What’s A Pain Point?

Want people to sit up and listen when they explore your website?
Then you’ve likely heard about the concept of pain points. They’re the problem your audience mulls over—a source of difficulty in work or life.

Something that can’t be solved on their own. (At least, without tons of time and money wasted.)

We position our products as pain relievers, the ANSWER to the pain point.

Enter the problem solving solution and handy features they won’t want to miss.

How Do They Work In Website Copy?

Wondering how pain points work in website copy? You can easily spot them when the copy mentions a problem or struggle. You can even find yourself nodding along if it’s YOUR pain point because, well, they hurt. It’s something you want to fix.

But just like hanging out with a person who complains a ‘lil too much (and kills your brain cells in the process, according to Stanford), focusing only on pain points doesn’t offer a maximum return on the emotional poking and prodding that comes with laying out every issue your audience might face.

What’s a Gain Point?

Enter the gain point concept. This is where you focus on the bigger positive picture painted by the benefits of your offer. The gains should feel like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds—they can be small, practical wins or large, life changing wins. But a gain is always a win.

Why Focusing On Gain Leads To Better Clients

But if the concept of pain points & relievers is all we focus on in website copy…. We’re likely missing out on our best customers.

Those people who want positive impact and change.

But wait, isn’t that E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E.?!

Not really. Think about people you encounter in daily life… How many of them tend to get stuck in complaint mode, always pointing out problems, but rarely offering a solution? Talking about working out vs. building up a routine that actually includes it?

Now picture people you know in business who often fall into the same habits. If you’ve ever experienced a “problem” client, they likely check quite a few boxes in this category.

Why is this? They’re likely not focused on the bigger picture and the ultimate benefits they want to achieve. They’re likely to be intentional with what they don’t want, but unintentional (and unspecific) with what they want. Because when someone is guided by pain points, it’s easy to stay there. Complaining is the path of least resistance!

Lead With The Gains, Build Emotional Equity

Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t use pain points in marketing, they are highly effective in small doses and in the right places. But pain points shouldn’t be the framework of our website copy, gain points should. A small dose of pain goes a long way in communication, and it can be a guiding force for showing progress. Ultimately, your copy should positively invest in your audience, ideally pointing them to see the highest potential they could reach.

What Does This Look Like, Practically?

Avoid any words that really strike fear or make someone feel like they’re less than stellar. This isn’t just because we all generally stand for being friendly, good human beings. It straight up makes your inbound leads jump when you emphasize value and affirm your audience, vs just pointing out where they lack or struggle. Additionally, get as specific as possible with the gains! Pointing out the winning details in an overall gain will build that emotional equity, because your audience will feel valued when you see their dream. For example, if you’re a corporate coach helping people get out of mentally slogging through work and find fulfillment in their career, don’t focus on wording like, “Live a more fulfilling life”. Instead, speak to feeling excited to sit at your desk and the joy of filling your calendar with projects aligned with what you actually love. Paint that picture with specific language and gain scenarios, your audience will connect deeply and quickly. (Bonus points if the gain points you share are actually tied into your own journey of becoming an expert!)

The Data Supports Gain Points

I could share numerous studies showing that the happy results of writing gain first website copy for our clients. But it’s not just BRANDSPEAK’s internal results that support this. Studies have shown that top performing ads use positive or neutral language 98% more than negative language, which shows a pattern in great ad copy. Positive works.

Wondering if your language is putting off negative vibes and you don’t even realize it? Make a free account at Monkey Learn and run copy through their sentiment analysis. If it’s showing you in the negative, play around with different words until it flips into the positive. This tone analyzer is also helpful for a spot check.