Sponsored by PAINKILLER

Find the ouchy pains that drive sales—in under 3 minutes

​People buy painkillers. If you don’t understand the painful problems your target buyers will pay to solve, you’re screwed.

I (Katelyn here 👋) built an AI-powered bot to help you better understand buyers by uncovering the deeper, "ouchier" pains they’re struggling with. It's $0.

​​→ Get your FREE Ouchy Pain Finder bot

Imagine this…

You’re a solopreneur and busy parent to 2 toddlers. And you haven’t slept well at all this week.

So it goes without saying that you’re exhausted and more than a little cranky.

You’ve heard your friends rave about a new drink for weeks—about how it gives them so much extra energy.

So you snatched it up during your trip to the grocery store yesterday.

As 1 of your toddlers hops on the couch and yells he’s Superman, you decide to bite the bullet and try the new drink—even though it’s only 9 a.m.

You open it and immediately get a whiff of coffee, so you assume it’s loaded with as much caffeine as an espresso.

(It tastes like it, too.)

By noon, you’ve already done 2 loads of laundry, written a solid draft for a new project, and feel a little like Superman yourself.

Curious about what magic amount of caffeine was swimming in that drink, you pick it up and read the ingredients.

Then you see “caffeine-free” printed on the bottom of the can.

“What the…” you think.

What *really* made you feel more energized?

In today’s edition of Why We Buy 🧠 we’ll explore the Placebo Effect—why our expectations alone can make a product more effective.

Let’s get into it.

🧠 The Psychology of the Placebo Effect

The Placebo Effect is rooted in medicine.

In 1799, physician John Haygarth heard another physician claim to cure disease with “tractors” (no, not heavy machinery—just metal rods brushed over the body).

That was…suspicious, to say the least.

So Haygarth created replicas of these rods with 1 twist: They were made of wood. (AKA they definitely weren’t doing sh*t.)

The result? 4 outta 5 patients still claimed their pain levels decreased.

This means the perception of a “treatment” could lead to real results.

During World War II, it’s said that anesthesiologist Henry Beecher told wounded soldiers he was administering morphine. Instead, due to a morphine shortage, he gave them saline.

And many still experienced pain relief.

Beecher later advocated for using randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to account for the Placebo Effect.

This has since become the gold standard in research.

The human brain is more powerful than most realize.

For marketers like you, this means a simple belief held by your customers can increase your product’s perceived quality, value, *and* effectiveness.

But we’ve got 1 word of caution: never, ever create a belief if you can’t deliver on it.
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🤑 How to Apply This

Alright, so how can you apply this right now to sell more?

Apps​
​Offer a risk-free trial period

When a user can click “Cancel” without a single cent coming out of their bank account, it’s clear the company is putting its money where its mouth is.

This strengthens users’ belief in the product—and the results it claims to bring—before they’ve even committed.

Headspace uses a free trial to get new users to experience the effects of meditation instantly.

By experiencing the benefits of meditation without that initial financial roadblock, they’re more likely to commit when their free trial runs out.

Bonus points: Headspace incentivizes users to lock in an annual subscription by giving an extra 7 days free AND uses price anchoring to show they’ll also get the best deal by doing so, which boosts overall satisfaction.

They also alleviate the pain of paying by getting users to pay upfront.

Smart, huh?

Ads​
​Emphasize your product’s differentiator

Higher prices or even limited quantities can boost a product’s perceived value and positively influence buyers’ expectations.

But there’s more you can do.

Emphasizing the product’s unique “special” feature—AKA differentiator—can increase its perceived effectiveness and drive more sales.

Apple does this masterfully by running ad campaigns that clearly outline the unique benefit(s) customers can expect from an iPhone (psst…they use painkiller messaging to deliver these benefits).

This plants the belief in buyers’ minds that Apple understands their needs and will deliver on these promises, so they’re more likely to buy.

Sales emails​
​Give buyers a “pep talk”

Today is the final day to grab 2 special launch bonuses (worth $239+) when you join PAINKILLER. But that’s not the point.

1 of the final sales email was strategically crafted to be a “pep talk.”

This is an email that helps buyers overcome limiting beliefs that are holding them back while helping them form the new belief that success is possible with PAINKILLER.

Not only will this “pep talk” likely compel more on-the-fence-buyers to buy, but more importantly, the belief that success is within reach will likely help them achieve the results they want.
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💥 The Short of It

Getting your customers to believe success is possible is just 1 part of the buyer’s journey.

You’ve also gotta deliver on your promise if you want more repeat customers—and glowing social proof to attract new customers.

It’s kinda like…a growth flywheel. 😉

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Until next time, happy selling!