You cannot build a brilliant brand on guesswork. And yet, so many people try.
In this episode of The Brilliant Brand Podcast, we’re digging into one of the most overlooked tools in branding: customer interviews.
I’ll start with a story from my kitchen table (yes, it involves kids and dinner), and then we’ll connect the dots between real feedback and powerful messaging.
You’ll learn:
✅ Why assuming things about people weakens your brand
✅ How to ask open-ended questions that reveal emotion
✅ A 5-step process for insightful customer interviews
✅ How to use feedback for messaging that actually converts
Whether you’re launching, pivoting, or refining your brand, this episode will help you stop assuming—and start listening.
Tune in now:
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“Customer interviews are structured conversations with your audience. They help you get really deep insights into what your ideal people are thinking and feeling. What they care about, what they struggle with, what they want, and how they describe it all in their own words.”
Episode 5 Transcription
Hello Brilliant One!
Welcome back to The Brilliant Brand Podcast, where we explore what it takes to build a brand that is driven by purpose so that you can make a profit AND have impact in the world.
I’ve been talking about purpose in the last 3 episodes, and I’m taking a different path today and diving into another big topic: understanding who your brand is really for.
So, let me start with a little story from my kitchen –
Every night that I make dinner for my 3 kids, I ask the same question after they take a few bites.
“What is your rating from 1 to 10?”
I do this especially when I’m making new recipes, to see how they land and if I can put them into our meal planning rotation.
This has become a whole thing in our house at dinner time. The overachiever in me is always aiming for that 10 out of 10 – naturally. But if I get a 6 or a 7—or, ughh, a 4—I immediately ask, “Okay, what didn’t you like?”
“Was it the sauce?”
“The lack of sauce?”
“Was it too spicy?”
“Not enough salt?”
“Is it the plating?!”
I take notes. I ask follow-up questions. I’m basically running a focus group at my kitchen table.
Now here’s the thing: I can’t swap out my kids for ones who love everything I make. I’m kinda stuck with mine but I love them.
However, I can learn and understand what they want.
I can gather insights.
I can reverse-engineer dinner, and create something that they want.
And this has everything to do with branding (of course).
Because lately, on sales calls with business owners, I’ve noticed a pattern in particular.
I’ll ask:
“Who is your ideal customer or client?”
And the response?
Usually vague. Or, Broad.
Sometimes they don’t even know how to explain it.
Other times it’s a list of demographics such as their age, where they live, what kind of car they drive.
And many times, it’s well, “we’re for everyone” … “everyone that loves to drink carbonated beverages out of a can.”
That’s pretty vague and surface level.
It doesn’t talk about the pain points they have.
It doesn’t say what their fears or frustrations are.
It doesn’t explain what goals or lifestyle they live (or aspire to live).
Here’s the issue:
When you aren’t honed in on your ideal buyer, you end up talking to everyone, and then you attract no one.
You can’t be everything to everyone!
When you do that, you end up with a brand that’s generic, not magnetic.
It doesn’t spark a connection.
It’s not building a movement.
And it definitely doesn’t create raving fans.
So if this is you, let’s fix that.
I want you to remember, you’re not in the business of selling a product or a service.
You’re in the business of providing a solution to someone’s problem.
It could be creating efficiency in someone’s day-to-day… or providing entertainment… or helping with digestive issues… or feeling luxurious… or training their dog…
One of the best ways to clarify who your brand is for, and make smarter, sharper decisions across your marketing, messaging, positioning, offers, is by talking to the people you want to serve.
And I mean actually talking to them!
So, one of the biggest exercises we do at FreshSparks in our Brilliant Brand process to understand people is Customer Interviews.
Customer interviews are structured conversations with your audience.
They help you get really deep insights into what your ideal people are thinking and feeling. What they care about, what they struggle with, what they want, and how they describe it all in their own words.
This is called the Voice of Customer – or VOC if you’re an acronym person – which I am.
You’re hearing it straight from THEIR mouths. This is the gold.
Because once you have it, you can stop guessing and start crafting things that are rooted in real needs and desires. Whether it’s communication, experiences, or new products or services.
The goal of 1:1 interviews is to gain insights into what your customers say they’ve done in the past or are currently doing in relation to the problem you solve.
By understanding what previous customers have said, done, and thought, we can predict what future customers will say, do, and think.
Let me walk you through our process and how we do this effectively in 5 steps, so you have an idea about what goes into it.
Step 1: Know Who You’re Interviewing
We want to start with your best-fit, most aligned customers or clients.
If you’re just starting out, we want talk to people who closely resemble your ideal client. These are people you want to target. And you KNOW your brand can provide a solution for them.
If you’ve been in business already, we’re gonna to look at past customers or clients, existing ones, and even your network for potential buyers.
We’re choosing individuals who fit this persona. Depending on the brand, it could be 3-5 people, it could be 10-12 people.
