Writing Content That Connects Emotionally With Readers

The more you inject empathy into your content, the better the results. Here's proof... 👇 AI is an incredible tool for content creation, but the secret sauce to truly stand-out messaging? Empathy and humanity. When you approach ChatGPT (or any AI tool) with empathy, you get more personalized, impactful, and human-centered content. Here’s why: 🧠 Understanding your audience’s feelings: Empathy helps you ask the right questions, resulting in content that resonates on a deeper emotional level. 🧠 Creating more relevant responses: You’re not just answering questions—you’re speaking to your audience’s lived experiences and values. 🧠 Improving tone and engagement: Content infused with empathy feels more conversational and less robotic, fostering trust and connection. Let me show you how this plays out in action: Before: ➡️ "Our nonprofit helps communities access better healthcare services. Donate today to support our mission." After applying empathy: ➡️ "Imagine not being able to access the healthcare you need. You’re scared, unsure what the future holds. That’s the reality for many communities we serve. But with your support, we can change that. Every donation brings us one step closer to ensuring no one is left behind when it comes to their health." Notice the difference? The second example connects with the reader’s emotions, creating a sense of urgency and responsibility. It's specific, and it invites the reader into a situation that makes them feel uncomfortable. This discomfort motivates them to solve (or prevent) a problem. As social impact leaders, when we build content rooted in empathy, we unlock more effective ways to connect with our audiences on a deeper level. If you're looking to build trust, authority, and credibility in your thought leadership, start by infusing empathy into every interaction.

✍ ❤️ How to build human connection and authenticity in your writing (even when content’s thin on the ground) Have you ever read a fundraising letter that feels... canned... same-same? Technically, the pieces are there. But something’s missing. Odds are, it’s Authenticity. In other words: Those fleshy details that breathe life into your nonprofit stories and fundraising appeals – and make them remarkably effective at sparking generosity and connection. But how do you build Authenticity when the content you have is... shall we say... less than perfect? Here are 3 tips I hope will help you [for more, see link at end of post]: 💌 Put yourself in the scene: --> Ask for audio and/or video recordings to accompany any interview transcripts. Then listen/watch for intonation, expressions, and even pauses, to capture in your writing. --> Study photos: are you witnessing a tender moment? What season is it? How does the light fall on your subject’s face? Does courage shine through? Look deeper: do you see scars, smiles, love, fatigue, fear? Use all your senses to build that world for your reader. 💌 Tap your own emotions and experiences: --> Ask yourself: ‘Is there an emotion or an experience I can draw from to walk a mile in my beneficiary’s shoes... to hope their hopes, and dream their dreams?’ Just that bit of extra time to search your own emotions and experiences can build a bridge for your supporter to cross into your story, and make a massive difference. [Important: if triggering, use the other tips here and in the link below. Emotions are tough territory.] 💌 Look for little loves: In all the background content I receive, I’m scanning for little loves. You’ll know little loves when you see them -- instantly you view your story in a new light: A girl who made her own doll out of sticks and found scraps of cloth, to replace the one she lost with her home... or a world-class surgeon who visits the floor where patients take their first steps in recovery, every evening before going home, for example.  Note: To find little loves, you can also ask fleshier questions: - Ask about companion animals, breeds, and names - Ask about favorite colors, dreams, best days, tough moments, memorable times - Ask if there's one thing your interviewee could tell supporters, what would it be? - Ask about personality traits, heroes and mentors, favorite quotes The point is, real is rare. And even when you don't have a ton of detail to work with, you can look for even the tiniest gem to help you bring out as much of that humanity and authenticity in your writing as you possibly can. === Find more authenticity builders in the last issue of my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/edxWvVNn And for more on effective fundraising writing, and nonprofit storytelling, I send new stuff every two weeks if you’re on the list 😊 lisasargent.com/newsletter

Being rational with your advertising is killing your brand. Here’s how the top 5% of marketers use emotion to triple their results. First, here's the uncomfortable truth about modern marketing: Your audience only considers 2-3 brands when making a purchase. Getting your brand into that 2-3 isn't about shouting about features or dropping prices. The data is clear from this report from Tracksuit: ➝ Emotional campaigns double profit growth vs rational ads ➝ Brands with emotional connections maintain premium pricing ➝ Emotional content gets 27% more organic sharing So what does this mean for you? ➝ Stop chasing immediate buyers with your marketing (they're only 5% of your market) ➝ Build an emotional connection through personal brand/meaningful stories (drives 61% higher brand differentiation) ➝ Plant memory seeds in your customers minds (hint: emotions last longer than facts) The proof? Just ask Volvo Trucks. They ignored the obvious route of showcasing steering precision and technical specs. Instead, they filmed Jean-Claude Van Damme doing splits between two reversing trucks. The marketing team probably faced resistance: ➝ "But our audience is B2B" ➝ "Truckers don't care about fancy ads" ➝ "We need to talk about our product features" But their emotional gamble paid off spectacularly with: ➝ Zero media spend ➝ 100 million organic views ➝ 24% sales increase ➝ Cannes Grand Prix winner (not so marketing related, but a nice touch) Think about the last ad that made you feel something… Now think about the last ad that listed product features. Which one do you remember? That’s the choice your customers make every day. TLDR? Next time you make an ad ask yourself: "Will someone remember how this made them feel in 6 months?" If the answer is no, you're not building a brand. You're just making noise.

You know what’s killing brands right now? They’re boring. Straight up. If you’re not making people feel something, you’re just another product on the shelf. Here’s the thing: when Aaron Nosbisch launched BRĒZ, he could’ve gone the easy route—only focusing on the ingredients, calories, effect and margin. The things people think they care about. But that’s not how it works. You know what people actually connect with? That feeling of cracking open a can and saying, “This is exactly what I needed.” That’s the emotional hook we needed! But here’s where most brands mess up—they’re stuck in “rational robot” mode. Features, discounts, rinse, repeat. And then they wonder why nobody cares. Here’s the truth: in a crowded market, you need to make people care. You need to build emotional connection to foster positive associations in the mind of your consumers, ensuring your brand is one of the 2-3 in their consideration set when they’re ready to purchase. And the data? It’s on your side. Emotional campaigns are almost twice as likely to make people see your brand as unique (shoutout to this IPA data for backing us up). Tracksuit research also provides compelling evidence for the ‘emotion effect’ where emotional storytelling outperforms rational approaches across all platforms - from traditional media to digital channels. In fact, emotional ads will even make you more money, reducing price sensitivity by 40% compared to all other ads. People are willing to pay more for the brands that make them care. So if your brand’s been playing it safe, here’s your wake-up call: 1️⃣ Quit chasing quick sales like they’re the last donut at the office. Sure, you might get a sugar rush, but you’re setting yourself up for a crash. Think long-term by building brand equity through emotional connection so that when the 95% of your market that isn’t ready to buy now but will be in the future, will think of your brand first when they are. 2️⃣ Ditch the “look at my shiny product!” vibe. Your product isn’t the hero—your customer’s story is. At Brez, we leaned into the lifestyle, the vibe, the escape. That’s what keeps people coming back. 3️⃣ Go all in on connection. Tell stories, build community, be freaking human. People don’t want to buy from brands—they want to buy into them. Told through the lens of the seven “deadly sins” of emotionless advertising, Tracksuits team recent report breaks down how you can harness emotion to fuel brand growth, with plenty of data-backed examples. Check it out here >> https://hubs.li/Q02ZhhSL0