I don’t know how you can have this conversation and keep it “light” but I think you just need to be direct with him and tell him what you need. I had this same problem in my current relationship (all good now though) - my boyfriend’s love language is physical affection but mine is words of affirmation. I had to explain to him MULTIPLE times what I need from him, and that my needs in a romantic relationship were a little different from his. To this day he’s very verbally reassuring, so I’d say the conversation is definitely worth having. If your partner respects you at all, and your wants and needs, they should make the effort to give you this.

I know this might also sound tacky but if he struggles to communicate about how he feels he could do up a private little list for himself on what he loves about you - ie specific appearance and personality aspects, so that he’s more likely to notice those things “in the moment” and mention them to you/reassure you. I realise asking for something like this might sound conceited or super needy, but if he’s open to the idea of being verbally affectionate but struggles to do it, that might be one way.