In this post, I’ll be covering client pain points and how they can be covered in sales copy. There are a lot of marketers and even copywriters out there who are suggesting that we reframe our clients’ pain points or gloss over them; but in today’s post, we’re diving into why it’s important to address them head-on.

This is week two of my eight-week copy school series, and I’m so excited to be sharing my knowledge with you all on this topic. My ultimate goal from the series is to make sure that you’re equipped with the knowledge and tools that you need to write your copy effortlessly and with confidence that you’re going in the right direction.

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Addressing Pain Points Correctly

Many hold the argument – especially over the course of the last 18 months or so, when we’ve been seeing huge shifts in messaging across the board – that addressing pain points is not the right thing to do in sales copy. These individuals believe that this copy should focus solely on the dreams and desires of the target audience.

I’m here to tell you that not addressing pain points is the wrong course of action. Instead, we just have to discover the right way to go about it! There are ways to talk about your dream clients’ problems and pain points in a manner that feels good to you and that aligns with your way of selling and your values. 

Heaven vs. Hell Messaging

I want to reference a podcast episode by Caitlin Bacher where she introduced the concept of heaven versus hell messaging.  

According to Caitlin, the gist of this concept is that 50 percent of your audience will be motivated by “hell” messaging. In this case, “hell” refers to the annoying and frustrating things that they’re working to avoid. The avoidance is what’s motivating them to take action.

This is true regardless of what you’re trying to sell. Take the wedding industry, for example. This industry is all about love, happiness, and joy… right? But, there will be people who are motivated to hire a wedding planner because the mere idea of planning a wedding seems like a nightmare to them. So, when speaking to this portion of your audience, it’s important to address the struggles they’re trying to avoid, as well as speaking to those who are excited to plan their big day.

Then there’s the “heaven” message. This is the opposite, where you’re appealing to the good, exciting feelings that people will have surrounding whatever you’re selling. For example, someone might be excited to purchase an online business course because they can’t wait to build their own inspirational and successful business. 

See the difference? It’s an important one, and when we ignore pain points and problems in our copy, it prevents us from speaking to that crucial half of our audience.

Thinking of Pain Points as Salt

A good way to think of the pain points in your copy is by comparing it to the amount of salt you need to use when cooking. 

It’s really easy to overdo it when adding salt to a recipe as you cook. This will totally ruin the dish. However, if you fail to add any salt at all, the dish will be too bland. This same metaphor applies to your copy.

You could easily overdo it when addressing pain points in your copy, making it unappealing. However, if they’re completely left out, it will fall flat and not appeal to a large number of potential buyers. 

Remember that the goal of addressing pain points in copy is not to make the reader actually feel pain. Instead, it’s to acknowledge the pain they experience and empathize with them over it. 

You can also think about this in terms of going to the doctor for an ailment or injury. If the doctor skipped straight to telling you how much better you’re going to feel after you get a procedure done or take medication, you’d feel okay about it. However, you’d be a bit disheartened that your doctor didn’t even acknowledge your pain or symptoms. After all, one of the main reasons to go to the doctor is to hear that our pain is valid!

This same principle applies to your copy and your business. Acknowledging pain points allows us to build that connection and trust with the reader. This makes the reader feel heard and seen, which is the foundation of connection-driven copy.

Problems vs. Pain Points

It’s important to understand the difference between problems versus pain points as you work them into your copy. 

For example, let’s say that I’m working 12 hours a day on my business. In this situation, the PROBLEM is that I’m spending 12 hours a day working. 

The pain points exist where the problem hurts. These could be a lack of sleep, neglecting my family, neglecting my personal health, not making time for myself, and so on. These are the ways that the problem is impacting the reader.

Understanding and acknowledging the difference allows us to say, in our copy, “I see how that problem is impacting you. I recognize how frustrating that is.” Framing it this way comes from a place of understanding and empathy, which is the cornerstone of connection-driven copy. 

Our reader needs to feel understood, and speaking to them in this way makes them feel like your business has the power to fix what’s ailing them.

Using Empathy Surrounding Pain Points: The Bottomline

When you address pain points in sales copy, you’re able to make a deeper connection with the reader. Talking about pain points in an empathetic way will appeal to your readers and, ultimately, lead to more conversions. It also works to increase your credibility.

Coffee Break

For today’s coffee break, take five to 15 minutes to think about the problem you solve with the services you offer. Then, come up with three ways that problem shows up in your client’s day-to-day life. 

Practice talking about those paint points in an empathetic and understanding way. Be sure to DM me what you come up with — I’d love to hear!

Thank you for reading! If you love what you learned, be sure to connect with me over on Instagram and share your biggest takeaways. I’d love to hear from you! 

And if you need some guidance on how to structure your copy for social media & MORE, check out The Copy Template Shop! See you back here in the next post — and remember, I’m rooting for you, always.