The moment you touch a new product, the story you’ve built in your head gets rewritten.

I’ve been eagerly waiting for the prototype of a product I’m helping launch.

Even after photos, drawings, and deep discussions, I know my whole understanding will shift the moment I use it in real life.

That’s psychological distance at play.

Until something is in your hands for real, your brain can only imagine so much, all based on what you’ve experienced with status quo products.

A recent ScienceDirect study shows that when a product is truly new, people process it better through big, high-level benefits.

But when a product is familiar or incremental, buyers prefer specific attributes they can compare.

In short, your message has to match how “new” your innovation feels.

If your product is a step-change, communicate the transformation:

“Change your workflow forever.”
“Make mistakes impossible.”
“Finish in half the time.”

If it’s a smart improvement on something people already know, go concrete.

“20% lighter.”
“2× run time.”
“Quieter by 6 dB.”

The same study found that matching message to newness boosts processing fluency … a fancy way of saying buyers “get it” faster and evaluate it more positively.

Which means they rate it with more stars.

So before you pick your headline, ask:

Does this feel radically new, or comfortably familiar?

Your answer could possibly shape everything.

Want to make your product irresistible? That’s what we do as product marketing consultants at Graphos Product, helping innovators turn need-driven ideas into market-ready successes.