Strengthen Creative Focus Before Ideation using Get Who To By
Look, we’ve all been there. You’re in a room full of 'creatives' throwing ideas at a wall like they’re trying to see what sticks, but the wall is made of Teflon. You end up with a mood board that looks like a fever dream and zero actual direction. The Get Who To By framework is the cold shower your ideation phase needs. It stops you from making 'art' that nobody buys and starts you making stuff that actually works. It’s the filter for your creative garbage.
The TL;DR
Stop wasting hours on 'blue-sky thinking' that goes nowhere. Use Get Who To By to nail down your target (GET), their actual messy behavior (WHO), the blunt message they need to hear (TO), and the mechanism to make it happen (BY). It’s strategy for people who don't have time to fail.
Why Get Who To By is Your Ideation Reality Check
Ideation without constraints isn't 'creative freedom' - it's a mess. This framework provides the guardrails so your ideas actually have a point.
The Four Steps
GET
Who exactly are the poor souls you're targeting?
Identify the smallest, most winnable group that actually has a reason to care. If your answer is 'people with skin,' go back to sleep. We need a target so specific it feels personal.
WHO
What is the dirty secret of their current behavior?
Don't give me demographics. Give me habits, frustrations, and the weird things they do because they don't have your solution yet. This is the 'itch' your creative needs to scratch.
TO
What’s the blunt message that makes the action obvious?
This is the 'what.' If they see your creative for two seconds, what is the one thought that should pop into their brain? Keep it simple. Complexity is where ideas go to die.
BY
How are you actually going to force their hand?
The mechanism. Is it a tool, a specific offer, a disruptive piece of content, or a UI change? This is the delivery system for your message. No mechanism, no action.
Ways to Trash Your Own Strategy
(Try to avoid these, if you can help yourself)
- ×Targeting 'everyone' because you're afraid of leaving money on the table.
- ×Writing a 'WHO' that sounds like a Hallmark card instead of a real human problem.
- ×Making the 'TO' so clever that nobody knows what you're actually selling.
- ×Forgetting the 'BY' and just hoping people will find you through 'vibes.'
- ×Treating the framework as a checkbox instead of a creative filter.
- ×Using marketing jargon to hide the fact that you don't have an insight.
- ×Ignoring the reality of how lazy your audience actually is.
- ×Changing the framework mid-brainstorm because a 'cool idea' doesn't fit.
If your framework looks like a word salad, your creative will taste like one too. Clean it up.
Real Examples
Productivity SaaS
Getting middle managers to adopt a new project management tool.
GET
Overworked middle managers who haven't seen their kids all week.
WHO
They are terrified of changing their workflow but even more terrified of the manual errors killing their weekends.
TO
Automate the spreadsheet hell so you can actually go home at 5 PM.
BY
A '1-Click Migration' tool that imports their messy Excel sheets instantly.
D2C Beverage
Launching a high-caffeine coffee for remote workers.
GET
Remote workers who treat coffee as a personality trait but keep running out on Tuesdays.
WHO
They value convenience over everything but feel guilty about the burnt-tasting sludge from the corner store.
TO
Never suffer through a 'no-coffee morning' again.
BY
A 'Panic Button' subscription that ships a fresh bag the moment you realize you're low.
FinTech App
Encouraging Gen Z to start a small savings habit.
GET
Gen Zers who think 'investing' is only for people with suits and yachts.
WHO
They want to save but feel overwhelmed by the math and end up spending their extra cash on small treats for dopamine.
TO
Turn your 'little treats' into a big future without feeling the pinch.
BY
A 'Round-Up' feature that invests the spare change from every purchase automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have two 'GETs'?
No. Pick one. If you try to talk to two groups at once, you’ll end up talking to a wall. If you have two distinct audiences, write two distinct frameworks.
What if my 'WHO' feels too simple?
Simple is good. 'They are lazy' is a better insight than a 40-page psychographic report that says absolutely nothing about their actual habits.
Does the 'TO' have to be the actual headline?
Not necessarily, but it should be the soul of the headline. If your headline doesn't communicate the 'TO,' your creative is failing.
Is the 'BY' just the call to action?
It's the mechanism behind the CTA. 'Click here' is a CTA. 'A 30-day free trial with no credit card required' is the mechanism (BY).
When should I use this in the process?
Before you open Figma. Before you start a slide deck. The moment you have a vague brief, run it through GWTB to see if it holds water.
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