I’ve been in pain 😫 this past week. 

(Disclaimer:  Not serious physical pain. I know there are many out there for whom that’s a daily reality, and I’m not trying to diminish that in the least.)

But I felt it. I truly did. Deep down in my … taste buds. 😜 I know, I know. It’s silly, really, but we were out of the good coffee for four whole days.

You know the Folgers old jingle, “The best part of waking up …”? That’s how we feel about that first morning ☕ cup of coffee in my house. 

We have a coffee subscription that sends us several bags per month. It’s so good. Yes, we’re spoiled. It’s dark and rich and delicious. This month, we must have upped our coffee consumption because we ran out early.

Did I notice we were getting low beforehand? Yes.

Could I have gone out and gotten some more coffee to tide us over until the next delivery? Yes.

Did I? No. 

I didn’t really feel the pain until I was forced to drink flavored coffee from some leftover bags I found in the freezer. 

I’m being dramatic of course. Our coffee shipment arrived today, and balanced has been restored in our household.

It’s true though, isn’t it?

Sometimes we don’t act until we really feel the pain. And guess what? Our clients and customers are the same way.

That’s why one of the most effective strategies I use as a copywriter is reminding readers of their pain. Pain moves people to action.

There’s a right way and a wrong way to go about using pain points in your marketing though. Stick with me this week because I’m going to let you in on how I use pain points for my clients and how you can too. I’ll show you:

• What makes using pain points so effective.
• The #1 way I use them to engage an audience’s emotions.
• How to capture an audience using pain points.
• Pain point pitfalls to avoid like the plague.
• Which industries are extra challenging when it comes to pain and paid ads.
• And what you can do when your industry makes it REALLY difficult to use pain points.

I’m so excited to jump in and share it all with you!

❓ What IS a pain point? ❓ 

It’s awfully hard to effectively use a strategy if you’re not 100% clear on what it actually is. So at the risk of stating the obvious, let’s just define it right off the bat so everyone is on the same page. 

Before I can do that though, two things. First, I’m going to tell you a little bit about me and who I am as a copywriter and digital marketer because it affects how I deal with pain points for my clients, and second, I have a surprise for you, so keep reading. 

But first, about me:

➡️ I market ethically. This means that I won’t use sneaky, dishonest, or under-the-table methods to promote my clients’ offers. 

➡️ I don’t do high pressure. The best customer or client for the people I work with is one who has invested by choice and is committed to the offer because they want to be and recognize the value in it – not because they were guilted or pressured into it. 

➡️ I do a ton of research. Because I solve problems and meet needs for my clients as well as their target markets, it’s really important that I understand them, their offer, and their audience. All the messaging and copy I write is unique and specific to each client and offer, and that means I have to really KNOW them.

Got it? Cool. So, pain point – what is it?

Plain and simple, a pain point is a problem that needs to be solved. 

That’s it. It’s a pretty straightforward concept, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Problems can be physical, mental, or emotional … 

Real or perceived … 

Obvious or subtle … 

Our job to make the audience aware, show them they’re understood and valued, then provide the solution.

If you don’t know what your audience is dealing with (even if they aren’t yet aware), you’ll struggle to write copy that really resonates. 

I’m sharing more tips live every morning this week on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/christanicholsmessaging. These tips will work for anyone, no matter what you do or sell. I’ll be dropping the content in Live day by day on my Facebook page or Instagram @christanicholsmessaging. Stop in and say hello! 

🎉 Now for the surprise! 🎉 Because I know how valuable this information is (and what a difference really getting pain points right has made in the quality of the copy I write) I want to make sure you get the most you can out of this series. 

So I made you something. It’s a downloadable PDF that walks you through several key questions that will make identifying pain points and solutions super easy. Click here to get it instantly.