Why Some Marketing Converts, and Some Just Feels… Meh
I started rewatching Bones recently.
You know the one. Temperance Brennan. Booth. Forensic anthropology. Flirting via crime scenes.
I finally hit the episode where Booth and Brennan finally get together.
And my reaction?
…meh.
Which surprised me.
Because I should have been over the moon. Years of buildup. Years of tension. Years of will-they-won’t-they.
But when it finally happened, their relationship didn’t suddenly feel deeper or more real. It felt… mostly the same. Same dynamic. Same conversations. Just with a few more references to sex and marriage.
Something about it fell flat.
And that sent me spiraling into a very specific thought:
Why do some relationships feel electric when they click—and others feel oddly hollow?
Because when I think about couples like
Friends’ Ross and Rachel
or Monica and Chandler
or Gilmore Girls’ Lorelai and Luke
—when they got together?
Your heart leapt.
You believed it.
You wanted it.
You felt it in your body.
And here’s the thing most people miss:
👉 Marketing works the exact same way.
Marketing Without Chemistry Is Just Noise
I’m deep in funnel work with a client right now.
We’re doing all the “right” things:
Tweaking subject lines
Watching open rates
Nudging click-throughs
Smoothing the path to purchase
Not because greed.
But because they love what they do. And they want to keep doing it as a viable business—getting their work into the hands of the people it can actually help.
And still?
The numbers only really move when there’s chemistry.
That moment where the right person reads your words and thinks:
“Oh. This is for me.”
“I feel seen.”
“I trust this.”
“I want this person to help me.”
Without that?
Your content might be polished.
Your strategy might be sound.
Your funnel might be technically “correct.”
And people will still scroll right past.
Booth & Brennan vs. Ross & Rachel (A Marketing Lesson)
If Booth and Brennan were marketing?
I’d be reading the social posts thinking, Why does this feel slightly off?
Then I’d keep scrolling.
And Googling.
And clicking on someone else.
But Ross and Rachel?
I’m in.
Take my attention.
Take my curiosity.
Take my yes.
And that’s the difference most marketing advice never teaches.
Conversion Isn’t About Persuasion—It’s About Recognition
High-converting marketing doesn’t happen because you convinced someone.
It happens because they recognized themselves in what you said.
They didn’t feel managed.
They didn’t feel herded.
They didn’t feel sold to.
They felt understood.
That’s why the most effective marketing doesn’t scream:
“LOOK AT ME.”
It quietly says:
“I see you.”
Why “Doing All the Things” Still Isn’t Enough
Here’s where a lot of well-intentioned business owners get stuck.
They’re consistent.
They’re visible.
They’re showing up.
But something still feels flat.
The ideas start to dry up.
Everything starts to sound like the same ol’ same ol’.
Posting begins to feel like obligation instead of connection.
(Ask me how January went over here 😅)
This isn’t a motivation problem.
It’s a meaning problem.
Chemistry Comes From Three Things (Not Hacks)
When marketing does feel alive—when it creates that heart-leap moment—it’s almost always because three things are present:
1. Credibility (Trust Without Proving)
Not credentials on a pedestal.
But the quiet confidence that says:
“I know what I’m talking about—and I care how this lands.”
People trust you not because you shout expertise, but because your words feel grounded.
2. Personality (The You-ness)
Not “brand voice exercises.”
Not copy templates.
Not trying to sound like what’s working on Instagram this week.
But the unmistakable texture of you.
The way you think.
The way you see the world.
The way you say the thing slightly sideways.
3. Expression (The Experience)
How everything comes together when someone lands on your site, reads your emails, or watches your content.
Does it feel cohesive?
Does it feel intentional?
Does it feel like a place someone wants to stay?
That’s chemistry.
Why Algorithms Can’t Create This (And Never Will)
You can optimize for clicks.
You can chase trends.
You can reverse-engineer headlines.
But you can’t automate recognition.
People don’t fall in love with marketing that feels manufactured.
They fall in love with marketing that feels inhabited.
Thoughtful.
Human.
Present.
The kind that makes someone think:
“Oh wow. This feels different.”
The Goal Isn’t to Go Viral—It’s to Be Believed
I love a good slow-burn show.
But when it comes to marketing?
I want the heart-leap moments.
The “oh my god, YES” moments.
The Schitt's Creek Simply the Best kind of moments.
The kind where people don’t just click.
They commit.
They stay.
They tell other people.
Because that’s what real chemistry does.
Stop Performing. Start Hosting.
If your marketing feels flat, it’s not because you’re bad at it.
It’s probably because you’ve been trying to perform instead of host.
And hospitality—real, thoughtful, human hospitality—has always been the most timeless conversion strategy there is.
