You’ve probably read sales copy and thought …
Mwah. It sounds good, but … no thanks.
Perhaps you didn’t need that product right then.
But more likely, the copy failed to communicate the true benefits of the product or service.
Quite often sales copy is too superficial.
And when copy is too superficial, readers (potential buyers!) don’t feel the content speaks to them. They feel the product or service might be useful, but not valuable enough.
Good copy, of course, translates features into benefits. But that translation into benefits is often stuck in superficiality; the true benefits remain unmentioned. Hidden to your readers.
And that’s when sales copy fails to connect with your cutomer’s deepest desires. And that’s when it fails to sell.
Shall I explain?
A feature is an aspect of a product or service. Features of a fisherman’s hook, for instance, are the length of the wire and the material used for the pole.
A benefit is what the feature does for your customer; it explains why your customer should care. In the case of the fisherman’s hook, it could help you catch more fish, bigger fish, or tastier fish.
To translate a feature into a benefit, ask yourself the So What? question.
For instance:
This hook has this super-duper feature.
So what?
Your bait doesn’t drop off.
Pro copywriters dig deeper to find true benefits
Have you heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
Maslow suggests humans have 5 different types of needs:
- Physiological needs: What we need to survive such as food, water, shelter, and clothing
- Safety and security, including protection against danger and ill health
- Love and a sense of belonging
- Self-esteem, confidence, recognition, status and respect from others
- Self-actualization, such as a sense of autonomy, freedom, and creative fulfillment
Maslow suggests we need to fulfill our most basic needs (food and shelter) before we can fulfill the needs higher up the pyramid (self-esteem and self-actualization). The idea of this hierarchy is disputed, but for our purpose, that doesn’t matter.
What matters is that Maslow shows us different types of needs and desires. It helps us understand what we can do for our clients.
Let’s see how our fisherman’s hook could fulfill different types of benefits:
- You can catch fish sooner, so you’ll never need to go hungry
- No risk of harming yourself, so you can feel safe
- You can impress fellow anglers with the latest in hook technology
- You can gain the respect of your neighbors because you’ll catch the biggest fish
- You can stop doubting yourself and feel confident about your fishing abilities
- As you catch fish faster, you have more time for writing your blog posts, so you feel creatively fulfilled
Not every product and service has benefits across the five levels, but you’ll be surprised how important the “higher level” benefits like a sense of belonging, self esteem, and creative fulfillment can be.
For instance, when I started selling my writing courses, I thought people wanted to write better copy so they could sell more. But participants told me they gained other benefits such as becoming confident writers and finding their voice.
Examples of true benefits in sales copy
Apple copywriters are masters in connecting with our deeper desires. Here’s how they start the sales copy on the iPhone 6s camera:
People love to take pictures with iPhone. In fact, it’s the most popular camera in the world. But what people love even more are the memories that are preserved within those images. Those memories are now incredibly vivid with Live Photos, an entirely new way to bring your still photos to life.
The copy isn’t about taking better pictures, but about belonging and love: about getting the most popular camera in the world and preserving your memories.
Good copy mixes the different levels of benefits without readers even noticing it.
Fiftythree, for instance, explains the basic benefits of their stylus:
Pencil’s unique tip is shaped to create lines of all sizes without any settings.
But they also address the fear that using a stylus on a tablet might hinder our creativity:
Our adaptive palm rejection instantly knows whether it’s your hand or Pencil touching the page. Rest your hand on the screen, write from any angle. No calibration or setup. You’ll forget you’re creating on a tablet.
And they connect with any creator’s deepest desires—to express their ideas:
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.
Great tools inspire great ideas. Pencil by FiftyThree is the most natural and expressive way to create on iPad and iPhone. Advanced technology meets beautiful design to keep you in the flow, without needing to switch tools.
Examples of true benefits for services and courses
Here’s how app developers Minimum Inc outline the business benefits of their service:
We work collaboratively with you to outline your vision, define your objectives, study your audience and analyze your toughest competitors to find opportunities you can capitalise on.
