Don’t Be Like Peppa Pig
Why Your Copy Is Falling Flat
Conversion rate gotcha down? Let me tell you who not to model your marketing after:
A cartoon pig who laughs at mud.
When my youngest was 2 she was obsessed with Peppa Pig. Me? Not so much.
If you’ve never had the pleasure, the show features a British family of pigs that splash in muddy puddles, fall down on the ground laughing, and…well, that’s about it.
There’s no conflict. Timmy doesn’t fall down the well. A blue monster doesn’t struggle with self-control. A tiger doesn’t sing about separation anxiety. The whole show is a gentle stroll through Vanilla Town with a tidy laugh at the end.
Now, here’s the hard truth: Your copy might be doing the same thing.
If you’re not tapping into your customers core problems, you’ve lost them before I finish this sentence.
This is easy to say, harder to execute. Essentially you have to answer the question, “Why should I care?” BEFORE you attempt anything else in your marketing.
Don’t describe your 3-step process or make a great offer (50% off until midnight!!) unless you’ve hooked their attention with a problem they are actively trying to solve.
For those of you who sell luxury goods, cat sweaters, or other non-essentials…a problem can be an unmet desire. The point is to stir a strong emotional response.
The Rule: No Problem, No Business
Business Planning 101 tells you your offer has to solve a problem. Cool. But if your copy only scratches the surface—“I sell X to people who need Y”—you’re missing the point.
Let’s say you run a restaurant. The “problem” is obvious: people are hungry and don’t want to cook. But I doubt you’ll win many hearts with a tagline like:
“You’re hungry. We have food.”
Every restaurant on Earth offers “the best” food and a “unique” vibe. That’s not what sets you apart. What does? Digging deeper into what your customer is actually wrestling with.
Maybe you’re easing the guilt busy parents feel about not having time to cook healthy meals, or rescuing a stressed-out partner from the pressure of planning the perfect anniversary evening.
Your copy should take people beyond the obvious (great food and atmosphere) by making them feel an emotional connection to you or your brand.
When someone feels seen and heard, you earn their attention AND build trust at the same time.
And who doesn’t like a two-for-one special?
Enter: The Three-Layer Problem
The trick to doing this successfully is to speak to all three layers of a problem:
Physical – The external need (e.g. a quick, healthy meal)
Emotional – The feelings under the surface (e.g. parental guilt, decision fatigue)
Philosophical – The unmet core belief (e.g. “It shouldn’t be this hard to feed my family well.”)
When you tap into all three, your customer stops seeing you as another option… and starts seeing you as the answer they’ve been waiting for.
Why Brands Avoid the Problem (and Why That’s a Mistake)
A lot of my clients resist talking about problems in their messaging. It feels “negative” or “too pushy.”
I’ll admit, if it’s not done correctly it can quickly swerve into “infomercial territory.” But you have to remember:
You’re not creating pain. You’re naming it.
And then you’re guiding people out of it.
Humans are natural problem-solvers. When you call out a problem they already have, and then hand them a clear, no-B.S. solution? You’re not being salesy. You’re being helpful.
And helpfulness is a great first step to converting.
Make Your Copy a Page-Turner, Not a Nap
Pull up your website, emails, lead magnets, sales pages. Scan every line.
Are you describing your customers’ pain in vivid detail? Is your reader a little wide-eyed, wondering exactly how you got inside their head?
Or are you Peppa Pigging your way through with vague language, cutesy puns, and jargon nonsense?
