Ditch Fear Tactics—Here’s How to Market with Positivity

Let’s get real for a moment—how often do we see marketing that leans on fear, pressure, and scare tactics? It’s all about the “buy now or else” vibes. But what if there’s a better way?

In this episode, I’m flipping the script and diving into possibility marketing—an approach that inspires action by showcasing what’s possible for your audience.

I’ll share my personal story (including some cringe-worthy moments with cayenne water cleanses—spoiler alert: don’t do it!) and how shifting from fear-based messaging to possibility-driven storytelling can transform the way you connect with your customers.

Click play to hear all of this and:

(00:00:35) Why inspiring clients is more effective than scaring them into action

(00:01:57) My personal struggle with weight and the negative impact of fear-based messaging

(00:05:36) My three-step framework for possibility marketing

(00:07:44) How to audit your content from your ideal client's perspective to inspire action

🎧 Listen to the full episode, Four Secrets to Unstoppable Marketing, >>HERE<<

Listen to Related Episodes:

• How to Attract Higher-Paying Customers Through Your Pricing Strategy
• How To Increase Your Sales by Uncovering Your Dream Client’s Needs and Desires

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For full show notes, visit jasminestar.com/podcast/episode519

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Transcript

Katie Haahr 00:00:00  Okay, let's have a moment of real talk. Have you ever felt like some marketing is all about scaring people into action? The warnings, the threats, the buy now or else messages? What if there's a better way? A way that inspires instead of pressures. I'm Katie, president of social curator. And today Jasmine is diving into the concept of possibility marketing, showing the positive transformations your offer can create. She'll teach you exactly how to shift your messaging, motivate your audience, and help you build lasting connections. Let's get into it, leading to possibility.

Jasmine Star 00:00:35  Marketing. This means showing your ideal client what's possible for them instead of relying on fear based tactics, and that comes down to mindset. Possibility marketing starts with the belief that inspire your audience is more powerful than scaring them. It's about painting a perfect picture about the positive changes and the outcomes that your offer can bring into their lives, instead of the negative consequences that could happen if they don't buy from you. And there's actually science behind this study show that people are more motivated to take action when they're feeling positive instead of fearful.

Jasmine Star 00:01:08  When you show people potential for a better future, their brain releases dopamine that feel good transmitter, which enhances motivation for change. Now, on the completely opposite side, fear based marketing, you know, oh, this is going to happen if you don't do this. And 18 ways that you're going to screw up your kid the 18 ways, this is the wrong way to lose weight. The 18 ways only do this for weightlifting. Like okay, that is fear based and that drive stress, which might lead to short term actions, but not necessarily long term loyalty. If you've been a listener for the show for a while, you will know that I've opened up pretty openly about my weight. I have struggled with my weight. I grew up obese. I lost weight in high school, but by my senior year I had gained a lot of weight. And then I went to college. And then I added that dreaded freshman 15, which, if you don't know, most freshmen will gain weight. They call it the freshman 15.

Jasmine Star 00:01:57  I was one of those freshmen who gained about £15 At this point in my life, I didn't know how to eat best, I didn't know how to work out, and I felt embarrassed. So I started researching how to lose weight. And then I went a yoyo diet. All through my 20s, I did fad diets, crash diets, diet pills, lemon and cayenne all spice water for a week long cleanse. Let me just tell you, do not do a cayenne lemon. Weeklong is bad news. Now, I was doing all of this based on what I was reading and learning from social media and the internet. I'd follow people who would terrify me about my weight loss journey. And then I spent a decade hating my body into submission and then worried I wasn't doing enough cardio. I was doing too much cardio. I should only be eating bacon. I should only be eating plant based. I should swear off eggs. No, no, I really need to swear off vegetables. You know, I was just a mess.

