How do I install the Reasons People Buy skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add gnurio/reasons-people-buy in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Reasons People Buy safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Reasons People Buy?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Reasons People Buy free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Reasons People Buy?

gnurio (@gnurio) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Reasons People Buy by gnurio — Agent Skill

Name: Reasons People Buy
Author: gnurio

Reasons People Buy

Ground persuasive writing in a real reason people buy. Use when writing or editing copy meant to make someone buy, subscribe, or act (landing pages, ads, offers, positioning), or when auditing a draft that reads as feature-speak — "why would anyone buy this?", "make this benefit-led", "what's the hook?".

gnurio Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Reasons people buy

People buy to move toward a feeling or an outcome, never to own a feature. Copy that names what a product is or does leaves the reader to supply the reason themselves, and most won't. Name the reason first; let the feature prove it.

The move

For every line meant to persuade:

Name the reason. Match the line to a reason on the list below. A line that maps to none is feature-speak — cut it or rewrite it. Done when every retained line traces to one named reason.
Say the outcome, not the mechanism. What the buyer gets ("stop losing an hour a day to this"), not how it works ("automated workflow engine").
Lead with the reason, prove with the feature. Reason in the headline or first line; the feature sits underneath as evidence.

The list

The working spine — 15 reasons people buy stuff:

To avoid effort
To feel happier
To save time
To be comfortable
To escape pain or guilt
To make money
To save money
To get recognition
To be healthier
To feel secure
To alleviate fear
To feel special
To increase status
To feel loved
To get knowledge

Beneath every reason sits one of eight deeper drives (Josh Kaufman, The Personal MBA) — the reason wearing work clothes:

money · status · power · love · knowledge · protection · pleasure · excitement

Write from the 15; check against the 8 that you've found the real driver rather than a surface benefit.

Checks

One primary reason per asset. A page that argues five reasons equally makes the reader feel none. Pick the primary; demote the rest to support.
Match the reason to the journey stage. Effort, time, pain, guilt, and fear pull people who don't yet know they have a problem; recognition, status, love, and feeling special close people already deciding.
Test the phrasing against how a real buyer talks — their vocabulary, not yours. Language accuracy is what makes a line land; guessed language reads as an ad and gets skipped.

References

Read references/sources.md when the top-level guidance isn't enough — it encodes the full source material:

The 15 reasons people buy stuff (the original list)
The core human drives — Josh Kaufman, The Personal MBA
Buyer psychology cheatsheet — 19 biases mapped to buyer-journey stages, each with an action (Customer Camp)

---name: reasons-people-buydescription: Ground persuasive writing in a real reason people buy. Use when writing or editing copy meant to make someone buy, subscribe, or act (landing pages, ads, offers, positioning), or when auditing a draft that reads as feature-speak — "why would anyone buy this?", "make this benefit-led", "what's the hook?".---# Reasons people buyPeople buy to move toward a feeling or an outcome, never to own a feature. Copy that names what a product *is* or *does* leaves the reader to supply the reason themselves, and most won't. Name the reason first; let the feature prove it.## The moveFor every line meant to persuade:1. **Name the reason.** Match the line to a reason on the list below. A line that maps to none is feature-speak — cut it or rewrite it. *Done when every retained line traces to one named reason.*2. **Say the outcome, not the mechanism.** What the buyer gets ("stop losing an hour a day to this"), not how it works ("automated workflow engine").3. **Lead with the reason, prove with the feature.** Reason in the headline or first line; the feature sits underneath as evidence.## The listThe working spine — 15 reasons people buy stuff:1. To avoid effort2. To feel happier3. To save time4. To be comfortable5. To escape pain or guilt6. To make money7. To save money8. To get recognition9. To be healthier10. To feel secure11. To alleviate fear12. To feel special13. To increase status14. To feel loved15. To get knowledgeBeneath every reason sits one of eight deeper drives (Josh Kaufman, *The Personal MBA*) — the reason wearing work clothes:**money · status · power · love · knowledge · protection · pleasure · excitement**Write from the 15; check against the 8 that you've found the real driver rather than a surface benefit.## Checks- **One primary reason per asset.** A page that argues five reasons equally makes the reader feel none. Pick the primary; demote the rest to support.- **Match the reason to the journey stage.** Effort, time, pain, guilt, and fear pull people who don't yet know they have a problem; recognition, status, love, and feeling special close people already deciding.- **Test the phrasing against how a real buyer talks** — their vocabulary, not yours. Language accuracy is what makes a line land; guessed language reads as an ad and gets skipped.## ReferencesRead `references/sources.md` when the top-level guidance isn't enough — it encodes the full source material:1. The 15 reasons people buy stuff (the original list)2. The core human drives — Josh Kaufman, *The Personal MBA*3. Buyer psychology cheatsheet — 19 biases mapped to buyer-journey stages, each with an action (Customer Camp)

Frequently asked questions