Every great story begins with a problem. Not a setting, not a vibe, not even a great character. None of these really matter unless there’s a problem that shakes up somebody’s world. Problem is another word for pain; and pain is the most important ingredient in fiction.
Pain Starts the Plot
Fiction writers call the moment the character’s life gets disrupted the inciting incident. Maybe the house burns down. Maybe somebody dies. Maybe they realize they’ve been living a lie. Maybe they realize their spouse has been living a lie. Whatever it is, it hurts and hurts bad. That hurt launches the plot.
Without pain, there is no story. A character waking up and making eggs is not a story. But if the eggs are the the last thing the character owns because he just got canned, that’s better. Even better if the character is cooking his eggs and a bad guy crashes through the window intent on murdering the can and stealing his eggs! Now we’re talking.
Pain gives the protagonist a new purpose. Pain forces the character to make a choice, to take action, to change. No pain, no change. No change, no arc. No arc…no story.
Marketing Follows the Same Rules
You’ve heard the saying that people don’t buy features, they buy benefits. It’s true only if those benefits offer a path out of pain.
The consumer’s pain may not always be as dramatic as the fictional character’s pain. But there’s still a gap between where they are and where they want to be. That gap is or includes their pain.
Good marketers shine a light on that pain. They don’t do it to exploit it, but to empathize with it and make a promise: You don’t have to stay here.
From Pain to Promise
Whether the brand promises clearer skin, less stress, more confidence, or something else, it’s offering a pathway out of pain.
What does this exploration of fiction plots and consumer pain points tell us? Simply this:
Don’t start with the solution.
Whether you’re writing a landing page, a sales letter, or a brochure, don’t lead with your brilliant product. Consumers don’t care how wonderful your widget is unless it fixes their problem.
Instead, start with pain. Find it. Name it. Understand it. Show it. That’s how you earn attention. That’s how you earn trust. Because when you can articulate someone’s problem better than they can, they will assume that you understand how to solve it. If your company has done the job correctly, they’re right.
Start with the wound. Then give us a reason to believe it can be healed. It works because human beings, like characters, are wired to move away from pain. In fiction, the journey gives us catharsis. In marketing, the journey gives us transformation.
