Getting customers
The insight: why an ad connects or bounces off
The uncomfortable truth that makes someone feel seen. It's where everything else comes from.
4 min read4 partsFree
01What an insight is
An insight is a universal truth that's a little embarrassing to admit. Something we all feel and all know happens, but nobody says out loud.
The practical test is simple: it's an insight when someone sees it and sends it to someone else saying «this is us». Memes and stand-up comedy are exactly that, one after another: truths after truths.
An ad built on a product feature informs. One built on an insight connects. And the difference is measured by whether someone stops scrolling or keeps going.
02What the difference looks like
The fastest way to understand it is to see the same idea written both ways. On the left, what looks like a good message and isn't. On the right, the truth underneath.
Description: informs
- «Our mattresses use memory-foam technology»
- «Organize your finances the simple way»
- «Quality clothing at a good price»
- «Specialty coffee, roasted by hand»
Insight: connects
- «I wake up more tired than when I went to bed»
- «I've been selling for two years and never knew how much I keep»
- «My closet is full and I have nothing to wear»
- «I drink coffee every day and I don't know if I like the one I drink»
Do
- Write it in first person, the way the person would think it: «what happens to me is...».
- Look for what's a little uncomfortable. If nobody blushes, it's probably not an insight.
- Test it with someone: read it to them and see if they nod. If they say «oh, yes», you've got it.
Avoid
- Confusing an insight with a motivational phrase. «You can do it» is comfortable, pleasant and true of nobody in particular: it's exactly the opposite.
- Writing it from the brand's point of view. The insight is about the person, not about you.
- Using an insight that has nothing to do with your product. It connects and then leads nowhere.
03Where to look for them
Insights aren't invented sitting at a desk: they're found by listening. And the sources are always the same four.
| Source | What to look for | Example of what comes out |
|---|---|---|
| Customer messages | The repeated questions and the doubts before buying | «What if it doesn't fit me?» → the fear of getting it wrong |
| Competitors' reviews | The 2- and 3-star ones: that's where the real frustration is | «It arrived fine but took three weeks» → the wait |
| What people say when they buy | The offhand comment at the counter | «Finally one that lasts» → being fed up with replacing things |
| Groups and forums in your category | The complaints that repeat without anyone solving them | «Nobody tells you how much shipping costs» → the surprise |
Do
- Write them down in PEOPLE'S WORDS, not yours. «It's pricey» is not the same as «the price is high».
- Keep a living list. A good insight works for several pieces and several campaigns.
Avoid
- Deducing them from what you would do. You already know the product: you're not the cold customer.
- Looking for them only among happy customers. The uncomfortable truth is usually with the ones who hesitated.
04From insight to ad
The insight isn't the ad: it's what makes it true. Next come choosing what to talk about, brainstorming, the script and the production, but if the insight is weak, none of that saves it.
The order that works is: first the truth about the person, then the product as the answer to that truth. Never the other way around.
And one insight can carry several pieces with different angles. The same «I wake up more tired than when I went to bed» can be told as a transformation, as a comparison with the old mattress, or as social proof with people who switched.
Case
SYB
We want an entrepreneur to understand what a management app is for. Saying «get your business organized» does nothing for them: they've heard it a thousand times.
- We look for the uncomfortable truth: almost every entrepreneur thinks they know how much they make, when in fact they calculated price minus cost of goods and forgot fees, taxes and installments.
- We phrase it the way it would be said quietly: «I've been selling for two years and never really knew how much I keep».
- We check the test: someone reads it and thinks «oh, that's me». It's a little uncomfortable, and that's why it works.
- Only then is the ad written, and the product shows up as the answer to that, not as a list of features.
The ad stops competing with every management app and starts talking to a specific situation the person recognizes in themselves.