What do you do when something hurts? You look for relief. You try to find a Band-Aid or pill that will stop the pain. This is the idea behind the “push the ouch button” technique. By reminding the reader of his problem or pain, you motivate him to look for a solution — which, of course, is your product or service.

For example, imagine you're a small-business owner who has been struggling to do his own bookkeeping. You fall behind frequently. You make mistakes. You miss things. It's a real pain. Then one day you receive a direct-mail letter with the headline: “No More Bookkeeping Blues! Here's a Fast and Simple Way to Manage Your Small Business Accounting.” That gets your attention. Suddenly you're open to investing in an easy-to-use software that makes bookkeeping fast and easy.

The “push the ouch button” technique is very effective when your product or service solves a specific problem. It reminds the prospect of her pain. And motivates her to do something about it. Of course, the solution is right there in front of her — in the promotional piece you wrote.

You have to be careful with this technique. If you push the ouch button too hard for too long, you might come across as opportunistic. No one likes to be reminded of their problems, frustrations, pains, or misery. So push the button just enough to gain attention and remind prospects of their pain, then quickly bring in your product or service as the solution.