Ashley's Take: "A lot of times people can advertise to just the solution... but I think what a lot of people don't do well is they don't advertise to what's relevant to where the person is at. Which could be the symptom or it could be the problem, or it could be the solution."

This is the R in RAINMAKER: Relevancy.

Here's the mistake advertisers make.

They only target people searching for the solution.

Someone Googling "book editing coach" is ready to buy.

But someone Googling "how to write a book" isn't.

They have a problem. They don't know the solution yet.

If you spend 100% of your budget targeting solution-aware people, you're missing 90% of your market.

Ashley's client is a nervous system regulation coach.

3 different awareness levels for the same audience:

Symptom-aware: "I feel numb. My emotions are gone."

Problem-aware: "I'm burned out and need help."

Solution-aware: "I need a nervous system regulation coach."

You need ads for ALL 3.

Because people at different stages need different messaging.

Selling to someone at the symptom stage with a solution-focused ad means you're asking them to buy something they don't even know exists yet.

They're not ready.

Takeaway: Map out your customer's awareness journey.

Create 3 ad variations:

1 for symptom-aware (they know something's wrong)

1 for problem-aware (they know what's wrong)

1 for solution-aware (they know what they need)

Match your messaging to where they are. Not where you want them to be.

2️⃣. Call Out Your ICP In The 1st Sentence. Or They'll Scroll.

Ashley's Take: "Calling out in your ads, who this is for at the very beginning as clearly and specifically as you can. It's so simple, but people just overlook it and they're like, 'yeah, no, I said doctors like four sentences in.' I'm like, right. And they'll never make it to that part because they skipped the hook."

This is the I in RAINMAKER: Identifiability.

Ashley was reviewing a $25M company's ad yesterday.

First line: "Do you ever feel like you're trying everything with your clients and it's not working?"

Her feedback: "I have no idea what your business is on that first line."

Clients? What kind of clients?

Doctors have clients. Lawyers have clients. Marketers have clients.

If you don't call out WHO you're talking to in the first sentence, people scroll.

Bad hook: "Tired of bad hires?"

Good hook:“Dental practice owner. Lost another hygienist at 90 days and $12K in recruiting fees?”

The 2nd one IMMEDIATELY tells you if the ad is for you.

And here's the bonus: It tells the ALGORITHM who to serve it to.

If the algorithm is confused, it serves your ad to everyone.

Which means you waste money on unqualified clicks.

Takeaway: Rewrite every ad hook to call out your ICP in the first sentence.

Be specific: Not "business owners"- "“Chiropractors with multi location practices in Miami."

The more specific, the better your targeting AND your conversion rate.

3️⃣. Flip Your Script. Lead With The Outcome, Not The Product.

Ashley's Take: "People say their product or their service before they say what comes on the other side of that... someone will say, 'Hey, when you enroll in our program, you'll get X, Y, and Z.' Versus flipping it and saying, here's the payoff. And that's created through our program."

This is the A in RAINMAKER: Avoiding (me, my, I - and product-first language).

Most ads say: "When you enroll in our employee automation software, you'll save time."

That's backwards.

Lead with the outcome FIRST.

Better: “What would it feel like if your team finally had time back?
If qualified candidates showed up every single day without chasing them?
That’s what becomes possible when you enroll in our employee automation software.

See the difference.

The 1st version asks people to care about your product BEFORE they understand what's in it for them.

The 2nd version paints the outcome, THEN introduces the product as the vehicle.

People don't buy software. They buy outcomes.

Another example from Ashley:

Bad: "I know y'all might be looking for someone to come into your business and create this automation."

Good: "Are you struggling to get your systems to talk to each other? Do you envision a day where everything just works when you walk in?"

The 2nd one is about THEM. Not about you.

Takeaway: Audit your ads for "me, my, I" language.

Rewrite them to say "you" instead.

Then flip the order: Outcome 1st, product 2nd.

Ask: "What does the customer GET?" Say that. Then say how your product delivers it.

4️⃣. Speak Their Language. Lingo = Trust.

Ashley's Take: "Lingo is bingo... One of my clients is a speech language pathologist, and her best performing ad was just a blank ad with a pink background and it said, 'SLPs, are you tired of soap notes? I can help?'"

This is the K in RAINMAKER: Knowledge.

Ashley's client ran a pink ad with 1 line:

"SLPs, are you tired of soap notes?"

For you and me, that means nothing.

But for speech language pathologists (SLPs), that's their daily pain.

SOAP notes = the paperwork they hate doing after every patient.

The ad crushed.

Why?

Because she spoke their lingo.

She knew their world. She knew their pain. She used their exact language.

That builds instant trust.

If you're advertising to CTOs, speak like a CTO.

If you're advertising to plumbers, use plumber terms.

Don't dumb it down. Don't be generic.

Use the acronyms. Use the jargon. Use the exact words they use when they complain to their colleagues.

That's how you prove you're the expert.

Takeaway: List the top 5 pain points your ICP talks about.

Write down the EXACT words they use (not your marketing spin).

Use that language in your ad copy.

If you're targeting a specific role, use their industry lingo - CAC, LTV, SOAP notes, whatever it is.

Don't spell it out unless you want to attract beginners.

5️⃣. Front-Load Your Credibility. Or They Won't Listen.

Ashley's Take: "Credibility does not negate humility... One of my clients' best performing ads, her first sentence says, 'I run an eight figure business.' That alone, people were like, okay, well now I wanna hear what she has to say."

This is the final R in RAINMAKER: Reputation.

Too many advertisers bury the lead.

They hide their credibility at the bottom of the ad.

Or worse...they don't mention it at all because they think it sounds braggy.

Wrong.

People need a reason to listen to you.

Authority = profitability.

Ashley's client runs an operations business.

Her best ad starts with: "I run an eight figure business."

First sentence.

Behind her? An Inc. 5000 trophy.

That's it.