Why Emotion Beats Logic Every Time on Social Media
with Shawna Suckow ” Consumer Behavior Expert & Small Business Marketing Strategist
Released Sunday, March 15, 2026
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You've posted. You've waited. And all you got back were crickets. If your social media is a list of features and benefits, that's exactly the problem ” and Shawna breaks it down in this solo episode. Science is clear: facts don't stick. Stories do. Emotion makes things memorable, and memorable makes you money. Shawna walks through the exact formula for turning any boring feature into a story that stops the scroll, builds trust, and makes you unforgettable. From "family owned since 1952" to "family owned since disco was in style" ” small tweaks, massive results. Listen now.
In This Episode
Key Topics Discussed
Why Features Don't Stop the Scroll
- Facts and figures are among the least memorable things the brain processes
- Features and benefits don't build trust or make you unforgettable
- Your competitors are saying the same things ” you blend in
- The science behind why stories beat specs every time
’ The Emotion Formula
- Every feature can be translated into a story
- The hero should almost always be your customer ” not you
- You play the sidekick who helps them win
- Emotion triggers memory ” that's the whole game
The Disco Test
- "Family owned since 1952" vs. "since disco was in style"
- Same fact ” completely different emotional impact
- Run every feature through the disco test before posting
- "Open 24 hours" ’ "We work the night shift so you're always covered"
“ Images That Trigger Emotion
- Pets, kids, real moments ” they outperform polished stock photos every time
- The mechanic + his 3-year-old photo vs. years of studio shots
- One real moment beats a thousand perfect staged images
- Humor, nostalgia, pride ” pick the emotion that fits your brand
The Bottom Line
Key Takeaways
- Stop leading with features. Facts alone don't stop the scroll, don't build trust, and don't make you memorable. Stories do.
- Make your customer the hero. You're the sidekick. Shine the spotlight on their win ” not your credentials.
- Run every feature through the "disco test." Find a more human, emotionally resonant way to say the same thing.
- Real images outperform stock photos. A candid moment with a kid, a pet, or a real customer will always beat a posed studio shot.
- Emotion makes things memorable ” and memorable makes you money. That's the entire formula.
Read It
Why Features Don't Work
Do you ever post on social media and all you get back are crickets? Hardly any likes, hardly any engagement at all. It's really common, and today we're going to unpack why that might be and what you can do to fix that.
One of the things you'll hear me talk about throughout this podcast is storytelling. Why? Because features and benefits just don't stop the scroll. They don't build trust, and they don't make you unforgettable. Studies have shown that facts and figures are not nearly as memorable as things shared in the form of a story.
The Emotion Formula
So what you can do is take each one of those features and benefits and turn them into an individual story —” hopefully featuring a hero. The hero should almost always be the customer, and what you as the sidekick were able to help that customer achieve because they used your product or service.
That means we have to trigger emotion in most of our posts. That does not mean you have to get people crying. It just means that emotion makes things memorable. Scientifically proven —” way more memorable than facts alone. So if we share those facts couched in a story that triggers emotion, that's a home run right there.
The Disco Test
Rather than saying "family owned and operated," find a different way to say it. Like "family owned since disco was in style." Anything that's going to trigger an emotion —” maybe nostalgia, or a laugh. You have just become so much more unforgettable, and you stand out from all of your competitors who are just stating the boring fact.
"Open 24 hours" —” what's a different way to say that? How about: "We have people work the night shift so that you're always covered." Find any way to say it besides the boring version your competitors are using, and you'll get a lot more eyeballs on your material.
Real Images Win Every Time
Another thing that always triggers emotion: pets. Dogs, cats, guinea pigs. Or babies, kids, family. A guy who owns a car repair shop had been posting stock photos of perfect-looking mechanics for years. Then he posted a photo of himself crouched down next to his three-year-old son, both looking at a tire. It got more engagement than anything he'd ever posted. An image can trigger emotion as much as the right sentence or a video.
How can you take every single one of your features and find a way to highlight a customer —” or a problem that was solved by one of your amazing staff? Make other people the hero. You are allowed to every now and then brag and take credit for things. Just don't do it all the time. Even a humble brag is so much better than an announcement with no personality and no humanity to it.
Do less. Win more. I hope this is helpful, and I would love to hear your thoughts. While you're at it, grab a copy of my new book —” Small Is Your Superpower —” available at thebuyerinsider.com or from Amazon.