How to Write Messages Your Market Will Act On

Marketing can be loud, flashy, and forgettable. You don’t want that. You want the right people to hear your message and feel like it was written just for them. But with shrinking attention spans and crowded markets, getting your marketing message to hit home is harder than ever.

Resonance isn’t a lucky break. It’s a result of choosing the right message, for the right audience, at the right time. Here’s how to do that—step by step.

Understand What Resonance Actually Means

Don’t confuse clarity with connection. Many businesses put out clear messages that simply don’t stick.

Resonance happens when your audience says, “That’s exactly what I’m dealing with,” or “That’s what I’ve been trying to say.” It cuts past features and benefits. It speaks to emotion, identity, or urgency.

For example, a payroll software company might lead with “Easier payroll runs.” That’s clear. But it doesn’t resonate like: “Never stay late on payday again.” One speaks to a feature. The other speaks to a feeling.

To start resonating, shift from asking “What are we offering?” to “What is our audience trying to solve, feel, or become?”

Start With One Clear Audience

If you try to resonate with everyone, you resonate with no one.

Even if your product has broad appeal, each message should be crafted for one type of person. Not a demographic—like age or income—but a mindset.

To narrow your message:

• Ask: What do they fear most?
• Clarify: What do they hope will change?
• This emotional clarity will guide which message angle will work best.

Example: A business coach we worked with in Boise used to say: “Helping business owners reach their full potential.” It was too vague. She shifted to: “Helping burned out owners reclaim their time without losing revenue.” Booked consults increased by 40%. Same service. Sharper focus.

You can have multiple audiences. Just don’t try to message to them all at once.

Study Your Customers’ Language

If you want your message to resonate, you can’t speak from your perspective. You need to speak in your customers’ words.

Here’s how to gather the right language:

1. Read support tickets or email exchanges.
2. Review testimonials, surveys, and public reviews.
3. Listen in on sales calls or talk directly with your sales team.
4. Interview a few customers to hear how they describe their experience.

Then, analyze what you’ve gathered:

1. Identify repeated phrases and literal descriptions.
2. Look for consistent ways customers talk about their challenges or goals.
3. Avoid injecting your own interpretations—focus on the actual words they use.

Example: A SaaS company noticed users kept saying, “We don’t want to learn another system.” So instead of promoting “powerful onboarding workflows,” they changed their message to “Feels familiar from day one.” That small shift led to a 22% jump in signups.

Use their exact language whenever possible. If they say “overwhelmed,” don’t rewrite it as “inefficient.” Say what they say. That’s how you build connection.

Use Emotion, But Stay Grounded

Emotion makes messages stick. But exaggerated hype backfires.

Here’s how to use emotion effectively:

1. Focus on emotional truths, not exaggeration. Stay grounded in the real experiences of your customers.
2. Show that you understand how they feel—without overpromising a perfect solution.
3. Choose emotions that reflect everyday frustrations or desires. For example:
   • Instead of “Make your dreams come true,” try “Stop dreading Monday mornings.”
   • Instead of “Turn your house into a dream home,” one client switched to “No more apologizing for your kitchen”—and saw a 30% increase in calls in 60 days.

Let emotion serve the truth. That’s what makes it resonate.

Choose the Right Angle for Your Audience

Before you write or test anything, decide the angle of your message. There are many ways to speak to a problem—and the right one depends on your audience’s mindset.

Here are five strategic message types:

1. Problem-first – Focuses on what’s broken. Best when urgency is high.
   Example: “Drowning in admin work? We can help.”
2. Aspirational – Paints a vision of success. Great for growth-oriented customers.
   Example: “Lead a team that runs without you.”
3. Emotional pain – Leans into frustration, fatigue, or fear. Works well when your buyer is burned out.
   Example: “Stop working weekends to fix what your team missed.”
4. Functional value – Communicates a tangible outcome.
   Example: “Cut payroll time by 40%—without switching providers.”
5. Identity-based – Taps into how customers see themselves.
   Example: “Built for agencies that never stop moving.”

Match your message type to what the audience feels most. Then craft the language around that.

Test Before You Scale

You don’t need to guess what message will resonate. You can test it.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Use A/B testing on landing pages, emails, or ads.
2. Test entirely different angles—not just word swaps. For example:
   • Pain-based: “Tired of chasing leads?”
   • Outcome-based: “Fill your pipeline in 10 minutes a day”
3. Track what matters: clicks, time on page, replies, or conversions.
4. Pay attention to what message pulls people further into your world.

Example: A coaching firm tested three LinkedIn ads. The version using a real client quote—”I finally have weekends back”—doubled engagement. It felt genuine.

Start with small tests. Double down on what works.

Align With Your Core Positioning

Your most resonant message still needs to reinforce your brand. Use these guidelines to stay aligned:

• Prioritize long-term brand trust over short-term clicks. If you’re a premium service, avoid discount messaging—even if it gets more attention. If your edge is speed, don’t try to also sound luxurious.
• Make your message clarify what you stand for. Ask yourself: Why should someone choose you instead of a competitor?
• Use your core value proposition as a filter. If a message doesn’t reinforce it, don’t use it—no matter how catchy it sounds.
• Stay consistent across campaigns. Resonant messages build trust when they reinforce your unique position over time.

