This principle is at the heart of what anglers call matching the hatch – observing the insects currently on the water or if they are feeding below the surface and selecting a fly or nymph that imitates them perfectly. It is a strategy built entirely on relevance.
You may have to turn a few rocks over to find what they are eating.

And the same logic applies to marketing.

If your offer does not resonate with what your customer is already hungry for, you will not make the sale. It is not about being clever. It is about being aligned.

1. Relevance Beats Cleverness Every Time

A trout is not impressed by shiny colours or fancy techniques. It is looking for food. Real food. Familiar food. Something it expects to see drifting naturally past.

Your customer is the same. They are not interested in your credentials or clever sales pitch until they believe you understand what they want.

So do not lead with features. Lead with empathy.

• What are they struggling with?
• What are they already trying to solve?
• What kind of “flies or nymphs” (solutions) are they currently examining?

If your product or service does not align with their current search, you are not matching the hatch.

 

2. Read the Water, Then Choose Your Fly

The best anglers observe the river for minutes, sometimes hours, before tying on a fly. They take their cues from what they see on the surface and in the air.

Marketers should do the same.

Before writing the email, filming the video, or launching the offer:

• Watch what your audience is responding to
• Read comments, questions, and complaints
• Look for repeat patterns in search or engagement

Then, and only then, choose your fly – your offer, your hook, your message.

3. Common Mistake: Forcing the Fly

You might love that beautifully tied dry fly in your box. But if the trout are feeding subsurface, it will not work. That fly is for another day.

It is the same in business. Many founders and marketers become attached to a specific offer or message. They try to make it work in every situation. And they end up wondering why nothing is biting. We all have a bit of magpie in us and are attracted to the next shiny thing or idea.

Let go of your ego. Let go of your attachment. Look at what is working in the water right now.

4. How to Know What They Are Feeding On

You can learn a lot by simply observing your market:

• Use keyword research tools to discover current search trends
• Join forums and communities where your audience is active
• Run surveys or ask informal questions
• Monitor what content gets shared and commented on

These are your hatches. These are your clues.

5. Right Fly Presented Naturally

Matching the hatch is not just about the fly. It is also about the presentation. Even the perfect fly, if dragged unnaturally or cast too hard, will be ignored.

Your message must feel authentic.

• Speak like a human
• Show up where your customers already are
• Avoid pressure tactics

A relevant message, delivered with care and timing, is what gets the bite.

6. Closing Cast: Let the Fish Decide

You cannot force a trout to rise and take your fly. You can only present the fly in the best way you can. In the end, the trout or customer always has the final decision..

The same goes for marketing. Your job is not to control your customer. Your job is to understand them so well that your offer feels like the exact thing they were already looking for.

That is how you earn attention. That is how you earn trust. That is how you land the fish.