A handful, however, is enough to start spotting patterns.
Step 2: Prepare with the Right Questions
We don’t need a 20-questions interrogation. In fact, less is more.
And we want the questions to be open-ended, not closed-ended.
Let’s talk about the difference between the two: closed and open.
A closed-ended question is one that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no,” or a single word. For example:
“Do you like our product?”
Or
“Would you recommend our brand to a friend?”
Those types of questions are fine if you’re running a quick survey, but they don’t give you much depth. They don’t tell you why someone feels the way they do—or what you could do better.
Now contrast that with open-ended questions—these are designed to spark conversation and insight. They might sound like this:
“What made you decide to work with us?”
“What was going on in your life before you found us?”
“What made you say yes to us?”
“What almost stopped you from saying yes?”
You can hear the difference, right?
Open-ended questions unlock stories. They give you a lot more context.
They help you see patterns and emotional drivers, and those are the nuggets that help you shape a compelling brand.
We want to hear emotionally driven answers – not just logical ones.
In these types of interviews, we aim for curiosity. The goal is to get people talking. Because when they talk, they tell you what really matters to them.
These questions help surface things like:
- Pain points, as I mentioned before
- Their decision-making triggers
- What they value
- And most importantly, how they describe those things in their language. Because we actually use that in your copywriting.
We’re not guiding people into answers. We’re just listening, being curious, and following up where needed.
Step 3: Conduct the interviews
There’s a lot of logistics with this step, and I don’t want to bore you with that.
But it consists of reaching out, scheduling, and showing up to talk to people!
Something that really helps, is recording the conversation, so that we can be present during the interview.
Of course, we’re getting permission.
Afterward, we have the interviews transcribed.
Because reading their exact words back (verbatim) is like finding the missing pieces of the brand puzzle. We spot language that can be borrowed for copy, content, and offers.
And this leads into –
Step 4: Look for patterns
Once we’ve done a few interviews, we need to step back and look for themes:
- Are people mentioning the same problems?
- Do we notice the use of similar words or phrases?
- Are they describing the same frustrations or dreams or fears?
This is what becomes the backbone of your messaging and positioning.
It helps us mirror your audience, so when they land on your website or hear your pitch, they feel like you’re reading their mind.
Don’t worry, it’s not manipulation, it’s alignment.
Step 5: Apply the Insights
Now that we have real data, we can start making strategic decisions rooted in truth, and not assumptions.
This step is where we translate what we’ve learned into tangible stuff.
We use those exact words your customers said and reflect them in your messaging; on your website, in your emails, and across your social media channels, in your video scripts.
This is why VOC – Voice of Customer – is so powerful. You’re not guessing at copy, you’re using language that already resonates.
And when people hear their own language, they feel very seen.
If these customers interviews reveal a pain point you hadn’t considered yet, or if they keep bringing up a certain benefit, then they’ve basically handed you your next big marketing angle.
Maybe you’ve been promoting one thing, but your audience cares more about something else. Now you know where to pivot.
Sometimes, these insights validate or even reshape your offers – kind of like my dinners.
If people are craving more guidance, support, or community, you may have a hidden opportunity to create or enhance something with your brand.
And if you hear the same questions or objections? That’s great for creating content. You can turn it into a blog post, a podcast, a Reel. The possibilities are endless for that.
This is how you build a brand that’s responsive to the audience. One that’s based on actual needs—not assumptions. It’s how your brand gets traction and starts to resonate in a meaningful way.
I want you to reflect –
What’s one thing you’ve assumed about your audience—without asking them first?
And with this final step in the process, we’re ready to create, revamp, or enhance your brand to align with your audience.
If you’d like to read through all these steps again, go over to the podcast page at freshsparks.com/5.
Should we bring this full circle?
Just like I’m cooking for 3 very specific little people, not “anyone who eats,” on the flip side – you’re not building a brand for everyone with a wallet.
You’re building for a specific kind of person—with specific desires, struggles, and language.
So instead of guessing… ask.
Let’s have the conversation. And dig beneath the surface.
You’ll see how much easier everything becomes in terms of how to communicate with them, and how confident you are about who your brand is.
Your brand becomes a magnet—because it finally speaks to your person, and not everyone.
That’s it for this episode, thank you for tuning in to The Brilliant Brand Podcast.
If you found this one helpful, please be sure to leave a review or share it with someone.
And hey—if you do a customer interview this week, let me know how it goes. Shoot me a DM on LinkedIn. I’d love to hear what insights come through and what mind-blowing things your ideal customers or clients have told you, that you didn’t already know.
If you’re looking for help with this, contact me at FreshSparks.com and let’s chat about it.
And tell me what’s for dinner at your house tonight – I need some new ideas to test.
I will talk to you next time, and stay brilliant.
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