Why Great Products Still Struggle to Sell — And How to Fix It Before You Launch
The difference between “we’re live” and “we’re selling” often comes down to the words you use.
“We are getting lost. Branding, product, and overall vibe are there. But as we build out our online store and various platforms, we lack cohesion. This is where we need help.”
This message from my real prospect perfectly captures a common issue of a lot of struggling brands: having a trendy, high-quality product but feeling stuck in communicating it.
They have poured significant time, energy, and resources into creating this product but stumble when it comes to:
Clearly describing or presenting it.
Identifying their ideal customer.
Pinpointing what truly makes their product unique.
Typically, the root cause isn’t the product itself — it’s unclear and inconsistent messaging.
Effective messaging goes beyond clever taglines; it clearly conveys who your product is for, why it matters, and the transformation it offers. For e-commerce brands, consistency in visual communication is also essential.
I’ve seen both sides firsthand: campaigns that flopped because messaging resonated only internally, and successes like a mystery box launch selling out within hours thanks to clear, emotionally compelling storytelling.
To help you navigate these pitfalls and be better equipped for your launch sucess, I’ve created a practical checklist of core messaging tasks every (e-commerce) brand should tackle. If you follow it, it will be easier for you to complete your website, show up consistently on your social media and know what to say on your ads.
We’ll make all this concrete by walking through the checklist with a fictional yet realistic brand I’ve developed for the purpose of this article: Tendril.
But first: What is messaging?
Messaging is how you explain what you do, who it’s for, and why it matters in a way that feels clear, consistent, and characterful.
Good messaging does three things:
Makes your audience feel seen
Makes your product make sense
Makes your brand sound like a person (not, ehm, ChatGPT)
When your messaging is clear and consistent:
You write faster
You brief your creators, employees and suppliers more easily
Your customers understand and remember you
When it’s not:
You feel like you’re explaining yourself over and over again.
Your copy sounds like 10 other brands you scrolled past yesterday.
The voice in your head doesn’t match the voice on your website.
You keep changing your tagline… and still kind of hate it.
Your best customers “get it” — but no one new seems to.
In short, if branding is how your business looks, messaging is how it talks — and whether anyone wants to keep listening.
Meet Tendril: A scalp-first haircare brand
To make this article more practical, I’ll be walking you through each step using a fictional (but painfully realistic) brand: Tendril.
Tendril is a scalp-first haircare brand for people who’ve tried everything and still find themselves scratching their heads, literally. It’s designed for those who are done with “miracle” formulas and just want something that doesn’t sting, reek, and actually works.
The hero moment?
“You realise it’s 3 p.m. and you haven’t scratched once.”
That’s what Tendril is all about: subtle, powerful relief that speaks louder than any tagline ever could.
Now, it’s finally time for the checklist.
1. Know exactly who you’re talking to
You can’t create effective messaging unless you understand the person you’re speaking to : not just their age or income, but their fears, frustrations, and mental state.
Because it you don’t understand what they care about, most of stuff you produce won’t land.
What to do:
Write down 3–5 emotional and behavioral traits about your audience.
Ask yourself:
What have they tried that didn’t work?
What words do they use when venting?
What are they hoping to solve — but scared to hope for?
Tendril example:
Tendril’s audience is a professional Millennial woman, busy juggling several things at the same time. (You need this piece of information to create the right content strategy.)
She has tried dozens of products and seen little relief. Her skin is still flaky, sensitive and has seen little relief.
At the same time, she experiences shame. She’s trying so hard not to scratch herself — because this doesn’t look good and she is a professional. She just wants to be over with that burning sensation.
What she might say:
“I’m so tired of burning, tingling, and being told it’s ‘normal.’ I just want to feel like my scalp belongs to me again.”
“I used to pretend at meetings I was adjusting my hair just to hide how much I was scratching.”
To recap, she’s a busy, capable woman. Likely in meetings back-to-back. Juggling career, maybe kids or aging parents. She doesn’t have time for vague promises, cutesy language, or feeling like she has to decode what you’re really offering. But she does want to feel understood, respected, and like someone finally sees what she’s been dealing with quietly for years.
2. Clarify what you actually offer
If you can’t explain what your product does in a sentence, your customer won’t stick around to find out. You’re not selling a formula, you’re selling a transformation.
What to do:
Write one clear sentence that describes the transformation your product makes possible.
Use this format:
Before, they felt ____.
After, they finally ____.
Then combine it into a single sentence that captures what your product actually offers someone. In their words, not yours. Your goal: a sentence that makes your customer quietly whisper yes.
From this sentence, you can build a positioning statement, differentiators, content pillars.
Tendril example:
“Tendril helps professional women with reactive, itchy scalps finally stop scratching, flinching, and pretending it’s not bothering them — so they can make it to their 3 p.m. without thinking about their head once.”
Before & after with Tendril
3. Build a voice you can reuse
Your brand’s voice is how people remember you and how they decide whether you “get” them. If your tone shifts wildly between captions, emails, and product pages, your audience won’t trust the story you’re telling.
A consistent voice builds credibility. It makes you feel real.
What to do:
Choose 3–5 tone traits that describe how your brand sounds. Think of them like personality markers. (Help yourself with this article.)
Write a “Do say / Don’t say” list. This helps future you (and your collaborators) avoid tone drift.
Create 2–3 reusable phrases that become part of your brand’s language
These can show up on product pages, in captions, or in emails and make your voice unmistakable.
Tendril example:
The voice needs to balance:
Efficiency: Get to the point fast, with no fluff.
Validation: Speak directly to her experience.
Credibility: No overclaims, but clear confidence (also with social proof).
Relief: Both emotional and physical → this is the transformation she’s seeking.
