Understanding features and benefits is the key to persuasive copywriting. It’s so important to get it right because features tell, benefits sell.
What’s the difference between features and benefits?
Firstly, a feature is a fact. Features are informative and add credibility, but on their own, they’re ineffective. That’s because they should be backed up with benefits.
So what’s a benefit? Well, a benefit gives the customer a reason to buy. A customer will think ‘what’s in it for me?’. You need to answer this.
Writing about benefits
Here are two techniques you can use to help you identify your business’ benefits:
Technique 1: ‘Which means that…’
This phrase helps turn features into benefits. Try creating a table like the one below.
| Feature | ‘Which means that’ | Benefit |
| We have a dedicated wedding planner | which means that | • you’ll be mentored throughout and given lots of help and advice • you can relax on your big day knowing everything has been taken care of • you’ll spend much less time having to organise and prep, giving you more time to enjoy the experience! • you’ll get better deals with vendors, saving you money |
| Our shop has a large, free, customer car park | which means that | • you don’t need to worry about finding somewhere to park, even during busy periods • you won’t have to carry your shopping far • you’ll save money and won’t need to worry about finding change for parking fees |
Technique 2: So what?
Now imagine you’re explaining a feature to a customer and they respond with ‘so what?’. You should explain what it means for them. Here’s an example:
You: Our product holds 1GB of MP3S.
Customer: So what?
You: It can hold 1,000 songs.
Customer: So what?
You: All your music can be stored in one place and you won’t need to constantly delete songs to free up space. What’s more, you’ll be able to listen to a huge variety of tracks on the go, so you’ll have music for every mood.
Achieving a balance
Persuasive copywriting is a balance between features and benefits.
You should predominantly use ‘you’, ‘your’ and ‘yours’ words. This therefore ensures you’re writing about benefits because you’re putting yourself in your customer’s shoes.
However, ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ words are used when writing about features. And although unavoidable, they should be used with caution.
Therefore, you should aim to use ‘you’ words 3-4 times more often than ‘we’ words.
Want more information?
Then watch this really great video from KO Sales Coach for more information on features and benefits.
Understanding the importance of using benefits can be difficult to master. But using these tips as a guide will help you write effective copy. Good luck!
Leave a Reply