Summary: Contrary to what some might expect, not every user-submitted text is ready for publishing, polishing, or even rewriting. Some content simply isn’t a story—it’s a system notification. When the raw input is a technical JSON error message, not a narrative, there's no content structure or argument to develop. Recognizing what deserves rewriting—and what doesn’t—is a skill rooted in both technical literacy and editorial judgment. This post explains why some inputs should be left untouched—and more importantly, why forcing a rewrite can lead your marketing effort straight into irrelevance.
What the Input Actually Is
Let’s start with the text at hand. It looks like this:
{
"error": {
"message": "The account balance is not sufficient to run the query. Please recharge your account."
}
}
This is a typical JSON response—a machine-readable format used to move data between servers and client software, not designed for human storytelling. It doesn’t include any characters, plot, conflict, or even a topic of discussion. You're looking at a status output generated by an API or web service. It’s like asking a vending machine to explain why it’s out of soda. It didn’t write a story—you’re just getting a message: “No funds.”
The Difference Between Data and Narrative
Some people confuse data output for content. That misunderstanding wastes everyone’s time. Data is structured information. Content, by contrast, is structured communication with meaning for a human audience. Data speaks to systems. Narratives speak to people. You can’t force one into the other unless you want the result to be artificial and irrelevant.
So when we get something like this JSON error, there’s no plot, no audience hook, no user story behind it we can surface. It's not a blog post waiting to be born—it's like a printer flashing “low toner.” What can you pull from that? Nothing worth reading twice. And with attention being scarce currency, you better not waste any of it.
Why Rewriting This Is a Mistake
Editing or rewriting this kind of input into “content” creates the illusion of productivity without producing value. You end up fabricating meaning where none exists. That can erode your credibility, confuse your visitors, and inflate your content library with fluff. And prospects? They know fluff when they see it. You lose trust faster than you can generate clicks.
If you’re trying to build authority or educate your audience, focus only on material that contains something to say. Not everything needs to be content. Some things are just status updates. Respect that boundary, and your messaging gains weight.
What Should Be Done Instead?
Ask better questions. If your input for content creation is an error message, stop. Ask: What triggered this message? What was the query that failed? Was the user trying to access critical analysis or trends? If so—speak about that instead. Address the underlying intention, not the thrown error.
Here’s where real marketing value shows up: take that event (low balance, blocked action), and reflect the user’s frustration back to them—empathize. Then tell them how to prevent hitting a wall like that again. Now you’ve got something useful. Now you’ve got content worth building.
Turning Misfires Into Engagement
Even errors can be used well—just not directly. Use them as conversation starters:
- “Ever had your research interrupted by a system telling you to ‘recharge your account’? Here’s how to automate that.”
- “Why your data tools fail at the worst possible time—and how to stay ahead.”
- “What JSON error messages are trying to tell your business (but can’t).”
Now you’re not pretending the error message is content—you’re letting it point to a real pain, and addressing that directly. You’re creating relevance. You’re having a human conversation. That’s persuasion mechanic number one: Reciprocity. You're giving insight the moment they hit friction. They remember that.
Conclusion: Learn What NOT To Turn Into Content
Just because something is text doesn’t make it narrative. And just because something happened doesn’t mean it needs a blog post. Learning to say “there’s no story here” is part of mature content strategy. It draws a line between what builds authority and what wastes bandwidth.
So the next time your tooling throws you a generic JSON error message, don’t try to rewrite it. Sit in silence for a second (yes, strategic silence applies here too), and ask yourself: “What was the user trying to do?” Chase that impulse—not the content that wasn’t there.
Because knowing what not to write is just as valuable as knowing what to publish.
#ContentStrategy #DataVsNarrative #MarketingClarity #JSONErrors #TechLiteracy #StopFluff #EffectiveCommunication #DigitalHygiene
Featured Image courtesy of Unsplash and Ilya Semenov (6uFROinaC3g)