But Minimum Inc understands their clients may feel uncertain, so they help set direction and boost confidence:
Get the direction and clarity you need, with clear recommendations for where to start, what to prioritize and how to move forward.
Most courses have different types of benefits, too. Here’s a basic benefit of the course Your First Profitable Idea:
Our top 5 strategies for getting your first client — as quickly as possible. No Twittering, no social media feel-good techniques — just real tactics that get you in front of clients, fast.
Not wasting time is an important benefit, too:
A simple test to take your existing ideas and eliminate ideas that will waste your time
And here’s the benefit of feeling confident again:
How to be 99% confident your idea will succeed before you even start selling — and how you’ll know your idea is ready to invest time in
Good sales copy doesn’t need to be salesy
You don’t need dirty sales tricks to sell more.
And you don’t need to use sleazy tactics you feel uneasy about.
Good copy requires you to sneak into your reader’s minds. To understand their needs and desires.
In your sales copy, explain how you help fulfill those desires.
Because that’s when they want to hire you.
Recommended reading on persuasive copywriting
5 critical copywriting rules [SlideShare]
How to teach yourself copywriting (on a shoestring budget)
The So What? trick for turning features into benefits
Selling is almost impossible if you don’t crank up readers’ emotions.
I’m still struggling to connect with deepest felt needs of potential buyers.
Once I master this copywriting tactic, I know I’ll become a copy wizard.
Thanks Henneke for your helpful post.
PAS is a famous copywriting formula: Problem – Agitate – Solve. This formula also suggests we need to crank up (agitate) people’s emotions. I always feel a little uneasy about this suggestion. I prefer the idea of showing compassion with someone’s struggles before promising them a solution or a first step towards a solution.
While many suggest that you need to crank up readers’ emotions, I’d say just connecting with them and empathizing works, too, and feels more natural.
At which level would “home decor accessories” fit in rightly? I am trying to go beyond pure aesthetics (which everyone is doing). I want to appeal to the aspirations, self-actualization, emotions. How should I create Product descriptions and how can I market these?
Home decor accessories are a good way to express your style and personality, so that’s one way to appeal to people’s aspirations. Of course, a lot of that is done through photography as well.
Thanks for the prompt reply. That is what I have in my mind right now. I was thinking more on the lines of “Life is Good” brand. They don’t sell their products, they sell “Optimism” and products are just a means to express those aspirations. I was wondering if I could do something similar with home decor accessories.
The reason I want to be an aspirational brand and not a home decor one is because in future I am planning to expand to other similar products too (jewelry, t-shirts, portraits, etc).
After six years, this post is really, really helpful.
Thank you very much Henneke for these insights.
After six years?
Thank you for this, Henneke. You have no idea how envious I am of your section on Maslow.
I first heard about copywriters using the Hierarchy from John Carlton’s podcast. Inspired, I felt the need to write my own post on it – add another chapter to my series on empathy.
But I couldn’t hit publish.
The post was good. About 1200 words. Edited four times over (at least).
Still, I couldn’t publish because I’ve never actually used the Hierarchy.
I get it. And I always think about fears/desires when writing. But never actually look at the Hierarchy and deliberately plot the mindset of my reader.
So, I’m now researching and applying the method as much as possible – to earn the right to share the technique. Your post has helped a lot with that learning curve.
Thanks again,
Rob
Why wait? Just hit publish!
A bit late to the party. 😉 I love your So what measurement, Henneke. When you have been writing copy for a while (polite way of saying I’m old), 😉 there’s a danger in tumbling into clichés and superlatives.
One of the best tips from one of your posts that resonated with me is how editing is ultimately more important than the writing. I tend to let that slide at times. I also have a bad habit of self-editing as I go along. Since reading your tip, it’s helped me get more productive to let the initial writing go to the editing phase and to value the time spent on editing. Doesn’t mean I don’t slip, but then I hear So what, and it strangely sounds like your voice, Henneke. 😉
Ha! “So what?” with a Dutch accent 😉
I love editing. I think that’s because I see it as playing. When I write a first draft I feel the pressure of getting something down on paper. But with editing I can just experiment to see whether I can make it better. Try a different word or swap a couple of sentences to change the order. I like playing.
