6. Why Should They Care?

You’re reading an excerpt of Great Founders Write, by Ben Putano, writer, entrepreneur, and book publisher. He’s the founder of Damn Gravity Media, a publishing house that inspires and educates tomorrow’s great founders. Purchase now for lifetime access to the book and on-demand video course.

Whether you’re writing a landing page or an investor memo, your reader will always ask themselves the same question: “Why should I care about this? Why should I spend my precious time on you?”

This question should look familiar—we asked the same one earlier in Sell With Storytelling. I’ve added it again because it’s so important. You’ve done the hard work of building massive empathy for your reader. Now it’s time to distill your insights into a single sentence.

For this question, let’s use a tried-and-true exercise to get to the heart of the matter: The 5 Whys.

Imagine you’re talking to Sandy. You write her an email about your new career coaching service for creative entrepreneurs.

Sandy responds: “Why should I care about that?” (1x)

Using your audience research—what you know about Sandy’s wants, needs, obstacles, and potential solutions—try to craft a single sentence answer to her question.

You: “My coaching service will help you make the leap from corporate life to full-time entrepreneur.”

Sandy: “Why should I care about that?” (2x)

Keep digging to find a deeper answer to the question. The goal is to go 5 Whys deep.

You: “To live the passionate, creative life you’ve always wanted.”

Sandy: “Why should I care about that?” (3x)

You: “So you can live a life of no regrets.”

Sandy: “Why should I care about that?” (4x)

You: “Because life is short. Live it to the absolute fullest.”

Sandy: “Why should I care about that?” (5x)

You: “So that you live a life that inspires others to live their best lives.”

There it is. Is it the perfect answer to Sandy’s question? You won’t know for sure until you get feedback from actual customers. But it’s a whole lot better than just “Become a full-time entrepreneur.”

Building empathy for your reader is hard work. That’s why it’s so worthwhile—few other founders are doing it. You can stand out from the crowd just by knowing your customers better than your competitors.

As Paul Graham said, “What the hell are you doing here? Go talk to your customers.”

And crash on their couch, if they’ll let you. It will be time well spent.

Free Tool #4 BONUS: Empathy Builder Template

Empathy for your customers and readers is crucial. Go to www.greatfounderswrite.com/bonus, enter your email, then click on “Empathy Builder” to get the free template. Use this framework to write copy for your landing pages, sales emails, paid ads, or content marketing.