Desire-Based Marketing
Sell the destination, not the airplane bathroom — future-pace people into the transformation they crave.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 88%
Solomon distinguishes pain-point marketing from desire-based marketing. People in pain are often still in an analysis phase, unsure why they hurt or whether a solution exists, so speaking only to their pain forces you to poke it endlessly before they buy. The far easier buyer has already researched, tried things, and reached an 'enough is enough' moment. By future-pacing prospects into the existence they desire rather than validating their current pain, you attract people actually looking for transformation. The rule of thumb: keep talking about the outcome and the feeling, not the process to get there.
Origin
Solomon built this from coaching creators on selling offers, noticing that pain-focused messaging attracted people who wanted validation of their pain rather than a solution, and that ready-to-buy customers responded to desire and outcome instead.
Core principles
- 01Someone in pain is not necessarily ready to leave it; they may still be in analysis mode.
- 02The easiest buyer is one who has hit their 'enough is enough' moment.
- 03Pain-point marketing attracts people in pain; desire-based marketing attracts people seeking transformation.
- 04Future-pace the buyer into the desired existence rather than validating their current pain.
- 05Sell the outcome and the feeling, not the features or the how-to.
How to run it
- 1
Recognize the two buyer states
Separate the analysis-phase buyer still in pain and researching from the 'enough is enough' buyer who is done and wants a solution yesterday.
Pro tip The enough-is-enough buyer converts far faster and cheaper to reach.
- 2
Stop poking the pain
Acknowledge the pain briefly instead of repeatedly amplifying it, because amplifying pain lengthens the path to a buying decision.
Watch out Pure pain-point marketing attracts more people who are in pain but not ready to move.
- 3
Future-pace the desire
Paint a vivid picture of the desired existence on the other side of the transformation: 'you're in this pain now, but this is what's possible'.
Pro tip Sell the beach in Bali and the pina colada, not the airplane seat or bathroom.
- 4
Cut features and how-tos
Remove feature-lists and process explanations from your marketing and replace them with the outcome and the emotional payoff.
In the wild
Solomon imagines calling a travel agent to book a dream trip to Bali, only for the agent to describe what the airplane bathroom will look like. What the buyer wants is to hear how it feels to sit on the beach with a pina colada — the desire, not the features.
→ A memorable rule for shifting copy from process and features to desire and outcome.
A person Googles how to lose ten pounds, lands on a podcast, then an opt-in, then keto research, staying in an analysis loop. Marketing to that pain requires poking it repeatedly before they buy, whereas the buyer who has already exhausted research converts fast.
→ Illustrates why desire-based messaging pulls in ready buyers instead of endless researchers.
Common mistakes
Selling the features and the how-to
Describing what the buyer will get and the work involved bores or scares them; painting the desired outcome is what moves them to buy.
Over-indexing on pain-point marketing
Leading with pain attracts an audience that is in pain but stuck in analysis, lengthening the time to conversion.
Is it for you?
Best for
Coaches and creators selling a clear transformation who want faster, higher-intent conversions.
Not ideal for
Commodity products with no meaningful transformation or emotional desired outcome.
From the transcript
“I am a huge believer, and I coach people on getting away from pain point marketing... and more into desire-based marketing.”
“there's other kinds of buyers out there that they've already done the research... enough is enough, I need a solution and I need it yesterday”
“Tell me what I'm going to feel like when I'm sitting on the beaches of Bali... Sell me the dream. Sell me the desire. Sell…”
From the episode
Julie Solomon: How to Grow Your Personal Brand
Julie Solomon