Fix Risk-Averse Financial Briefs using Get Who To By
Most financial briefs are where creativity goes to die, smothered by a pile of legal disclaimers and 'safety first' slogans that mean absolutely nothing. You’re likely staring at a document that tries to appeal to 'everyone with a bank account' while saying nothing that would actually make a human move their money. The Get Who To By framework is your escape hatch. It forces you to stop hiding behind corporate jargon and start making decisions that won't put your audience into a coma.
The TL;DR
Fix your gutless financial briefs by ditching the 'all things to all people' approach. Use Get Who To By to pin down a specific high-value target (GET), identify the psychological wall they’ve built (WHO), give them a blunt reason to act (TO), and provide the actual tool or trigger to make it happen (BY).
Why This Beats Your Current Beige Strategy
The financial sector loves to play it safe, which is why every ad looks like a stock photo of a retired couple on a beach. This framework actually works because it demands specificity in a world of vagueness.
The Four Steps
GET
Who exactly is worth the marketing spend?
Forget 'investors.' I’m talking about the specific person who is currently losing $200 a month to fees or the one who just got their first big bonus and has no idea what to do with it. If you can't describe their life, you can't have their money.
WHO
What is the specific psychological barrier or habit?
Why aren't they moving? Usually, it's not lack of interest; it's fear of paperwork, 'good enough' bias, or the belief that all banks are equally trash. Find the friction point.
TO
What is the stupidly obvious message?
Stop being poetic. Tell them exactly what the benefit is. If they have to think for more than three seconds to understand the value, you've already lost them to a cat video.
BY
How are you actually forcing the action?
This is the 'how.' A 30-second signup, a comparison calculator that makes them feel dumb for staying, or a limited-time bonus. Give them the shovel so they can dig.
How to Trash a Financial Brief
(Don't do these, for the love of your ROI)
- ×Defining the target as 'High Net Worth Individuals' (too broad, try again)
- ×Using 'Trust' as a differentiator (everyone says it, nobody believes it)
- ×Ignoring the massive pain of switching accounts
- ×Writing headlines that sound like a legal disclaimer
- ×Hiding the call-to-action in a sea of 8pt font
- ×Assuming people care about your 'heritage' more than their own interest rates
- ×Forgetting that people are terrified of looking stupid
- ×Using 'synergy' or 'holistic' anywhere in the document
If your brief feels safe, it’s probably invisible. Tighten it up.
Real Examples
Savings Accounts
A campaign to get people to move cash from 'big four' banks to a high-yield challenger.
GET
Lazy savers with $10k+ sitting in 0.01% interest accounts.
WHO
They know they’re losing money to inflation but think switching banks is a 4-hour bureaucratic nightmare.
TO
Stop giving your bank a free loan and start getting paid properly.
BY
A 60-second 'Switch-Kit' that handles the paperwork and a guaranteed rate for 12 months.
Retirement Planning
Targeting mid-career professionals who haven't touched their 401k settings in a decade.
GET
40-somethings who 'set and forgot' their investments in 2014.
WHO
They feel a vague sense of dread about retirement but are too overwhelmed by options to actually audit their portfolio.
TO
Your 2014 strategy is sabotaging your 2044 retirement.
BY
A 3-click 'Portfolio Health Check' tool that shows exactly how much they’re losing in fees.
Investment Apps
Encouraging cautious first-time investors to move beyond just keeping cash.
GET
Risk-averse Gen Z professionals who think the stock market is just gambling.
WHO
They want to build wealth but are paralyzed by the fear of 'losing it all' in a market crash.
TO
Investing isn't a casino - it's the only way to keep your money from shrinking.
BY
Offering a 'Downside Protection' trial where the app covers the first $50 of any initial market loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
Compliance says our message is too aggressive. What now?
Compliance's job is to keep you out of jail, not to make you profitable. Keep the core 'TO' message sharp but use the 'BY' mechanism to handle the disclosures. Don't let the legal team write the headline.
Can I have two 'WHOs' if my product is versatile?
No. Pick one. If you try to talk to the 'frugal saver' and the 'aggressive investor' in one brief, you'll end up talking to a wall.
What if my 'BY' mechanism is just a website link?
Then your campaign is going to fail. A link is a destination, not a mechanism. Your 'BY' needs to be the reason they click - like a calculator, a bonus, or a deadline.
Is 'GET' just demographics?
Demographics are for people who don't understand humans. 'GET' is about mindset and situation. 'People who just got a raise' is better than 'Males 30-45.'
How do I know if my 'TO' is clear enough?
Read it to someone who doesn't work in finance. If they ask 'Wait, what does that mean?', it's garbage. Throw it away and start over.
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