You’re never late to the party here, Cathy. Always good to see you!
Good way to look at it, Henneke. I think where I got off track is that I used to offer copyediting services. I discovered I HATE editing another person’s writing. So, I stopped offering those services. I think I still twitch at the word editing. 😉
Yes, I get that. I like editing the work of my course participants but that’s because we’ve gone through the process of writing together and we’ve already agreed the content. If you receive a “random” text to edit; it can feel very unsatisfactory because the text might miss the required building blocks.
Thanks a lot for this great post Henneke. I knew about Maslow, however your example with the fish was an eye-opener for me.
I am glad to hear that, Fanny.
Thank you for stopping by to leave a comment. I appreciate it!
Hi Henneke,
There are many people who are striving to have the clear thoughts about the benefit and features. Whether you talk about any product or the sale.
Both the things have their own benefits. I like the way you have mentioned the quoted paragraph to have to clarity.
Have the clear thoughts and don’t waste the time.
Thanks for this informative article.
Have a great day.
~Ravi
I’m glad you found it useful, Ravi. Clarity of thought is often surprisingly hard 🙂
Really find your ideas inspirational and to be more precise…quite practical.
Thank you so much, Dee. Happy writing!
Hi Henneke,
All great ideas. You’re right. Good writing is about deeper, emotional connection, something that’s not easy, but always worth pursuing. Thank you for these pointers.
Yep, good writing (and selling) is about making emotional connections, and then helping people justify a sale with more rational arguments. Thank you for adding your thoughts, Laurie.
This is another bombshell Henneke,
You always have a way of getting me glued on your posts, awesome.
The truth is that most people can’t really differentiate between Features and Benefits, they often think they mean the same thing but, this is the explanation I’ve come across so far on the subject, especially with the analogy you gave.
The Maslow’s hierarchy of needs also said it all and I believe that if we can always focus more on that each time we’re trying to educate our customers on a particular products, the sell will be massive.
I’ve also come across many sales pages before and ended up leaving without buying the product because like you mentioned, I didn’t think I needed it.
You have Lots of useful links on the post, will take time to through them as well.
Thanks a lot for sharing and do enjoy the remaining of your week.
Theodore.
Hi Theodore
I’m glad you found this post useful. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is surprisingly useful for copywriters 🙂
Hey Henneke,
Being too “salesy” is a big problem for a lot of us,solopreneurs. We focus more on impressing to sell instead of trying to connect with our clients deepest desire.
A lot of us don’t know the difference between benefits and features. We tend to mix them up and repel our target audience.
I like the ideas of this post and how to incorporate it into our marketing. I never thought of leveraging the 5 levels of human needs to connect and market our products and services but it makes a whole lot of sense.
Thanks for sharing! Have a great day!
I think a lot of us struggle to find the right approach to selling – either we’re nervous about selling or we’re too pushy.
I’m glad you found this post useful, Sherman.
Henneke,
I couldn’t agree more with your assessment of benefits. The real question is “what’s the benefit of the benefit?”
On your fishing hook example, the 5th one down, about gaining more self confidence may well be the most resonant example because it goes way deeper than a logical benefit to the way the product makes customers feel about themselves. Not only might a fisherman feel more confident in his abilities, he might wish to become part of that in-group that hangs out at the bait shop telling fish tales and comparing gear. When, as marketers, we can figure this stuff out by observing the people we want to persuade, we’ve taken our craft to a whole new level.
Every product or service is a little different in the way they need to be sold. But I’ve found in most cases that uncovering your audience’s deepest feelings (insecurities or dreams) and addressing them is, the most powerful level of benefit you can offer.
