What programming robots taught me about people (and a BIG announcement!)
Welcome to today’s issue of Conversion Alchemy Journal. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here.
I always thought I learned UX design in my two years at a usability testing startup between 2019 and 2020.
I was wrong.
I’d been a UX designer, without realizing it, for 10 years before I even knew what working online was.
Let me explain…
In my old life as a software engineer in industrial automation, writing code wasn’t my only occupation. When you’re working on automatic assembly machines (like this one in a video from the company I worked for, shout out), you have to design the entire HMI (Human Machine Interface) system too. That’s what allows human operators to interact with and control the machine that effectively replaces them in carrying out the manual labor.
This is what a HMI screen looks like (or looked like 10+ years ago when I was designing them):
Or this other one:
I know, not the sexiest design.
But that isn’t the goal. The goal of these touch screen panels is to be effective and efficient. Users need to be able to set the machines up, control their start and stop operations and monitor the production status — fast — and without risking their life (or a limb).
All of this demanded that I develop deep technical expertise on drastically different systems, with a lot of tools (each display/machine used a different design software). But the biggest skills I developed, that I still carry in all my work today, are empathy and the ability to design for users.
Where am I going with all of this?
Like roots plotting their quiet underground takeover, I was unconsciously building my messaging framework. The principles behind all my work at Conversion Alchemy.
I call it “The Transformation Pyramid”:
At the core of the pyramid, there are three core premises each reflecting an essential truth about effective communication:
- Copy: We don’t just read words; we unpack meaning.
- UX: Great copy can’t resonate if it can’t be found.
- Buyer Psychology: We’re not selling a product, we’re selling a decision.
In turn these principles create the layers of the Transformation Pyramid—Understand, Experience, Act, each relying on the one below it to function effectively:
- Understand: This is where the clarity and relevance of the copy ensure the message is not only visible but resonant.
- Experience: This layer builds on understanding, making sure customers feel connected as they interact.
- Act: This top layer leverages buyer psychology through micro decisions, to inspire the next steps, whether decisions or commitments.
When approached using the Transformation Pyramid as a guide, your messaging does more than communicate: it connects, guides, and motivates.
Which leads me to an big update…
Enter “Unpacking Meaning”
This is an exciting update about a shift I’ve been working on for some time. Starting next week, this newsletter, Conversion Alchemy Journal, will turn into “Unpacking Meaning”, a newsletter designed to push beyond words and focus on the real alchemy: connecting messaging, user experience, and buyer psychology to create communication that resonates.
Why the change?
Over the years, I’ve noticed a common gap in how founders and marketers approach copywriting. Copy alone rarely makes the impact we’re aiming for if it doesn’t connect with how customers interpret it, engage with it, and ultimately, act on it.
What’s changing?
Most copy falls short because it’s disconnected from the experience of the buyer. To me, a buyer’s experience is rooted in the strategy work we do upfront —positioning and messaging are foundational. But too often, strategy and user experience remain isolated from each other, failing to come together across a website, email sequence, or sales collateral.
In Seth Godin's words:
“We create the conditions for people who want to go where we’re going to join us. We use tension and status and affiliation to help people get from where they are to where they seek to go. What’s the user experience like? What’s the story behind the story? And what will I tell the others?”
To craft effective messaging we need to start thinking in terms of how every piece of communication feels, the journey it creates, and the path it opens for readers to see themselves in the solution.
Here’s what you can expect with Unpacking Meaning:
- Stories and frameworks to bring these ideas to life
- How these stories and frameworks fit and can be applied using the Transformation pyramid (to help prospects Understand, Experience, and Act)
- Hand-picked insights, examples, and questions to guide your thinking and your craft
Unpacking Meaning is my commitment to making sure each issue not only helps you write better copy but gives you the tools to create memorable experiences that connect your audience to your message and your mission.
Next week marks the official launch, and I’d love to hear your thoughts as we dive in.
Here’s to making our messages mean more.
📚 Copywriting nuggets in the wild
Content of the week: Understanding self-esteem
This week my recommendation is a book. In "Become who you are", Ryan A. Bush, makes the case for how in order to be happy, we need to do what's virtuous, what makes us admire ourselves.
I think this has very important implications for understanding how people make decisions. If you want to make someone happy, mirror their sense of self-worth. You can do it with the right messaging.
Swipe file: How to make a great waitlist landing page
Notion just launched a lot of new updates, including their own email platform, Notion Mail. It's currently still only in early beta, but I loved their waitlist lander and their positioning:
Personalized to your work and beautifully designed—Notion Mail is the only inbox that makes life simpler.
It's clear, compelling to the right audience and differentiated.
✅ Don't miss it
Episode 28 of The Message-Market Fit podcast is out!
I had a great chat with Ryan Paul Gibson, founder of Content Lift. Here's what you'll learn:
- How to conduct effective B2B customer interviews that drive actionable insights
- Why focusing on buyer processes is more valuable than demographics
- How to craft interview questions that uncover deep customer insights
- Strategies for managing biases and becoming a better interviewer
- Tips for getting busy executives to participate in research
- The ideal number of interviews needed to reach insight saturation
- How to stay curious and energized during customer research
And way way more.
Check it out here. And if you find it valuable, would you consider subscribing and leaving a rating? 🙏
🤔 Thought of the week
"It’s helpful to be wrong or confused. Being wrong makes you try a different approach. Feeling confused makes you clarify or question your assumptions. It’s intellectual humility."
Derek Sivers, Useful Not True
Questioning your assumptions doesn’t mean crushing your ego. It means creating space for the positive, creative side of your ego to give life to something better. Egolessness is not fulfillment. Humility should be selfish because you want to improve yourself through it first.
Have a great weekend!
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Chris Silvestri
Founder, Conversion Alchemy
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🙌🏻 Let’s be friends (unless you’re a stalker)
