The Only Two Reasons Anyone Does Anything

The Copywriter Column #210

People are simple creatures at heart. Behind every decision we make lies one of two driving forces: we're either running toward pleasure or away from pain.

That's it. Nothing more.

I thought about this last weekend as my wife and I lounged on the beach. We had absolutely nothing on our agenda except whatever felt good in the moment. Want another drink? Sure. Fancy a walk down the beach? Why not. Craving a nap at 1PM? No one's stopping us.

The joy of those three days was about the complete freedom from obligation.

No emails demanding responses.

No deadlines looming.

No meetings to prepare for.

Just pleasure in its most distilled form.

And I realized something: this is exactly what someone’s selling when they write copy for vacation packages or weekend getaways.

They’re not selling hotel amenities or beach access, but rather the promise of unrestrained pleasure—the opportunity to say "yes" to yourself without hesitation or consequence.

But flip the coin, and you'll find an equally powerful motivator: avoiding displeasure.

The lengths we go to sidestep pain are nothing short of remarkable. We'll reorganize entire lives to avoid a difficult conversation, an awkward encounter, or a moment of discomfort.

And that's the secret weapon in marketing weight loss programs, financial planning services, or security services. These types of things don't just solve problems—they help people escape something that feels threatening or uncomfortable.

So what does this mean for your marketing?

Well, stop overthinking it for starters.

When you sit down to write copy, ask yourself one question: "Is my customer running toward something good or away from something bad right now?"

If they're chasing pleasure, make that pleasure vivid. Make it tangible. Help them taste it, feel it, see it unfolding. My beach weekend wasn't about the ocean—it was about the delicious weightlessness of having nowhere to be and nothing to do.

If they're avoiding pain, acknowledge it without exploiting it. Show them you understand what keeps them up at night, what makes their stomach knot, what they dread facing. Then offer the bridge to the other side.

The most common mistake I see? Trying to hit both buttons at once. "Our fitness program will help you avoid heart disease AND make you irresistible to potential partners!" Pick one lane and stay in it—at least for a single piece of messaging. You're not writing a novel. You're writing an invitation to take action.

I've tested frameworks, studied psychological triggers, and analyzed hundreds of high-converting campaigns.

But I always come back to this fundamental truth: people make decisions based on what they believe will either increase their pleasure or decrease their pain. Everything else is just extra.

Next time you're staring at a blank page, wondering how to connect with your audience, remember this: we're all just trying to feel good or avoid feeling bad. Meet your customers at that crossroads, and you'll nail it every time.

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