Jasmine Star 00:02:48  But mostly I was afraid of becoming obese again. In my early 30s, I began to workout regularly. I did blood work. I studied what foods did best with my body. I began to see significant differences and then how I felt. And then 2020 arrived. And 2020. The whole world got turned upside down, as did I. That year. We sold our house, we bought a fixer upper. We had 24 hour notice that we were placed for adoption with our daughter. We got stuck in another state at the start of the pandemic. We moved into an apartment because we couldn't live in that fixer upper we had just bought with a newborn. And then the world shut down. And then our renovation timeline more than tripled, along with the cost of the project of building out this house. And in a matter of about 16 months, I had put on £16, and on average that was about like £1 a month. And here's the crazy part. I had no idea how it happened. It just did.

Jasmine Star 00:03:47  It happened slowly. It happened over time. So there I was again, listening to fitness gurus who had me terrified that I wouldn't be able to get my life back on track. And there I was again, embarrassed that I was turning to food for comfort when I was struggling with anxiety, even when I didn't know I was doing it. In 2023, I found a group of health professionals and they took an entirely different approach. They didn't scare me. They taught me. They explained how to hit protein goals. They broke down the benefits of lifting heavy weights. They discuss the merits of intermittent fasting. They created meal planning tutorials that didn't feel like I had to eat a rice cake and pumpkin seeds for dinner. They were so good at what they did. I wasn't scared, I was motivated, I wanted to change my life so I could live longer and better. And I was doing it for my daughter for the first time in my life. I wasn't running away from the fear of weight. I was running to a hopeful future.

Jasmine Star 00:04:45  And as a special shout out Doctor Gabrielle Lyon, she stepped in. I was listening to her podcast. She's helped me, Adam Shafer from Mind podcast. Like these crew, like, these are just people that I've gotten to know and they've helped me see my workouts differently. And so my main intention was I became a mom. I kind of lost my way in regards to taking care of my health, and I thought to myself, if I have one more day with my daughter because of the positive decisions that I was making in my life, then I was going to be okay with this. Okay, how do you do this? And it might not even be like pertaining to your weight. So how do you do this? How do you lean into possibility marketing? Here's a three step framework. Step one get clear on the transformation you provide. The more specific the transformation, the better. I want you to use stories, testimonials, visuals that highlight and impact your product and the impact it has on others.

Jasmine Star 00:05:36  So I want you to show your audience the journey from where they are now and then where they could be with your help. Step two write key messaging around that transformation. When you're writing that copy, you want to make sure that it positions your ideal client as the hero, not you and not your offer. You are not the hero in your business, not the hero. They're the hero. Why? Because people connect much deeper with stories where they can envision. They can see themselves as the main character overcoming challenges in achieving their goals. So let's pause here for a second. When I am watching or listening to the Mind Pop podcast, and when I'm watching or listening to Doctor Gabrielle Lion, they're not positioning themselves as the hero. They're saying you want to hit your protein goals so that you. So they turned the messaging from their great. They're the gurus. Their way is the best way into this is about you. And so I started realizing that possibility marketing was the thing that was reprogramming the way that I was thinking about my particular journey.

Jasmine Star 00:06:33  And then as subsequently, I bought things based on their recommendations because I believed that they were not the hero, they were the coach, they were the guide on the journey. And I realized that I'm just one of many people who go through the same thing. So when other people are seeing this, not only do they connect with it, but then they replay that narrative over and over in their minds until they make a decision to take action. That's what you get when they're the hero, and you want to make sure that your copy reflects that key messaging in everything your website. When your team post on social direct message replies your email marketing every interaction should reinforce the idea that your client is the hero of their own story, and your product or service is the tool that helps them achieve their desired transformation. And you are the guide. Step three I want you to audit your social media and your website through the lens of your ideal client, not through your business lens, through their eyes. Ask yourself, how do I feel reading this? Like, do I feel excited? Do I feel lit up? Do I feel ready to take action? When you view your content from your ideal client's perspective, you're able to refine your messaging to be in the positive.

Jasmine Star 00:07:44  And that way we can inspire deeper and more inspired action. Welcome back.

Katie Haahr 00:07:49  Are you ready to step into possibility marketing? Thanks for tuning in. And as always, if you found this episode helpful, would you share it with a friend? Post it to your stories. We would love to see you there! Until next time.