A SaaS client we worked with kept trying new angles to increase trial signups. But their strongest growth came after they focused on one position: “The only project tool built for engineers.” It wasn’t broad. It was precise—and repeatable.

Get Internal Buy-In Before You Launch

Even a brilliant message can stall if your team doesn’t align around it.

Here’s how to get internal support:

• Preview the strategy – Share early drafts with leadership and key stakeholders.
• Explain the rationale – Show how the message connects to pain points, data, or language from real customers.
• Show alternatives – Present 2–3 angles side-by-side to clarify your recommendation.
• Test with the team – If possible, test the message with sales or customer support teams before it goes public.

Getting buy-in isn’t about pleasing everyone. It’s about making sure your message doesn’t get blocked after launch.

Avoid Common Messaging Traps

Many businesses make the same few mistakes with messaging. Here’s what to avoid:

1. Talking like an insider: Avoid jargon, buzzwords, and internal language. Your audience doesn’t care about your process—they care about their result.
2. Confusing benefits with features: Features describe what it is. Benefits describe how life gets better. Don’t just say “24/7 access”—say “Help when you need it, even at 2am.”
3. Playing it safe: Generic messages feel safe, but they don’t stand out. A little boldness goes a long way—as long as it’s true to your brand.

Resonance comes from clarity, empathy, and courage. You can’t copy it. You have to earn it.

What a Resonant Message Looks Like

Here’s a before-and-after example to show how this process comes together.

Client: Mid-sized HR software company
Problem: Their homepage headline wasn’t converting visitors into demo requests.

Original Message:

“Smarter tools for HR managers.”

Why it didn’t work:

• Vague and generic
• No emotion or urgency
• Didn’t speak to a real pain

Updated Message:

“Stop losing great candidates to broken processes.”

Why this resonated:

• Named a high-stakes pain HR managers already felt
• Used language customers actually say
• Created urgency without hype

Outcome:
This single change—no layout or design overhaul—boosted demo requests by 28% in six weeks.

Lesson: A resonant message is specific, emotional, and rooted in the customer’s experience. It speaks to what matters now—and invites them to act.

Refine Messages Based on Real Results

Once your message is live, keep watching how it performs. Messaging is not a set-it-and-forget-it task.

Think of this as short-term feedback and optimization:

Track these indicators:

• Are open rates, CTRs, or signups improving?
• Are customers referencing the message in calls or emails?
• Is sales closing faster or with less explanation?

Also watch for these warning signs:

• Repeated confusion or questions about your offer
• Drop-off on key pages or after clicks
• A spike in low-fit leads or irrelevant inquiries

If the message isn’t landing, don’t just rewrite it—revisit your audience, language, or positioning. And test again.

Small, intentional tweaks based on live feedback lead to real gains.

Build a Repeatable Messaging Process

Refining a message is only part of the work. To scale what works, you need a system.

Here’s how to document and reuse what you’ve learned:

• Capture what each audience segment values most.
• List the top 3 pain points and 3 desired outcomes per segment.
• Store examples of high-performing language from tests.
• Create a shared doc or message library for your team.
• Revisit and refresh your best messages quarterly.

This process builds consistency without stagnation. It keeps your messaging grounded in what’s working—and what your audience cares about most.

Keep Messages Aligned Across Channels

When you’re speaking to multiple audiences or running multichannel campaigns, it’s easy for messaging to drift—or contradict itself.

Here’s how to stay aligned without sounding repetitive:

• Anchor every message in your positioning: No matter the channel, the core idea should reinforce your unique value.
• Tailor the tone, not the truth: A message on LinkedIn may be more professional than one in a retargeting ad—but both should point to the same core promise.
• Use a message matrix: Create a table that outlines:
  • Each audience segment
  • Their key pain points
  • The angle and message variation for each channel

This structure keeps you nimble while preventing confusion—and helps your team stay coordinated.

Message Checklist for Your Next Campaign

Use this checklist before you launch any new message:

• Is the message written for one clear audience?
• Does it speak to a real pain point or goal?
• Are you using the customer’s own language?
• Does it trigger a relatable emotion or scenario?
• Have you avoided insider terms or jargon?
• Does it align with your brand positioning?
• Have you tested or previewed it in a small way?

If the answer is yes to all seven, you’re likely working with a message that can cut through the noise—and actually matter.

Because when you resonate, you don’t just get attention. You get trust. And trust is what drives growth.

Conclusion

Resonance isn’t luck. It’s the result of clear thinking, real empathy, and disciplined execution.

You don’t need to be a poetic writer or brand guru to craft messages that work. You just need to deeply understand your audience, speak in their words, and stay grounded in what they care about most.

Use this process not just to market—but to build trust.

When your message truly resonates, growth becomes a byproduct.

Not sure if you're the bottleneck? Find out in 2 minutes →