Finding the “Wow” Factor with Pain Points

Mills & Boon have been publishing romance novels for over a hundred years, yet it was an unknown self-published author, E. L. James, who hit the best seller list with her “50 Shades of Grey.” For millions of people around the world, it had the “WOW” factor. Somehow it has hit an important known (or unknown) need or want, also known as “pain points.” That’s a little bit of wordplay for readers familiar with the book’s premise.

Think a challenge your ideal user is facing.

• What are their biggest pain points?
• What would really “wow” them?

The A to Z Blogging Challenge

I’m doing double duty this month during the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Here at Heather Erickson Author/Writer/Speaker, I will share ideas for “Thinking Creatively.” I’ll also be doing the challenge at Facing Cancer with Grace, where I will focus on “Avoiding Burnout.” I hope you’ll visit me at both sites. While you’re here, sign up for my email list. Today’s post is W is for Finding the “Wow” Factor with Pain Points.

My Readers’ Pain Points

I write books about living with cancer; living with it as a friend, as a parent, as a caregiver. So, my readers certainly know pain. While I can’t do anything to take away cancer, I can give them one of their deepest needs: Understanding. I’ve been there for over 6 years. I’m still there, facing cancer as a caregiver, as a wife, as a mother, as a friend.

In my books and blogs, I give practical advice, backed up by research, as well as my own personal experience. I nearly always focus on one (or more) of these 6 pain points:

• Financial
• Emotional
• Relational
• Professional
• Spiritual
• Intellectual

Financial Pain Points

Cancer takes a tremendous toll on patients’ and their families’ finances. Any savings they have can quickly become depleted. How do you get through a cancer journey without losing your home? How do you pay for your treatment? What about transportation and shelter if you have to travel long distances in order to get your medical care? As I address finances, I also recommend resources that can alleviate financial stress in some way. Most of all, I try to reassure my readers.

Emotional Pain Points

From the moment you suspect what you are dealing with cancer, it’s emotionally overwhelming. You see all of the dreams you had for your life, dissipate like mist. These emotions change, ebb and flow over the course of your journey. I share what I’ve learned as a wife, mother, and caregiver over the past 6-plus years. Even though my emotions will be different from someone else’s, I can approach the subject with compassion.

Relational Pain Points

No one faces cancer in a vacuum. For most people, their relationships mean more to them than anything, so it’s important to address the effect of cancer on family and friends. This was the reason I wrote, “Facing Cancer as a Parent: Helping your Children Cope with Your Cancer.” Our first concern when my husband was diagnosed was how to help our kids through this. Having spent so much time with other parents who have cancer, I know that we aren’t alone.

Professional Pain Points

How do you maintain your career when you have to go through cancer treatment or care for someone else, who does? It can feel like a Herculean task. Often, it’s impossible. One of the things I focus on is helping people to live within the new normal. That means changing their expectations and making choices based on their personal value system.

Spiritual Pain Points

You’ve likely heard the saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” While not completely true, combat will certainly cause one to at least ponder the condition of their spirit, and their spiritual beliefs. The same can be said for people facing cancer.

Intellectual Pain Points

It’s important to know your enemy. Many patients and caregivers feel like they are getting a medical degree over the course of their cancer journey. I research and educate my readers, knowing they desire to know more. Knowledge is empowering even when you feel powerless to stop cancer.  From the time we learned to talk we asked questions, “Why? How? When? Who? What?” This is a powerful pain point to address.

Your readers’ pain points likely fall under these same categories, but the details will be different. What’s one of the ways you address them?

What Are YOUR Thoughts?

I’d love to hear in the comment section, below. I appreciate my readers as well as the writing community. To show that appreciation, I use Comment Luv. Just leave a comment below and your latest post will get a link next to it. Thank you!

About Heather Erickson

I am an author, writer, and speaker and homeschooling mom of 3. Since doctors diagnosed my husband, Dan with stage IV lung cancer in 2012, I’ve focused my writing and speaking on helping cancer patients and their families advocate for themselves and live life to the fullest, in spite of their illness. My goal is to help people face cancer with grace. My books are available at Amazon.com:

The Memory Maker’s Journal 

Facing Cancer as a Friend: How to Support Someone Who Has Cancer

Facing Cancer as a Parent: Helping Your Children Cope with Your Cancer

I also blog about living with cancer at Facing Cancer with Grace.