With the millions of reels and TikTok videos being published daily, attention is the new currency and it costs a lot. As marketers, we still have a job to do and although tricky, that job can still be done if we cut through the clutter and find the angles that make our creative executions cut through and hit the mark.
The cheat code? Infusion of real emotions and personality into creative work.
Writing with real emotion answers the question of ‘why’.
Why should I pay attention? Why should I interact? Why should I reshare? Why should I want to buy it after watching the ad?
Why is the emotional soul of every piece and if you’re looking to create real connection with marketing, here’s how to do it.
1) Let Reality Be The Inspiration
Connection is relatability and relatability is connection. Instead of placing so much focus on hyper reality (although there’s a place for that, but not here), use their reality or a shared reality as your inspiration.
Fear, love, FOMO, desire, trust, frustration, peace, fulfilment and many others are relevant emotions people feel that can be leveraged as inspiration.
2) Find The Emotion Behind The Emotions
After successfully completing #1, don’t stop there, dive deeper into the emotion to find the why. Why does this person feel FOMO around a product or experience? Have they been wanting to be a part of it for so long? Does it represent a cherished memory? Do they want to keep up appearances? Or anything really.
It’s about understanding the stimulus and what drives it.
3) Spell Out The Tension
Highlighting the tension creates the Oh moment. The Oh moment is where they finally see themselves in the situation. The goal for this is further connection. See it as a hook that draws them into the world you’re creating.
4) Show Alternate Versions Of Them With Your Product, Brand or Service
After introducing the tension, you don’t want to keep them there for so long because tension puts them in a disempowered state creating uneasiness. Instead of just throwing in the benefits of your product or offering, introduce a version of them that has it all figured out because of your brand.
The FOMO, fear or anxiety that they experience is now in the past because of your brand.
5) CTAs Are Kinda Played Out, Consider CTOs
Call-to-action feels a little anticlimatic for a great emotional story that needs to drive conversion. It ruins the next story you’re going to tell. If this video ends with a call to buy, they’ll assume that your next piece would also be a buy piece and you wouldn’t want that.
Try call-to-outcomes for a change. If this was an IKEA ad, instead of saying something like visit the website, or buy now or something business inclined like 50% off, I’d say sleep better with X, or make your house feel more like a home with Y.
(Of course, there’s a place for call-to-action, but not here).
With the rise of AI, prompts and scientific modules, marketing needs to feel less technical and more personal. You can build the foundations with AI, but emotion makes it connect beyond the surface.
Every scroll is a chance to be ignored or to connect.
Let’s help you create content that cuts through, speaks truth, and drives real action.
Reach out at www.pulsemarketing.africa or @pulsemarketingng on Instagram.
