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Imagine this…
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Early in your career, you spent more than $2,000 on an online course that promised to turn you into a “6-figure freelancer” in 6 weeks.​
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​But after the 6th hour-long video “lesson,” you realized you weren’t learning anything you hadn’t already gotten (for free) from a YouTube video.
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There were no actionable or unique insights on the horizon, either.
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Just 17 more hours of video lessons and cookie-cutter templates.

You felt totally duped.
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Worse than that, you were sick to your stomach after wasting more than $2,000.​
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Fast forward 2.5 years…​
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You’re a successful copywriter. Your calendar is booked out for the next 3+ months.
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But you’re burned the f*ck out.
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You desperately want to pivot from client work to a more scalable offer.
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You see an ad for a workshop that promises to help you create a profitable, scalable offer in just 2 days.
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And it’s only $249.
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You read the persuasive sales page, and your finger hovers over the “Grab your spot now” button.
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​But this time, you freeze.
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​You know you need what this workshop is promising.
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But just 3 seconds later, you click off the sales page.
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And you stay stuck in Burn-out Land.
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​Why are you so afraid of buying this workshop when the alternative (doing nothing) keeps you stuck in a painful place?​
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In today’s edition of Why We Buy 🧠 we’ll explore the Fear-Avoidance Model—why we avoid taking action because of a bad experience.
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​Let’s get into it.
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​🧠 The Psychology of the Fear-Avoidance Model

The Fear-Avoidance Model is rooted in pain psychology. Researchers wanted to know:
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​Why do some people bounce back from an injury while others end up in chronic pain?​
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They proposed the fear of pain—rather than pain itself—is to blame.
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And a famous review paper supported that, finding that fear predicts chronicity.​
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Think of it this way: If you hurt your back, you might avoid exercising or even bending over. Not because you can’t, but because you think it’ll hurt.
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That fear leads to avoidance.
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That avoidance leads to weakness and lost confidence.
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And that decline ultimately leads to—you guessed it—more pain.
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So even when the original injury heals, fear keeps you paralyzed.

That fear flywheel (aka the opposite of the fun one) likely causes customers to avoid clicking “Buy now” after a bad experience with a similar product.
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So they’ll stick with the status quo, even if it’s not serving them.
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That’s why if you want to get your product in their cart, you’ve gotta break the fear-avoidance loop.
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🤑 How To Apply This

Alright, so how can you apply this right now to sell more?​
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​SaaS
​Use micro-conversions to ease browsers into the buyer journey

Instead of offering a free trial, StreamYard offers a $1 one-week trial that grants access to all paid-plan features.
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This massively minimizes risks *and* the pain of paying, making the sign-up feel like a no-brainer.

But the smartest part? It gets buyers to put skin in the game.
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Because even though it’s only a dollar, buyers have crossed a psychological line: “I’ve paid for this, so I need to use it.” It’s the Sunk Cost Fallacy in action.
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And once buyers are in and experiencing the value, their fear fades while loyalty builds.​
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​Subscriptions
​Offer customers a bonus they can clearly visualize

Instead of saying your first box is “$100 off,” HelloFresh frames it as “10 free meals.”
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This is a concrete bonus, so your brain can actually picture it. As a result, it makes the reward feel more tangible—and desirable.

So instead of worrying about what you’re spending or whether the food will be gross, your brain locks onto what you’re getting.
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(Bonus points: This also taps into the Endowed Progress Effect because it feels like you’ve already earned 10 free meals. That “head start” motivates you to keep ordering from HelloFresh.)
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eCommerce
​WOW shoppers by going the extra mile in your policies

Zappos doesn’t have a 30-day return policy. They offer 365-day free returns.
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Coupled with their famously delightful customer service, Zappos has shrunk the “What if it doesn’t fit?” fear to zero.

Shoppers feel safe buying a pair of Converse sneakers from them, knowing they can ship them back at nearly any point in the next freakin’ year without losing a dime.
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💥 The Short of It

People avoid pain.
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That means they also avoid anything that might cause pain, like regret or embarrassment.
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Now, you don’t need to eliminate every last fear.
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But you do need to shrink the mental “threat.”
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Reduce the perceived risk and make the first step in the buyer journey feel not only pain-free but also safe.
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​​Until next time, happy selling!

With ❤️ from Katelyn and Jordyn​

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