The Communication Move That Saved Us Thousands

Marketing Shenanigans (#041)

Here’s a communication hack that’ll save you time and money: Use analogies to help people understand what you’re selling—faster and easier.

Getting someone to truly understand something is one of the most expensive things you can do.

Why?

Because you’re not just paying for their attention. You’re also paying to:

• Entertain them.

• Hold their interest long enough to explain your value.

• Repeat your message until it finally clicks.

And that’s why teaching people about your product or service often feels like a never-ending uphill battle.

Here’s The Hack

Create an analogy or comparison to something they already understand.

When you tie your product to an existing concept or utility, it does three things:
1️⃣ It shortens the learning curve.
2️⃣ It makes your offering instantly relatable.
3️⃣ It saves you time and money on lengthy, repeated explanations.

Here’s how it works in action:

• Uber: They didn’t waste time teaching people what ride-sharing was. Instead, they said, “We’re the taxi you can summon with an app.”

• Airbnb: They didn’t need to explain short-term rentals from scratch. They framed it as, “Hotels, but in someone’s home.”

These comparisons tap into something familiar, so your audience doesn’t need to start from scratch. They understand your purpose instantly—and when they understand faster, they buy in faster, too.

The Takeaway

Stop reinventing the wheel. You don’t need to build a new mental framework for your audience—just borrow one they already know. Analogies bridge the gap between “I don’t get it” and “Ah, I see!”

The faster your audience understands your product, the faster they’ll act. Use comparisons to make your offering crystal clear, save yourself time and money, and get your audience to say “yes” sooner.

TL;DR: Analogies are a communication shortcut. Tie your product to something familiar, and you’ll help your audience understand—and buy—faster.

Teddy Giard

In case you don’t already know, my name is Teddy, and I operate a firm that specializes in marketing strategies for outdoor brands. Our approach is simple: align your product development timeline with your marketing production timeline; by doing so, we can own the distribution of our message and our products.

If you’d like to explore working together, feel free to fill out this form , and if we’re a good fit, we can schedule a discovery call. We ask this because we keep a fairly narrow target for whom we work, and we like to be as open about that on the front end as possible. After all, time is life’s most valuable resource.