Therefore, the voice should be:
Clinically calm
Empathetically direct
No-nonsense but kind
Reassuring, not performative
Voice examples:
“Relief you didn’t even notice happening.”
“Because not thinking about your scalp is the point.”
“You realised at 3 p.m. you hadn’t scratched once.”
“The quiet fix that finally worked.”
The essence direction for Tendril homepage’s hero section, created by the author using ChatGPT
4. Write the copy that helps you iron out the wrinkles
Now it’s time to write and to put everything you’ve worked on into practice.
For this, you don’t need 20 pages of site copy. You need just four key pieces that do the work.
They’re where your message gets fleshed out, pressure-tested, and clarified. They help you see your brand the way your customer does — in context. They reveal what’s working, what’s missing, and where your story still needs support.
What to do:
Write these four:
Homepage copy, because this is where first impressions happen. You need short, punchy, and confident messaging that instantly communicates what you offer and who it’s for.
One full product description, because this is where you explain everything that matters in a way that’s persuasive, clear, and full of character.
A founder/About section, because this is your emotional foothold. It’s where you explain why you created this, what pushed you to do it, and how you understand the customer’s frustration.
Email opt-in copy, because this is your quiet handshake. It sets the tone for everything to come. If you treat this like an afterthought, your audience will too.
Tendril examples:
Homepage Hero:
“Relief you didn’t even notice happening.”
A clean, effective, non-stripping scalp care that works quietly in the backgroundProduct copy:
“Made for reactive scalps. No sting, no cloud of perfume, no fake promises.
Just a barely-there formula that actually makes it through your day with you. You’ll forget you used it, and that’s the point.”Founder story:
I started Tendril after realising I had spent more time managing my scalp than managing my calendar.
As a professional woman juggling work and life, I needed relief; not a 12-step ritual. And I was tired of products that made big claims, smelled like a meadow, and left me scratching 20 minutes later.
Tendril began with one question: what if scalp care could be invisible? Not flashy, not scented, not selling self-love in a bottle — just something that worked, quietly, like good tools do.
5. Equip your future you and your creators
If your brand only lives in your head, it’s not a brand ; it’s a bottleneck. Because at some point, someone else will speak for your brand.
When that happens, it’s not enough to “know the vibe.”
You need to teach it.
This way, your message can hold up across channels, even when the format changes.
That’s why you need tools that help people understand your brand’s essence and apply it, with flexibility, across different formats.
What to do:
Start building your Messaging Toolkit — a living, working system that helps your future self and collaborators express your brand clearly.
Create a messaging slide deck or Notion doc
This is your internal reference guide. It’s not for the public, but for your team, your freelancers, your future collaborators (and frankly, your sanity).
Include:
Your core brand message (in one or two lines)
Your differentiators and unique selling proposition
3–5 tone traits that define how your brand sounds
Messaging pillars (more below)
“Do say / Don’t say” examples
Platform-specific tone notes (e.g. “Instagram can be lighter and visual; homepage should lead with clarity and calm.”)
Annotated examples of real brand copy with notes explaining why it works
ChatGPT prompts you know work to help you with the copy
2. Define your messaging pillars
These are the key themes your brand returns to again and again.
They form the foundation of everything you say — your homepage copy, your Instagram captions, even your packaging.
Each pillar should be:
Emotionally meaningful to your audience
Closely tied to the value your product delivers
Flexible enough to adapt across formats
Tendril example:
This is a snapshot of a Value → Benefit → Feature messaging map for Tendril. It outlines how the brand connects emotional resonance with practical outcomes and product truths
Quick note: Content pillars vs. messaging pillars — what’s the difference?
Messaging pillars are about what your brand stands for. Content pillars are the themes you turn into actual posts, emails, and creator scripts. Your messaging pillars guide your content pillars.
For example:
If “Relief” is a messaging pillar, your content pillar might be:
→ “Everyday moments of scalp peace”
→ “3 p.m. and you haven’t scratched once” stories
→ Educational posts about ingredients that don’t sting
Image created by the author using ChatGPT
3. Build a creator brief template
Your one-pager should include:
One-line brand overview
Product summary
Key tone traits
What to highlight (and what to skip)
Visual examples or brand phrases to reuse
“Please avoid” section (no overpromises, no ASMR-style hair scratching)
4. Keep a Messaging Scrapbook
Don’t lose your best lines to the scroll.
Make a running doc of:
Great phrases you’ve used
Strong-performing captions or emails
Audience comments that echo your voice
Notes on why each one worked
This becomes your brand’s internal language bank. When you’re tired or growing fast, this doc will save you.
Final Thoughts: Messaging is just the beginning
The checklist we’ve covered provides a solid foundation for your brand’s messaging and positioning. But remember, messaging is just the starting point.
Today, brands are built through consistent, authentic engagement. This means showing up regularly, listening to your audience, and being willing to adapt.
Community building is crucial. Engage with your audience where they are: in comment sections (that’s where brands are being built!), forums, and social media platforms. Respond to feedback, participate in conversations, and make your customers feel heard and valued.
Resilience and consistency are key. Not every post will go viral, and not every campaign will be a hit. But by staying true to your brand’s voice and values, and by consistently delivering value to your audience, you’ll build trust and loyalty over time.
Delight your customers. Small, unexpected touches, like personalized notes, surprise discounts, or exclusive content, can create memorable experiences that turn customers into advocates.
Lastly, measure everything. Use tools like heat maps, scroll tracking, and click analytics to understand what’s resonating and what’s not. Let your audience’s behavior shape your next iteration.
Remember, building a brand is a marathon, not a sprint. Stay patient, stay consistent, and keep the conversation going. You got this!
