The “Feel, Felt, Found” Method: The Key to Creating Relatable Content
Content that sells is good. But you know what’s even better? Content that connects. Content that resonates with your audience and makes them feel seen, heard, and understood. That’s where the “feel, felt, found” method comes in.
Sounds like a fancy term, doesn’t it? But the gist of this concept in psychology, when applied to marketing, leads to relatable content – something that every brand craves!
In essence, this method is all about letting the traditional idea of “hardselling” take the back seat and focus instead on fostering meaningful connections. Sounds like a dependable long-term strategy for your brand, right? So let’s delve a little deeper – to understand the “feel, felt, found” method and its application in marketing. Along with some tips and tricks on how to adopt this approach to elevate your existing marketing strategy.
Breaking Down the “Feel, Felt, Found” Method
The truth is, you’ve probably used this 3-step formula for growth in your marketing strategy even without realizing it. It’s a 3-part communication framework that helps you build strong, long-term relationships with your customers by demonstrating genuine understanding.
Let’s break it down:
- The “feel” component is about showing your customers that you “feel” their feelings, their pain points, and emotions. In other words, you are telling your customers, “I see you, I understand you”. You achieve this by focusing on them, their experience, and by communicating in a language they understand.
- The “felt” component is about assuring your customers that they are not alone and that others have “felt” that way too! So you build on the communication you established earlier and validate their emotions. You build a foundation of understanding that brings them closer to your brand by leveraging social proof and connecting through actual customer stories.
- Finally, the “found” component is about subtly introducing your brand’s offerings as a solution that customers in a similar position “found” to be useful. Not a direct sales pitch but rather a subtle way of introducing what others who “felt” the same way as your customers “found” to bring a positive outcome. So you slowly move from the problem identification to the solution stage rather than appearing too pushy.
As you can see, the “feel, felt, found” approach to marketing focuses on the outcomes, the value you create, the problems you solve, rather than just selling your product or focusing on the monetary aspects. Therefore, this approach focuses on keeping the messaging straightforward and using relatable content to connect, convert, and build lasting loyalty.
What Makes “Feel, Felt, Found” So Powerful in Marketing?
There are so many marketing tactics and methodologies for marketers to be aware of and implement. Amidst this, why is “feel, felt, found” an important approach? It focuses on one thing that a brand cannot go wrong with – relatable content and human connection. Let’s talk about a few key benefits of understanding and adopting this approach.
Relatable content humanizes your brand
Do you want your brand to be seen as a friend or just as another faceless name in a crowded segment? If it’s the former, then you should take humanization of your brand seriously. And empathetic approaches like deploying the “feel, felt, found” method help with that.
When you empathize with your customer’s struggles and build a story on shared struggles and provide them with an answer or resolution, you show that there is a human behind the logo and the name, which otherwise appear formidable.
Customers trust brands that understand them
People connect with empathetic people. People trust empathetic people. They trust empathetic brands. Because trust is built on strong emotional connections, which happen when you show your customers that you hear them and want to help tackle their pain points.
When you validate their struggles, they are more likely to trust the solution you provide them with. When they see that you have helped people with similar problems in the past, it builds trust and opens a door to conversion.
Loyalty is built on trust
Once you have proven to your customers that you understand them and have thus earned their trust, you are on the way to building something that is hard to earn: loyalty! So, with the right use of the “feel, found, felt” method and the integration of relatable content, you are not just turning your leads into one-time buyers but creating lifelong fans.
Ideas to Employ the “Feel, Felt, Found” Framework in Modern Marketing
Having explored the benefits of the “feel, felt, found” method, it’s now time to discuss the execution part. But remember, this method has long been a go-to tool in the world of sales. It was originally used to handle objections during client conversations and to effectively close sales. However, in such instances, the goal is often binary – you either seal the deal or lose it.
On the other hand, in marketing, the objectives are more layered. You’re not always trying to seal the deal, at least not on the spot. Instead, you might be working toward:
- Creating an emotional connection with the audience
- Building brand awareness
- Nurturing long-term trust
- Boosting brand loyalty
- Educating the audience
- Inviting feedback and engagement
That’s why applying the “feel, felt, found” framework in modern marketing isn’t about rigid scripting but rather about using its core components, the crux of the idea to make your content and your message more relatable. In several cases, you might only use two of the three components of this method.
For instance, when you are planning a campaign that builds brand awareness, it’s essential to show that you understand your audience’s challenges and assure them that they are not alone. You don’t necessarily rush to provide them with the solution. In other words, you use the “feel” and “felt” components and reserve the “found” component for later.
With that established, let’s now talk about a few practical and actionable strategies for brands to adopt.
Use sympathy to start conversations on social media (feel)
People do use social media to discover products and brands, no doubt! However, social media is a space best suited for conversations rather than conversions. Combining this idea and applying the “feel, felt, found” framework, create posts that tap into shared emotions. Emotions your customers might not always articulate out loud, but relate to when they see them.
This can be through
- Leadership posts on LinkedIn and X
- Captions used on Instagram
- Story polls
- Carousels that start with the problem statement
Mostly, it is about building on the “feel” and “felt” components. For instance, in the post here, the popular meditation app, Headspace, connects with the audience by acknowledging their emotions. By verbalizing what they “feel”.
Leverage customer stories to reflect shared experiences (felt)
Social proof in the form of customer testimonials, real stories, and reviews makes your brand relatable. Visual channels like social media can become a great space for brands to leverage this idea and establish connections with new leads by tapping into the “felt” component. An emotion-driven, authentic story of a customer helps potential leads feel like they belong in your audience.
