The human touch: Why empathetic copy is key
Empathy is the ability to understand and share others’ feelings. It’s about emotional connection and relationship-building.
And it’s key to effective messaging and copy.
Customers aren’t wallets. They’re people (obviously). When people are researching a product or looking to buy something, they’re coming with their pain points, their emotions, their unique backgrounds, and their own stories.
Good copy—the kind that hooks people, builds loyalty, and converts—not only acknowledges that context, but connects with people over that context in an authentic way.
Why is empathy important in copy?
Understanding = connection. It’s a human tendency to want to be understood. We want to feel like we aren’t alone, particularly when dealing with a problem. Showing that you understand buyers’ emotions, pain points, and stories fosters connection, and this type of positive relationship encourages action and loyalty.
Emotions are sticky little buggers. Emotions have an especially potent effect on our brains (aka - they’re super memorable). So, using language that taps into relevant emotions will bring a greater impact. Of course, knowing which emotions to tap into and how to do so depends on how well you understand your audience.
The “human” touch helps with trust. I’m not going to trust an impersonal brand that treats me like a money pit, and whether or not someone trusts you heavily influences their decision to support and buy from you. Speaking to consumers with human-to-human language makes your brand seem more like a genuine problem-solver that has your customers’ backs than a selfish business.
How do I write empathetic copy?
Writing great empathetic copy is a skill that comes with practice and experience. Here are seven basic tips to get you started.
Understand your audience. You can only empathize with your audience if you understand who they are and the problems they deal with. How do you get that understanding? Loads of research.
Storytelling. Present emotional situations that your audience relates to. Your “main character” should represent your target audience. Their problem should mirror your audience’s problem. Their solution—aka your product/service—should be attractive to (you guessed it) your audience.
Use emotions. This one might seem a bit self-explanatory, but it’s here because it’s important! Supercharge your language with emotional terms, phrases, and scenarios to evoke feelings in your audience.
Personalization. As much as you can, personalize your copy. This could look like segmenting your audience for more individualized email campaigns, sending personalized messages to certain people based on their purchase history, and more.
Be genuine. Really—if your show of empathy is an act and comes across as such, it’s going to seriously backfire.
Focus on human benefits. Rather than listing out the technical features of your product/service, highlight the way people will benefit. Which problems does it solve? How will consumers’ lives improve?
Respond to feedback. Look at the way people are responding to you. What do their comments say? Are they emailing you with concerns? Listening to customer feedback and making actual changes shows that you understand and care.
TL;DR
Empathetic language—which shows an understanding of consumers’ stories, problems, and contexts—is key to copy that converts.
Researching and knowing (like, really knowing) your audience is vital to empathetic copy.
Try: storytelling, personalizing your copy, using emotions, being genuine, focusing on human benefits, and responding to feedback.
Empathetic copy is my jam. Want to learn more? Let’s chat.
Thanks for hanging out,
Megan
