36,724 people subscribed in 3 months to my newsletter!

Isn’t that statement eye-catching than saying “We are a 3-month-old newsletter with many subscribers”?

If you are selling a complex tech product, you end up using technical words to explain.

To simplify the message, you may depend on the next anchor which is – DATA. When you show data to prove a point, it’s so easy for people to understand the power of your product.

But what if you are scripting messages from scratch.

You have to create ‘version 1’ of your messaging and you don’t have enough proof (data as proof). Then you draw comparison with equals.

For example,

• The Google for Doctors.
• The Uber of retail.
• These are the jellyfish of Metaverse.

How to help your audience understand, without data?

My favorite and very impactful is the use of analogies.

Do you recall elders using proverbs and metaphors?

Where they say in Hindi,

“Jaan hein to Jahangir hein.” (Health is wealth)

“Jaisi Karni waisi Bharni” (You reap what you sow)

Generative metaphors and proverbs both derive their power from a clever substitution: They substitute something easy to think about for something difficult.

If you are getting delayed… you may say, “Yugaant ke badh Karo ge kya?” (May I see this at the end of the millenium?)

Or

When you don’t understand something and look dumb… elders say.

“Sir mein gobar pada hein kya?” (Shit head)

Analogies make it possible to understand a complex message in a compact manner. Because they invoke concepts that you already know.

Note to Product Marketers,

This concept of using an analogy is so useful, especially when you have to influence someone in the absence of data. You are a product marketer of a young startup with no data to back your battle cards and messaging. Use analogies.