So, to adopt this dimension of the “feel, felt, found” method on social media and other digital channels, feature:
- UGC posts
- Share short, authentic video stories shared by customers on your Feed or Stories
- Use lifestyle photos with emotionally resonant copy
- Create and share testimonial videos
- Acknowledge and respond to reviews shared on various platforms
- Give shoutouts and encourage more customer reviews
The below Airbnb post nails the empathy part and relates to pet parents looking for convenient accommodation options during their travel.
Use educational content and create value before the pitch (found)
We spoke about the various layers in marketing, layers where customers might not yet be ready to convert. But when you tap into the “found” component of the “feel, felt, found” framework and leverage educational content and content that creates value, they might be willing to come back for more. Better yet, they might start looking up to your brand for answers.
Educational content helps your audience gain new insights and find answers to questions that have been puzzling them. This approach works through formats like:
- Informative blog posts
- Engaging social media carousels.
- Visually immersive data-focused infographics
- Whitepapers
- Webinars
- Workshops
A notable detail here is that this approach of creating value and focusing on the “found” element is suitable for B2B marketing.
For instance, the post here from Hootsuite, a popular social media management platform, attracts attention with an informative visual that then directs customers to a blog. It shares immediate value; it teaches without promoting.
Tackle doubts with case studies (felt + found)
The crux of the “feel, felt, found” method can be handy when it comes to converting skeptics into customers. Because the audience doesn’t just want to see your products. They want to see how others in a position similar to theirs “found” your product to be beneficial.
Engaging case studies highlighting the problem or challenge at hand and how your brand solved that challenge can be valuable tools highlighting the “felt” and “found” elements of this framework.
Well-drafted case studies resonate with customers’ hesitation and showcase real transformation through actual numbers and results. Therefore, it presents your product/service as the most logical next step and not a risk.
Case studies meant to focus on relatability can be in the form of:
- Articles on your website
- Downloadable ebooks
- Short videos highlighting the gist of the project
- Long-form videos that get behind the scenes
- Carousels presenting the before and after
- Newsletters with a good balance of text and visuals to present the story
For instance, the Google Ads post here highlights how Rare Beauty “found” YouTube to be an effective tool to enhance their search strategy and boost their ROAS by 7 times.
Short and attention-grabbing case studies like these help eliminate skepticism and assist customers in making informed decisions.
Getting Started With the “Feel, Felt, Found” Approach
With the benefits sorted and some ideas discussed, let’s now understand the steps involved in bringing the “relatability” element into your marketing strategy. In other words, how do you get started with the “feel, felt, found” approach to enhance your existing strategy?
Understand your audience
We’re not talking about scratching the surface – dig deeper. Not the basic demographics like age, gender, and location, but their likes, dislikes, challenges, pain points, and preferences. But how can you understand this? Invest in quality social listening tools to listen to the conversations that do not directly tag your brand, but the topics relevant to you.
Another way to do this is to read through customer reviews – both for your own brand and your competitors. This will help you understand some rarely discussed pain points and gaps you can overcome. In short, make it a point to hang out where your target customers hang out – Facebook Groups, Reddit forums – you know the drill!
Craft your narrative
Now that you have tapped into how your audience feels, it’s time to translate these emotions into compelling content.
Start with the “feel” and acknowledge customer frustrations; this helps you understand where you fit into the narrative. Then bring in the “felt” element to help your customers understand that they’re not alone. Reiterating this through relatable stories and data helps. Finally, your narrative should reflect the outcome – the solution you propose and how others “found” this to be a practical move.
Depending on the types of leads you are targeting and on which stage of the buyer’s journey they are in, identify what elements of this narrative to highlight. As we mentioned earlier, you might not have to stress all three elements in every single campaign.
Let your designs carry the emotion, too!
Remember that when crafting relatable content, visuals are not add-ons. They are not just good-to-have aesthetic elements. Visuals are the hero elements that make or break your message. Therefore, even with a clear understanding of your audience and the best narrative, you miss the mark when you do not have visuals that carry your message forward.
So, how can you make your designs aligned with the “feel, felt, found” approach? In other words, how do you make your visuals appear relevant to your message and relatable?
- Minimize the use of clichéd stock photos. Instead, opt for relevant visuals.
- Feature real people and real emotions. To do this better, clearly define the ideal customer persona.
- Choose colors and fonts that complement the message and resonate with the vibe rather than confuse your audience.
- Leave room for engagement. Ensure that your design does not cram too much information or too many details that overwhelm your audience.
- Use icons and micro-animations for subtle reveals and consistent engagement.
- Most importantly, identify the right format for the message and the story. While carousels work well in some cases, videos might be indispensable in others. Know what works.
In the video here shared by Canva, the “feel, felt, found” components seamlessly come together. From the straightforward caption that grabs attention to the video demonstrating the change, everything is on point. Moreover, the simple step of including screenshots of customer requests demonstrates that this is something that many customers wanted and that Canva paid attention to them! Similarly, include raw and authentic customer-driven content for maximum impact.
Time to Make Relatability Your Secret Weapon!
With the ever-growing competition to tackle, dwindling attention spans, traditional hard-selling tactics do not work any longer. The key is to connect with your customers without frustrating them or pushing them too much. Relatability is what helps. And the “feel, felt, found” approach gives direction. With these factors driving the emotional depth of your content, you need designs that bring them to life. Designs that make your message clearer, more impactful, and memorable. But given the ever-expanding design requirements, you need a dependable long-term solution to tackle your marketing designs. That’s where an unlimited design service like KIMP comes in.
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