In the first article of this series, I introduced the importance of the Headline—the key to grabbing your audience’s attention.

Now that you’ve motivated your ideal prospect to venture beyond the headline and explore your content further, the engagement needs to continue.

One of the biggest mistakes in copywriting is assuming that one version of your content will suit everyone. In reality, one size never fits all—and understanding how to tailor your content is critical for driving conversions.

In most cases, people buy what they want. Sometimes, what they want is also what they need, but that’s not always the case. Smart marketers understand that the best way to increase sales performance is to sell what your audience needs—wrapped in what they want.

However, this is only part of the equation. To maximise your success, your content must also be tailored to the specific mindset and motivation of different audience segments.
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Even if you craft the perfect headline, if you only create one version of your content for all potential customers, you will limit your engagement.

To maximise the number of people who read, listen, or watch your content, you must adjust it to align with your audience’s motivations and emotional states.

Before you create content, consider these two key factors:

1️⃣ The reader’s temperature—Are they cold, warm, or hot?

2️⃣ The reader’s objective—Are they escaping pain or pursuing pleasure?

Your market can be categorised based on their temperature (how aware they are of you and your solution) and their direction of travel (whether they are trying to solve a problem or achieve a goal).


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Cold Audience
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These are people who don’t know you or even fully understand their problem yet. They may be searching for a solution but haven’t identified what they need.

For example, I often speak with small businesses that invest in SEO or PPC, thinking they need more traffic—when in reality, their biggest challenge is poor content strategy and conversion processes.

How to engage them:
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- Educate them about their problem.
- Introduce yourself and build awareness.
- Focus on storytelling and thought leadership.

Warm Audience
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These are people who understand the problem and the solution but don’t know you yet. They need more trust before they feel comfortable making a purchase.

How to engage them:
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- Position yourself as the go-to expert.
- Highlight your unique value proposition.
- Build a relationship through content that nurtures trust.

Hot Audience
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These are people who know you and your solution—they may even be past customers. They already trust you, so they need content that encourages action.

How to engage them:
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- Be direct and personalised.
- Offer incentives for repeat business.
- Provide testimonials and case studies.

Every prospect is either escaping a pain or seeking a pleasure. This distinction should shape your content approach.

✔ Pain-driven content should emphasise problem-solving, urgency, and relief.
✔ Pleasure-driven content should focus on goals, aspirations, and positive transformation.

For example, a business owner struggling with low sales (escaping pain) needs reassurance that your content strategy can fix their issue. Meanwhile, an entrepreneur looking to scale their business (seeking pleasure) will be drawn to success stories and high-growth strategies.

By segmenting your content based on temperature and motivation, you can create highly effective, targeted messaging that resonates with your audience.

In the next episode, I’ll introduce the Hero-Guide Relationship—where your prospect is the hero, and you are the guide—and explain why this is essential for business success.

🚀 Don’t forget! You can pre-register now to receive the full eBook version of this series when it’s released. Just enter your email to get early access, follow this link...