Do you have any examples of how to sell people what they want and then give them what they need?

Yes, I do, and this is one of the most powerful strategies you can use when marketing a course, especially if the transformation you offer isn’t something your audience is fully aware they need yet.

The key is to lead with what your audience thinks they want, and then deliver what they truly need to experience the transformation. Let me give you a great example.

My friend Marie Forleo wrote a book called Make Every Man Want You. On the surface, it sounds like a dating book. The hook is all about attracting the perfect partner, which is what her audience thought they wanted. But once they were inside the book, the real focus was on self-love, because that’s the actual transformation required for healthy relationships. She knew that if she led with “self-love,” the book might not have caught their attention in the same way. But by starting with the desire to be irresistible to men, she met her audience where they were and slowly guided them to what they actually needed.

You can do the same in your own course. If your program teaches something that people may not understand the value of right away (or if it sounds too complex or abstract), lead with the desire or pain point that they are already aware of. That’s what you highlight in your messaging, your sales page, and your webinar. Then, once they’re inside the course, you take them deeper and show them what actually creates the transformation.

Use your copywriting to bridge the gap. Speak to their desires and struggles first, then transition into the steps, mindset, or tools they didn’t know they needed. If you stay focused on helping them get the result they want, they’ll trust you to lead them through the process, even if that process looks a little different than they expected.