Stages of awareness

A demo pitch sent to a person who has never named their problem is ignored. A lecture on the problem sent to a person already comparing vendors feels patronising. Either way the message and the budget behind it are wasted. Matching the message to the stage is often the cheapest way to improve replies and conversions without changing the product.

• Sort existing ads, emails and pages by the stage they actually address, not the stage they were meant to address.
• Look for the gap. Most teams have plenty for people who already know the product and almost nothing for people who have not named the problem.
• Use broad, educational channels for the early stages and direct, targeted ones for the late stages.
• Write each landing page or email for one stage, matched to the list or ad that sends people there.
• When a channel's conversion rate drops, check for a stage mismatch before blaming the creative.

Copywriter Eugene Schwartz described five stages in his 1966 book Breakthrough Advertising. A buyer is unaware that a problem exists. Then the buyer is problem aware, solution aware, product aware and finally most aware, meaning ready to buy and waiting for a good reason or price.

Each stage needs a different message. Someone who has not yet named the problem needs a story or a fact that makes it visible. Someone comparing vendors needs proof and a clear difference. Someone who is most aware needs an offer and an easy next step.

• Writing for the stage you wish the buyer was in. Most copy assumes the reader already knows the product. Check who actually clicks and write for them.
• One message for the whole list. A single email to a mixed audience fits nobody. Split by stage where you can, even if only into early and late.
• Treating the stages as a funnel to push through. Buyers do not move one stage per email. Some arrive already product aware. Meet them where they are.
• Pitching features to the unaware. A reader who has not named the problem does not care how your product works. Make the problem visible first.
• Lecturing the most aware. Someone ready to buy needs the price, proof and a clear next step, not another explanation of the problem.