“We love our copy, but it’s not converting. I just don’t get it!!!” 

I’ve written for a lot of brands. 

A lot of brands making a lot of money. 

(I’ve helped them make a lot of money too, but those are stories for another day.)

And in the moment when I hand over some freshly-written conversion copy for perusal and sign-off, brands tend to fall into one of two camps (no matter what industry they’re in, and no matter if they’re a personal brand or a big corporate type):

1). Emotions-first: when they judge their copy immediately based on how much they like it, and make edits with that in mind 

2). Logic-first: when they ask questions that get to the heart of why strategic decisions were made, then sign off based on their trust and confidence that those decisions are the right ones

Now. 

There’s an age-old adage in marketing. One that goes:

“People make decisions with emotions, and then justify them with logic.”

And brand decision makers who fall into that first “do I like it” camp? 

They’re operating strongly from the first part of that equation. 

* But that’s an issue *

Because so is their audience. 

And even in the moments we think so deeply and strongly that our audience will like exactly what we happen to like…

Or we think that we know them so well that our tastes can’t possibly be misaligned…

That isn’t always (and isn’t even usually) the case. 

“But wait a minute!!! I’m writing for people who are just like me!! I get them!! What I like they’ll like!!”

If those mimic some of the thoughts rolling around in your head right now (or mimic some of the thoughts that have rolled around in your head at some point while looking at copy), think of it this way:

When you approach your copy, you’re doing it with all the history and awareness that comes from eating, living, breathing your brand. 

You’re not worried about being high-maintenance, because you know you’re not. 

You’re not worried about coming off as distrustfully cavalier, because you know you throw everything into what you do. 

You don’t have objections. 

You don’t have price hold-ups. 

You’re not comparing yourself to 16 other open tabs, looking for the best ratio of fit-price. 

You already know you’re better than other options. 

You already know what makes you unique. 

And no misstep of a brand voice or un-communicated detail is going to convince you away from that. 

But your audience? 

They’re not in that same boat. 

And when you focus too strongly on what you like, you very easily ignore the thing that *actually and fundamentally* makes or breaks your conversions:

* What your audience likes *

So what then? Am I just supposed to hate the way my brand is portrayed? 

Of course not!

Look, authenticity wins. 

86% of consumers say that authenticity is one of the things that helps them figure out who to support…and who to not. 

But that authenticity, that sense of:

• Personality
• Values
• Differentiation
• Unapologetic your-brand-ness

Needs (absolutely neeeeeds!!!) to be filtered through the lens of your audience’s eyes.

Take this as an example: 

Once upon a time, a brand told me: 

“We really want to be luxury, but we can’t decide if we want to be high-class luxury or more the approachable kind.”

Okay, sure. 

You want to show you’re at the top of your market in terms of class, I get it! 

The only problem? 

This brand’s audience was mainly composed of corporate execs looking for a quick, easy, and painless solution. 

They didn’t want language like this:

“The waters of Santorini glisten off the pearl facade, encapsulating a dream that goes beyond the ordinary.”

(Aka: language that copied the big, hoity-toity brands that tried to scream “we’re untouchably cool!!”) 

And they definitely didn’t want language like this:

“We believe in the boldness of perfect design, the beauty of a life well-lived.”

(Aka: language that embodied more of the we’re touchable but still super aspirational vibe.)

What their audience wanted? 

Was to know they were getting: 

• Stellar customer service
• That was high-touch without being high-maintenance
• To deliver an absolutely flawless process 
• With no fuss 

Luxury in that context? 

It wasn’t about stuffy, fluffy, super elevated language. 

It was about communicating all the little details, the things that made them a superior market option.

Details like: 

• The “how” behind their flawless process
• The ease of working with them
• The “danngggg, I want that!” realities of their results 
• The gasp-worthy list of brands they’d successfully worked with in the past

And communicating those details in such a no-nonsense way…

That they felt comfy looking, booking, and marking the to-do list item done: without having to spend more than 5 minutes figuring out what this company was about or whether their services were right for them. 

Okay, so what you’re saying is…

If you want your copy to convert (realllllyyyyy convert) in ways that blend all the best persuasion parts of authenticity and audience, then you need to focus less attention on liking and all your attention on this: 

✨Brand-Market Fit ✨

What is Brand-Market Fit?

Brand-Market Fit is the happily-balanced intersection of two things:

• What your brand is
• What your market needs to hear 

It may sound kind of simple, but you’ve got to understand this 

In 2007, super-businessman billionaire Marc Andreessen coined the term “product-market fit” in an oft-quoted blog post. 

To him, product-market fit meant: 

“being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market”

At its core, it’s the difference between: 

1). Trying to sell wagyu beef to vegans

2). Or giving vegans exactly what they want: a tasty meat substitute

And why does that matter? 

Well, it highlights the very-important point that: 

• You can have the best, most marbled beef in the world. But if you’re trying to sell to a market full of people who vomit at the thought of eating a hamburger — you’re not going to sell. 

• You can have a market full of vegans hungering for a tasty meat substitute, but if your meat substitute doesn’t fulfill their cravings — you won’t really sell. 

• If you present a super-tasty meat substitute to a room full of vegans who are hungering for it in a deep, deep way — you will sell (and likely sell very, very well). 

Just like you need product-market fit, you need brand-market fit 

Just like you can have an objectively good product that fails because it can’t land in a market that needs it…

You can have objectively “likable” copy (think: super clever, super funny, super luxury) that fails to motivate your audience to action. 

That’s just the reality. 

Fully authentic to you doesn’t mean it will feel fully authentic to your audience. 

Objectively clever/funny/luxury/engaging doesn’t mean it will give your audience confidence to buy. 

To really get those conversions, you need to copy the pattern of product-market fit. 

And see the way that your authenticity and your audience can combine for high-selling brilliance.

“Okay, I get it. But how do you achieve brand-market fit?”

Sooooo glad you asked. 

Though you might not like the answer. 

Because what it really comes down to is this:

Usurping the dominance of your emotional brain. 

To turn to the logical side instead. 

By:

1. ) Going deeeeppp on customer research. We’re not talking demographics here: we’re talking the good stuff that you can only get by deep digging.

The stuff (found through things like customer interviews, surveys, and competitor review analysis) that clues you in to:

• how your audience really thinks
• what they’re really looking for 
• what they need to see to be comfortable to buy 

Then…

2). Doing the same deep dive on your brand. Looking into all the cracks and crannies of you and your competitors to get a sense of:

• what feels authentic to you
• how you can carve your own differentiation zone within your market
• in a way that makes you stand out, not be a stand-in
• full of all the personal stories, successes, and transformation narratives that only you can tell

Then finally…

3). Seeking out the magic that exists in the intersection of those two things. That delivers a brand voice and brand storyline that:

• gives your audience everything they need to hear, exactly when they need to hear it
• while still staying centered on authenticity
• and isolating differentiators so your audience is aware of them from the first second
• to create a clear, no-trip path to the conversion

Is this easy? 

No, not necessarily. 

But that’s why so many people default to emotions instead. 

But if you can be one of the brands who gets it…who finds a way to blend that authenticity with that sense of market fit? 

That’s how you make continued conversions happen. 

(Pssstttt…want someone to make continued conversions happen with you? Check me out!)