We buy based on emotion. We might justify our purchases with logic, but that first step is entirely emotion based. And when you write copy, you need to tease out that emotion, giving your potential customers the feelings they need to consider your products. You need to build trust with your customers through empathy – feeling what your customers feel and expressing that through your text.

When we’re more concerned about our own needs – like getting more traffic, making more sales, or growing our business – we fail in building that trust with our customers. Knowing their pains, needs, and desires helps you anticipate and mirror those thoughts, making it easier for your customers to relate to you.

Write emotional copy with this one weird trick

Your customers have a problem, and your product is the best choice for a solution. When they think about their problems, your customers are feeling fearful, sad, frustrated, annoyed, and other negative feelings.

But by tapping into those feelings with effective storytelling, you’re able to prime your customers to see your product as the solution. A great formula to consider when writing is the Problem-Agitate-Solve formula.

• Problem – Identify what the problem is for your customer
• Agitate – Stir up the problem to the point of discomfort
• Solve – Make your product the best solution available

Here’s an example of how this would work for a design agency:

Problem – How long has it been since you’ve updated your design?

Agitate – Does your logo look outdated? Are you still using templates from decades ago? Does your branding represent what your company is now, or is it still trapped from when you first started?

Solve – Our design agency can give you a new and fresh brand redevelopment that matches your company’s modern image.

This formula works because it forces you to present your product as your customers would see it. Rather than just talking about the cool features your product has or the affordability of it, you can position your product as the solution to your customers’ problems.

Your step-by-step guide to problem-solving copy

Define your ideal customer

Think about the person you want to reach. Then build upon that person, creating a buyer persona. Include details about them, including things like:

• Gender
• Age
• Geographic location
• Employment
• Income level
• Education
• Hobbies
• Products they’ve purchased before

Make several buyer personas, covering the range of customers you want to see, and keep them on hand when you write new copy.

Work out their pains, fears, and common problems that your product can solve

Once you know who your ideal customer is, you need to know what problems they face. This can be as simple as talking to your existing customers, or you can do surveys to get a wider range of responses.

You can also see what your competitors are doing to see what problems they’re focusing on. Review sites such as TrustPilot are also a great source of research, as your potentials customers will be talking about their problems and what they’re looking for there.

Describe all the ways your product can solve their problems

Each time you find a new customer problem, write it down and how your product can solve it. This way, whenever you’re creating a new piece of copy – from your home page to a quick Facebook ad – you have a convenient list of problems and the features that can solve them.

Build stories around your customers

When you create copy, come up with a fictional situation that involves your customer dealing with a problem that your product can solve. Think of that customer looking for a solution, and what they would want to see.

Add in emotion

Make certain to use words that your customers use when describing their problems. If your customers describe a problem as “frustrating”, “complicated”, or “exhausting”, use those words to give them an instantly relatable hook. Then use the words they would use when describing your product, such as “easy”, “affordable”, or “convenient”.

Show results

You know your product is the best solution to their problem. But you need to show that it’s worked. Add in testimonials from happy customers, reviews from authorities, awards you’ve won – all things that show your potential customers that your product works.

 

Creating situations they can relate to produces more benefits than just showcasing the features of your product, and by developing empathy for your customers and adding emotion to your copy, you are giving your audience a strong reason to buy.