In that realm is where the craft of writing really counts. Words are being used to reach a place in the brain where words aren’t formulated, where only feelings exist. That’s magic.
“he might wish to become part of that in-group that hangs out at the bait shop telling fish tales and comparing gear”
I can so imagine this guy boasting about his latest gear (just like some cyclists do, too) 😉
Great comment, Jon. Thank you!
I don’t think I’ve seen Maslow’s Heirarchy used to help figure out your customer’s unique needs.
What a neat way to use this concept to benefit your audience.
I love the idea and I’m excited to apply it to my writing moving forward.
Thank you.
Thank you, Raquel. I find the model useful, too, to go beyond the most obvious benefits.
Happy writing!
The fisherman’s hook really drives your point home. Nice. You make it look so easy.
As we can plainly see on Social Media the look at me mentality permeates society today.
Impress your friends and neighbors fits perfectly with that mentality. I try to write without appearing to sell and it can be quite a challenge.
I dislike reading dirty sales tricks and would rather go hungry than use them. So I better put on my soft shoes and sneak into the minds of my readers.
Which is another challenge for me. If worked on long enough most challenges become routine.
Thanks for the tips. As always information that I can immediately put to use.
I don’t like the “look at me”mentality much, but it does seem to drive a lot of people.
I like the idea of you putting on your soft shoes to sneak into the minds of your readers, Barry! 😉
I love this take on better connecting with your target audience, Henneke!
I’ve always tackled it as “what PROBLEM does my audience have that I can help them solve”. But, as we both know, there’s more than JUST a problem that people are looking to better / fulfill / solve, etc.
I really needed this refresher this morning!
Thanks, Henneke! 🙂
Yes, the key problem is a great starting point for connecting with your reader, and then you can weave the various benefits into your copy.
I’m glad you found this refresher useful, Sara. Thank you for stopping by!
Love this. Great examples to illustrate the point. Pulling out the deeper benefit is something I am really looking forward to working on. It’s interesting to relate Maslow’s Hierarchy to the different levels of benefit. I hadn’t made that connection in that way. On a different note, talk about parallel paths. A student of mine just asked me to write an article using Maslow’s Hierarchy relating to student motivation! Glad to hear you got away. Hope you’re having a great time!
Yes, it’s good to be back in my home country for a few days – to see my parents and enjoy Dutch cheese 😉
What a coincidence that you’ve just been asked to write about Maslow’s Hierarchy, too. I guess motivation is often also related to “What’s in it for me?”
Hi Henneke,
Another great article! I love learning from you, not only are you a great teacher for what you write about, I also love learning from you by seeing how you write.
FEPS is an acronym that has helped me a great deal for knowing the benefits I provide for my customers. I learned it as I was going through Michael Port’s Book Yourself Solid coaching program.
The more that you are able to explain how your services will help your customers (F)inancially, (E)motionally, (P)hysically and (S)piritually, the more open they will be to investing their time and money with you.
Hi Chuck
Perhaps financial, emotional, physical and spiritual is an easier way to think about the benefits for services than Maslow’s slightly more generic system?
Michael Port has very smartly created his own version with its own acronym 😉
Thank you for stopping by again. I appreciate it.
Hi Henneke,
I re-read your “So What?” post before I left on vacation, so I was familiar with that technique but this post is really timely for me. I’ve just asked a question in another forum about how to write good copy without resorting to the ‘fear-based’ techniques that I hate (and see so much of!)
My services have a practical / business application, but the feedback I get from students generally falls into the self-esteem/ self-actualisation part of the pyramid. Unexpected benefits like “I’ve almost forgotten my original reason for taking this course, but the interaction I had with my grandson today around the cartoons I created of him made me feel all the hard work has been worth it.”
Love, connection, creative self-fulfilment — that so often seems to be what it’s about.
Thank you as always for the extensive examples to help me apply this, they are invaluable.
“Love, connection, creative self-fulfilment” – isn’t that a beautiful trio of benefits?
Thank you for your lovely comment, Alison.