---
title: Name a problem mechanism and a solution mechanism
slug: name-the-unique-mechanism
summary: Why sales copy should name how the problem arises and how your product uniquely solves it (Purple's GelFlex Grid, Scrub Daddy's FlexTexture), a 10-word test to check you have one, and how demonstrations prove it.
domain: marketing
tags: [copywriting, positioning, unique-mechanism, sales-page]
related: [funnel-stage-copy-triggers, proof-and-believable-claims, headline-hooks-and-copy-frameworks]
sources: [yt:32uLdgfvuQ4, yt:7gjtI1rnds4]
updated: 2026-10-24
---

# Name a problem mechanism and a solution mechanism

## TL;DR
- Don't just sell problem → solution; sell **problem mechanism** (how the problem is created in your category) → **solution mechanism** (how your product uniquely fixes it). Name both[^1].
- A named mechanism answers "but *how*?" before the sceptical brain asks it; companies that can't name theirs lose to ones that can, even with identical products[^2][^3].
- **10-word test:** "Our solution works because of [mechanism name], which means [specific outcome]." Can't fill it in ten words? You don't have a mechanism yet[^3].
- Prove it with a demonstration: Purple drops a raw egg on the mattress[^1][^4].
- Named things get asked for by name — name methodologies, processes, even your cart and checkout[^5].

## Details
Joanna Wiebe ([[people/joanna-wiebe]]) points to infomercial brands (Scrub Daddy, ShamWow) and Purple: Purple didn't say "our mattress breathes", it named its construction — a trademarkable "GelFlex Grid" — and demonstrated it with the egg test[^1][^5]. Scrub Daddy named "FlexTexture" (firm in cold water for scrubbing, soft in warm water for wiping); she credits that named mechanism with turning a sponge into a nearly billion-dollar company[^2].

**How to build one for a landing page**
1. Write the problem mechanism: *why* the customer's current approach fails (e.g. "your energy dips because your liver is overloaded" — the angle Dose uses on its persona pages, [[persona-landing-pages-and-listicles]]).
2. Name your solution mechanism — a proper noun for the method/ingredient/design.
3. Run the 10-word test.
4. Place it in the middle of the page (plausibility stage, [[funnel-stage-copy-triggers]]), right after the problem section, and attach a demonstration or proof directly below it ([[proof-and-believable-claims]]).
5. For courses/ebooks/workshops: name the framework you teach (Joanna's own diagnostic is a named list/offer/copy triangle — [[list-offer-copy-hierarchy]]).

## Disagreements / caveats
- Health and supplement mechanisms are regulated claims; a named mechanism must be true and substantiated.
- Naming is a positioning tool, not a substitute for a product that actually works differently.

## See also
- [[funnel-stage-copy-triggers]]

[^1]: yt:32uLdgfvuQ4 @ 10:41 — Joanna Wiebe
[^2]: yt:7gjtI1rnds4 @ 04:06 — Joanna Wiebe
[^3]: yt:7gjtI1rnds4 @ 05:37 — Joanna Wiebe
[^4]: yt:32uLdgfvuQ4 @ 23:01 — Joanna Wiebe
[^5]: yt:32uLdgfvuQ4 @ 12:14 — Joanna Wiebe