All the feels
May 2020
This post was originally sent out as an email to my now-defunct mailing list. You can read all such posts here, if you like.
Been a minute since I sent an email. But I’ve been staying busy. Mostly staring at this thing:
It’s Robert Plutchik’s wheel of emotions, or the Feels Wheel as I like to call it.
I’ve learned that science knows more about, say, earthworm reproductive habits than human emotions. (The latter is just harder to study.)
The Feels Wheel is by no means an authoritative representation of all emotion, but it’s the best guide we’ve got.
So, what does that have to do with conversion? Everything.
Your product promises to deliver features and functionality, sure. More importantly, it promises to bring about a change in the customer, as illustrated in this brilliant image (courtesy of UserOnboard):
Taking it a step further, you’re not just selling the ability to throw fireballs. You’re selling the feeling of being able to throw fireballs. And relief from the way you feel (vulnerable? afraid?) when your only defense is to jump on monsters’ heads.
So to improve conversions, start with identifying the emotions your users have before and after they use your product. Find them on the Feels Wheel.
What unpleasant feel are people looking to get rid of when they seek out what you’re selling?