Pathos: How To Make Your Audience Feel The Problem You Solve
Emotion is the force that drives human behavior. People do not act because they simply understand something. They act because they feel something. In marketing, in fundraising, and in every form of persuasive communication, emotion is the catalyst for movement. When a viewer feels nothing, they do nothing.
For founders—especially those building a crowdfunding audience or launching a new product—emotional communication is essential. You are asking people to believe in a vision that does not yet exist. You are asking them to imagine a change, a transformation, an improvement. Pathos is what brings that imagination to life.
Pathos is the emotional appeal inside the Rhetorical Triangle. It is the element that makes your message resonate. It turns information into impact, logic into meaning, and storytelling into persuasion.
To use pathos effectively, you must understand how emotion operates in human decision-making. People make choices based on how something makes them feel, then they use logic to justify that decision afterward. In fact, research suggests about 70% of consumers’ decisions are based on emotional factors (Gallup). This means emotion comes first. Logic supports it.
If your videos are not moving people emotionally, your message will not move them at all.
Why Emotion Is the Heart of Persuasion
Think about the last meaningful decision you made. You likely felt something before you thought something. You felt relief, excitement, fear, curiosity, frustration or hope.
Emotion gives direction to attention. It tells the brain what to prioritise. According to research from Stanford Graduate School of Business, 90% to 95% of our decisions and behaviors are shaped non-consciously by the emotional brain system. Stanford Graduate School of Business When something triggers an emotional response, the brain flags it as important.
This is why storytelling is the oldest and most influential form of communication. Long before statistics or research existed, humans shared lessons through stories—because they activated memory and emotion.
Emotion is the foundation of memory: people remember stories far more than they remember abstract facts. For example, emotional marketing campaigns show that ads provoking strong feelings can create a 23% spike in sales. If your message doesn’t evoke emotion, it disappears the moment the viewer scrolls away.
The Founder’s Emotional Advantage
As a founder, you have an inherent emotional advantage that most large brands lack. You are close to the problem. You are close to the customer. You have lived the frustration that inspired your product.
Your story carries weight. Your voice carries authenticity. Your experiences carry emotional truth.
When you learn to communicate that truth, your message becomes irresistible.
What Pathos Looks Like in Video
Pathos can appear in many forms:
A shared moment of frustration your viewer recognises.
A personal story showing why you built your product.
A visual depiction of the problem or transformation.
A tone of empathy that reassures the viewer they are not alone.
Emotion doesn’t always require intensity or drama. It can be subtle, warm, inspiring, or even humorous. The goal is not to overwhelm—it is to awaken recognition.
How To Make Your Audience Feel the Problem
The most effective emotional persuasion begins with understanding your audience deeply. What they struggle with. What they fear. What they hope for. What they desire. What frustrates them.
Step One. Describe Their World
Start by describing a moment your audience experiences regularly. Make it specific and sensory. It should feel like you were standing beside them when it happened.
Step Two. Reflect Their Emotional State
Describe the frustration, stress, confusion, or disappointment that comes with that moment. Use emotional vocabulary—but keep it honest. Pathos is powerful only when grounded in truth.
Step Three. Introduce the Shift
Once you’ve evoked emotion tied to the problem, introduce the emotional possibility tied to the solution. Show what life feels like when the problem is gone: relief, control, empowerment.
Emotion needs contrast to be effective. The problem creates tension; the solution delivers release.
Step Four. Tell a Founder Story
One of the strongest ways to build pathos is through your own story. Show a moment when you personally faced the problem and felt the weight of it. Your audience doesn’t just want a product—they want the feeling that you, the founder, understand them.
The Difference Between Authentic Emotion and Manipulation
Ethical use of pathos is essential. Emotion can be powerful—but when used irresponsibly, it becomes manipulation.
Authentic emotional persuasion is grounded in truth. It reflects real experiences, real frustrations, and real transformations. Manipulative emotion exaggerates, distorts, or pressures.
Ask yourself:
Is this emotion true?
Is it necessary?
Does it help the viewer understand their own experience more clearly?
If the answer is yes, your emotional storytelling will strengthen trust instead of undermining it.
Why Pathos Makes Your Message Memorable
Logical information is easy to forget. But emotional resonance leaves an imprint. When pathos is strong, your audience becomes invested. They begin to imagine themselves in your story. They begin to internalise your message.
This emotional connection is what transforms a viewer into a supporter. For example, ads that evoke high emotional reactions result in a 31% success rate versus 16% for purely rational ads (Emotional marketing research).
Pathos Without Logos or Ethos
While pathos creates emotional connection, it cannot stand alone. If your message has strong emotion but lacks clarity (logos) or credibility (ethos), your viewer becomes skeptical.
Emotion without logic feels exaggerated.
Emotion without credibility feels forced.
When you combine pathos with logos and ethos, the emotional impact becomes grounded, believable, and persuasive.
Why Pathos Is Critical for Founders
As a founder, you are not only selling a product. You are selling belief. You are selling a vision of what the future could look like. Your audience must feel that future.
Pathos helps your viewer experience the problem. It helps them feel the gap between their current reality and the possibility your product creates.
That emotional gap is where persuasion lives.