Marketers have been told for years that the fastest way to capture attention is to “agitate the problem.” Make the pain vivid. Remind people of what isn’t working. Turn up the heat until they’re uncomfortable enough to buy.
It’s advice that has worked in the past, at least if the goal was to trigger a short-term response. But the world has changed. Audiences are more informed, more sceptical, and more discerning about who they give their attention to. They know when they’re being prodded. They know when the tension in a piece of copy isn’t there to help but to manipulate. And when that happens, something subtle but significant is lost: trust.
Understanding the empathy gap
The empathy gap shows up whenever a brand speaks about its audience’s challenges in a way that doesn’t match how those challenges are actually experienced. It might sound like exaggeration, or minimisation, or worse, judgement. Sometimes it comes across as dismissive — “this should be simple.” Sometimes it feels like blame — “you’re doing this wrong.” And sometimes it’s cloaked in fear — “what if you never fix this?”
The intention is often harmless. A brand is simply trying to highlight a need and point towards a solution. But if the tone doesn’t land with care, the message doesn’t feel like recognition, it feels like exposure. Instead of leaning in, people retreat.
This is one of the biggest pitfalls of AI-generated content at the moment. AI is adept at recognising patterns of language, but it doesn’t understand what it feels like to sit in the middle of a messy human experience. It can replicate tone, but it can’t intuit the pauses, the hesitations, or the emotions that sit underneath the words. And without that, copy risks sounding flat at best, or misaligned at worst.
Why empathy matters more than agitation
Empathy changes the dynamic entirely. Instead of poking at a wound, it acknowledges it. Instead of amplifying shame, it affirms that the struggle is human, common, and understandable. Empathy is not a tactic you layer onto your copy, but rather a posture you take towards your audience. It requires you to see them as people first, not prospects.
When you write with empathy, you aren’t ignoring the problem. You’re framing it in a way that mirrors how your clients already talk about it themselves. You’re holding up a reflection, not a spotlight. And in that reflection, your audience recognises themselves and feels that quiet but powerful sense of being understood. That’s the moment where trust begins.
AI often misses this step because it can only echo what has been said before. It struggles to make the nuanced choices that come from genuine listening, knowing when to soften a phrase, when to lean in gently, and when silence might say more than another line of copy. This is why human judgment remains irreplaceable in building empathetic messaging.
What writing with empathy looks like
To write with empathy, you need to begin by listening. Pay attention to how your clients describe the challenges they face, not just the surface-level problems, but the lived experience of them. What do they say when they’re frustrated? How do they explain the weight of what’s not working? These are the phrases that carry emotional truth, and using them allows your copy to feel less like a lecture and more like a conversation.
Empathy also means resisting the urge to dramatise. You don’t need to turn every obstacle into a crisis. Simply naming the reality is enough. Think of the difference between telling someone “you’re failing at this” and saying “this feels harder than it should.” The first points a finger. The second extends a hand.
Finally, empathy holds space for possibility. It acknowledges the challenge without leaving people stuck there. Every recognition of the problem should be balanced with reassurance: that there is a path forward, that change is possible, and that they don’t have to navigate it alone. This is how you create copy that not only connects but supports.
It’s also where human-led writing has the edge. AI can repeat solutions, but it can’t genuinely reassure. It doesn’t know how to sit with discomfort without trying to resolve it too quickly. As humans, we know that empathy isn’t about rushing someone out of their experience, but about walking alongside them until they’re ready to move forward. That’s the subtlety that makes all the difference.
What you gain by closing the gap
The real power of empathy in marketing is that it builds the kind of trust you cannot fake. When people feel seen, they relax their guard. They’re more willing to explore what you have to offer because they no longer feel like you’re trying to push them into something. Instead, they feel invited to step into a space where they are understood, respected, and safe to make a decision.
And that is the opposite of agitation. It’s not about amplifying pain, but about creating resonance. Not about pressure, but about partnership. Not about closing a sale, but about opening a relationship.
This is why copy produced solely by AI often feels like it’s missing something. It can be polished, grammatically perfect, and even persuasive on the surface, but without the undercurrent of empathy, it lacks the depth that makes someone feel truly seen. Empathy is a distinctly human skill, and it’s what will continue to set thoughtful brands apart in an era where AI is flooding the internet with content.
Leading with empathy
There’s no shortage of noise in marketing. Everyone is trying to be louder, faster, more persuasive. But what people are actually craving is more understanding. They want to feel like they’ve landed in the right place. They want to know they can trust you.
That’s what happens when you close the empathy gap. You shift from agitation to alignment. From pushing to partnering.
And in a marketplace that feels crowded and competitive, where AI can produce endless words at scale, that ability to write with empathy may be the most powerful differentiator you have.
The best place to start is by exploring the voice of your customer. I share more about how to use audience insights to shape more compelling (and empathetic) content here. Reach out if you're keen to know more.
