Some Problem Language Teardowns

I find myself talking about problem language with members constantly these days, so, I figured I’d do another email on it. A bit of a continuation from last week’s. Although this one's a bit sassier, as we evaluate some messaging.

Changing from messaging like:

“We help you start a home garden that’ll have you eating fresh, safe, pesticide free veggies all summer 🍅” (something that sounds like it might be good messaging but is toothless)

to:

“You tried to grow bell peppers and tomatoes last summer but relentless critters got them, and pesticides are a non-starter for you ☠️” (something that feels clunkier but will convert the right people) is critical.

Using problem language allows you to test problem viability.

If you think your best first customer is at the center of a Venn Diagram with “tried bell peppers and tomatoes last year and they got eaten by pests” (a common first-year-of-a-home-garden problem that’ll prove your customer has already tried this before), plus “won’t use pesticides,” and is highly motivated to do better this year, the second set of messaging let’s you validate or disprove it.

If it doesn’t work, you can try other problems: “you’ve tried grow bins for your tiny Brooklyn outdoor space but can’t get seeds to sprout."

Obviously, you need a solution to these problems. But defining that there is a problem people will go out of their way to solve is more important than the solution to start.

Everything is downstream of problem. Which is why it's so important to test the messaging for it.

Now, the fun part.

I grabbed two random sites to see how they did. One is an alum from the Columbia startup lab that was in a random email they sent me. The other is a YC alum I picked at random.

Here we go:

What do you think? Problem messaging? Do you know who this is for? What it’ll help them do?

When you read “invest in the education of a loved one today” did you know what to do with it?

I think there’s room for improvement (though I love the Pelican icon and the design in general). Digging deeper, I’m not sure what problem they’re solving for me. Is it easier to open an account with them? Do they offer better returns on money invested? They say “effortless,” but what was the "effort-full" thing they’re now removing? What’s the swap - what was I doing, or trying to do, that they make easier?

Is this a “hole problem” 🕳️ — meaning, I fell in a well and they’re throwing me a rope?

Is it a “teleporter problem” 🪄 — meaning, I have a long process I have to do and they magically remove the hardest step?

I'm not sure. What's the moment I'm in where I realize I need this? I searched around the site and didn’t get a ton of insight. Here’s the “why us”:

I think the secret sauce is choosing the right 529 for you. So, you need someone who understands 529s are different and is struggling to match one to their needs?

So, maybe something like:

“You’ve spent weeks weighing 529 plans for your newborn and have no idea what to pick?” Another benefit seems to be the ease of sharing — if that's the key, helping people help their friends and family easily invest at birthdays and things, maybe: “You want a 529 that’s easy to send to friends and family, but the ones from bigger banks seem like you need to wire money every time there’s a birthday?" I don’t highlight this to say it’s “bad." I’m just pointing out how hard, and rare, it is to actually use problem language. And how freaking refreshing and effective it is when you do see it. Now, the random YC one:

Again, solution language. They’re relying on the customer to know exactly what painful parts of the process AI can help with. Don’t rely on the customer to make jumps for you, ever. Taking the “hassle” out isn’t useful, either. Describing the hassle is.

So, first, this is a classic teleporter startup 🪄. There’s a long, annoying process, and they want to take out the most painful part. There’s a video beneath the YC logo that talks about how annoying coordination is, and that seems compelling. So, just, say that: “The worst part of planning a corporate event used to be endless emails with vendors and venues. Now, they're gone.” Or, shorter: “You love finding venues and events for your company off-sites. You hate the 200 logistical emails that follow.”

Problem language is easier to understand, easier to see yourself using, and converts at a significantly higher rate. And no one does it.