How to Nail Your Messaging Without Competitor Research

I recently started working on a trial project for a product I didn't even know existed.

A bedwetting alarm. It basically trains the child to wake up right when they start peeing in their bottoms.

Its weird but this is how my current Notion page for the project looks like:

Since this is a trial task, I wasn't given much info to work with. The client said take these winning ads and figure it out.

And I was up for the challenge.

Apart from the 4 winning ads that the client gave me, I extracted 6 more on my own (from a tool called Atria)

And by the end of my 4 hour research session spread across two days, I had so many angles to work with.

Not because I was understanding my competitors but because I was understanding my customers.

While going through Reddit and reviews on the website, I came to know about:

• Incorrect doctor's advice

• Previous failed solutions

• Personal pain points

• Objections upfront

• Emotional triggers

• Limiting beliefs

And honestly, so much more...

In fact, I've already asked my client to give me a CSV file of all his brand reviews (more than 1200) so I can feed it into ChatGPT and extract emotive language from the customer.

 But wait...why am I telling you this?

Because you're getting research all wrong, and so did I.

Earlier I used to think the easiest way to start is to copy competitors because they have already nailed this.

And to some extent, it might be true.

But here's the thing...

More often than not, your competitors have nailed their messaging for THEIR customers. Not YOURS.

Don’t get me wrong.

I’m not asking you to turn a blind eye to your competitors.

But seek inspo because they might have nailed the hooks, the formats, the design, the pacing or the general writing frameworks.

But you gotta do your own manual research to understand context.

Here’s what you gotta do:

1. Create your own Notion/G doc (example above) as the central hub for collecting all customer info

2. Go through Reddit threads and product reviews either for your product or your competitors to see how the market talks about it

3. Copy-paste everything and anything you find relevant into the doc and export it as a PDF

4. Ask ChatGPT to analyze it and use this prompt from Alex Cooper

"Go through these reviews and find phrases that use powerful, emotive language — the kind of copy that strikes a nerve. Look for expressions that convey intense feelings. These should be statements that capture raw, impactful emotions and resonate deeply with the audience."

This gives you the head start to launch statics and test messaging with headlines that actually make your customer go, "I related HARD with that."

Once you know that this messaging is working, try different hooks, concepts and formats that you can directly steal from your competitors.

P.S. I wrote a mini-VSL script for the bedwetting alarm last week and here’s the hook I used:

“Did your local pediatrician gaslight you?”

And you know what the beauty is? I’ve not seen that hook anywhere yet but I got this insight after digging through Reddit threads where parents said they were fed up because their doctor told them to wait because their child will grow out of bedwetting eventually.

And that got me thinking…

If there’s one thing about creative strategy and copy I’ve learned in 2025, it’s this:

Even with AI, you gotta do things that don’t scale.

Yes AI makes everything faster but nobody can understand context without manual digging first. So don’t run from it. Embrace it.

Now let me take you over some of my favourite ad headlines found from reddit digging or customer reviews:

1. Meno  

Simple line but it targets status, highlights sex and shows a transformation.

And you didn’t even need to be a word class copywriter to write it.

You just needed to be an expert researcher who doesn’t outsource everything to AI.

2. PuraU

Removing acne is a logical problem.

Avoiding mirrors is an emotional one.

Always lead with emotions.

3. Heart & Soil

My piece is huge isn’t a headline you can think of without digging deep.

That’s why you need to look closely.

That’s it for today!

What do you think about researching customers and today’s newsletter?

Hit reply & let me know your thoughts, !

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Cheers!

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