Last Tuesday, I spent 7 hours sitting, slumping and seething at Gate 30 in the Los Angeles airport. My flight to New York had been delayed 5 hours, and there was nothing to do but wait. In the grand scheme of things, this delay was a piddling annoyance. A common side effect of choosing to travel by plane.
But not for me. I was bone-tired, emotionally spent, on edge and so incredibly desperate to be home after a long, hard week that this delay hit me like a death in the family. I sat on the floor of the terminal, near a trash can (it was the most private place I could find) and cried openly before I could tuck my frayed emotions back inside and pretend to be a grown up.
The JetBlue folks were kind and apologetic. They even gave everyone on my flight a $75 credit towards future flights (let’s go to Disney World!), and they offered us bottled water and little bags of Famous Amos cookies.
But much later, once I was finally home (at 3:00 am the next day), I realized there was one thing JetBlue had failed to provide. Something that would have made a huge difference to me and, possibly, everyone else on my delayed flight.
And that thing was empathy. A little tiny touch of human understanding.
What if, as we were all waiting (and waiting and waiting and waiting), someone on the JetBlue crew had grabbed that muffled microphone at the departure gate and said, “We’re so sorry you have to wait like this. We know you’re eager to get to where you’re going and it must be frustrating to have to sit here in this crowded terminal. So, we want to do whatever we can to make you as comfortable as possible while we wait here with you”? I can’t swear to it, but I’m pretty sure my experience and that of my fellow travelers would have been transformed from one of aggravation, impatience and frustration to one of surrender, acceptance and perhaps even amusement. “Ah, c’est la vie. Now, where can I get a People magazine and some peanut M&Ms?”
What does any of this have to do with writing creative copy that connects with your clients?
A whole hell of a lot.
Because when you infuse your copy and communications with genuine empathy, when you tell your clients that you understand and you care about what they are going through, your words can melt into their hearts and open their minds to your message. They can let go, lean in, and begin to trust what you’re telling them.
When you let your clients know you understand, they can let go of their resistance and open up to your message.
(Tweet it, baby!)
So, how can you infuse your copy with the kind of empathy that will allow your clients and prospects to feel seen, heard and understood by you, and, consequently, trust you and your message?
One way is with what I call the 2-part Empathy Transition. Actually, I’ve never called it that, but now I will. Because the best time to use this expression of empathy is when you transition from talking about what your client is experiencing (fatigue, frustration, fear, worry, pain, discouragement) to how you can help them transform that experience into the one they crave.
The 2-Part Empathy Transition
The first part of this transition is a simple statement of understanding. Like:
- “I get it.”
- “ I understand.”
- “I know exactly how you feel.”
- “Man, that sucks!”
A popular one that you see all over the Internet is “You’re not alone.” But don’t use that. It’s soooo overdone.
The second part communicates why or how you understand:
- “I’ve been in that same situation myself. Just 2 years ago…”
- “When I was ________________, I, too, felt __________________”
- “Just last week, the same thing happened to me when ________________. And it make me so ____________”
Here’s an example of a complete transition:
“Hey, I get it. I know how painful it can be to have so much passion for your business yet you can’t seem to find the right words to express what it is you do… and why it matters. It’s as if you have this big, thick wall between what your heart wants to say and your mind’s ability to get it out into words. I felt the exact same way just 5 years ago. I was trying to write the home page for my new website, and…”
Get the idea?
This transition is a simple paragraph that expresses your empathy and personal understanding of what your client is going through before you lead them to a solution, an answer, an invitation, or your own compelling story of how you transformed the same situation.
One important point:
Your expression of empathy has to be genuine. You have to mean it. Otherwise, it’s a cheap trick, a slimy manipulation. And I know you’re not into any of that.
Can you think of other ways to express your genuine empathy for what your clients are experiencing?
Or how has someone’s expression of empathy touched you?
Share your ideas, experiences and insights in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you have to say.