a narrative into a technical stoplight, you confuse everyone and undermine trust.
The value of that JSON message lies in clarity and predictability—not inspiration. But paired with a broader system of meaning, it helps guide a user toward better choices. So as a communicator, the key is recognizing your position—translator, not magician.
Conclusion: Data Isn’t Narrative—It’s the Canvas for One
If you’re trying to extract a story from a JSON response with no context beyond a status update, you’re trying to build a bridge from empty air. Meaning doesn’t lie in syntax. It lies in stakes, consequences, reactions, and choice.
The better path is to ask: Who receives this error and why? What’s going through their head when they do? What assumptions or plans are being disrupted? Begin there. That’s the first step toward real messaging, true empathy, and effective storytelling that builds trust and moves people.
As marketers, leaders, and communicators, we must not just speak—we must interpret. That’s how trust grows, sales close, and progress happens.
#JSON #BusinessCommunication #MarketingClarity #StorytellingInTech #HumanCenteredDesign #DataToMeaning #UXMatters #FintechMessaging #MarketingPrecision #IeeoMarketing
Featured Image courtesy of Unsplash and Patrick Martin (UMlT0bviaek)
