Copywriting 101: features versus benefits

I remember hearing a story about the great Gary Halbert.

If you haven’t heard of Gary, you’re missing out. He is considered one of the best copywriters of all time. And even though he passed away a few years ago, his work is still alive.

Anyway, I remember someone telling a story about Gary.

I think it could have been Doberman Dan, who was Gary’s mentor. But don’t quote me on that.

Look, the story was this:

Gary went to a copywriting event once. And the good thing was that you could choose whether you wanted to go to the “beginners” event or the “advanced” event.

Now remember this:

Gary was already one of the best copywriters in the world. No doubt. And I would assume that he hadn’t thought twice about putting his name on the advanced list.

But you know what?

It did not.

Instead, he went to the beginners event.

Now, everyone else was puzzled. Why the hell would THE Gary Halbert go to a copywriting event for beginners? It just didn’t make sense.

Or so they thought.

However, here is the question. Gary said many copywriters forget the basics. They forget about the fundamentals that work.

Sure, advanced stuff is great. But it is the icing on the cake. No more no less.

It’s much better that you master the basics of copywriting, rather than learning all the fancy shit.

And this is the thing:

Many copywriters don’t do that. They are looking for that shiny, shiny object. They are looking for that magic pill.

And let me tell you …

Does not exist.

Period.

The biggest copywriting mistake you could be making

Listen.

What I’m going to tell you is nothing new.

It is nothing “revolutionary”.

It’s nothing “ninja” and all that nonsense.

Instead, it’s a proven copywriting principle that if you use it in your own sales copy, you’ll see you make more sales.

What is it?

Well, it’s the fact that you need …

Stop concentrating on your product features

Know this:

Nobody cares about your product. They care about the result it gives them.

They care about how you can help them overcome a problem in life, or how you can help them meet an urgent need or desire they have.

Let’s say you are selling a weight loss supplement. Its target market is middle-aged moms who want to lose weight.

In this case, you are not selling a pill or an ingredient.

Instead, you are selling …

The fact that they can feel sexy again in their favorite dress …

The fact that they have more energy to do fun things with their children …

The fact that they have more energy to not feel like zombies when they return from work …

The fact that her husband can’t keep his hands off her and that he doesn’t have eyes for anyone else …

And yes, the fact that you will have more (and better) sex, because you will feel super secure in your body.

Think about it:

If you write a copy that focuses on these benefits and are faced with a copywriter who focuses on the features, who will come out on top?

Your course.

It’s not even close.

Should I ever mention the features?

If I have given you the impression that you should never mention functions, you will be wrong.

See, your prospects have two “states” – emotional and logical – and you have to appeal to both. If you don’t, they won’t buy.

And honestly?

Both are important

So how come I’ve been insisting on selling benefits over features? Am I not contradicting myself?

No. This is why:

Look, you must first sell to the emotional side of someone’s brain.

That’s a fact.

Your words have to show people, in all their color, how great life will be when they buy your product.

You do this by telling stories. And it does so by focusing on the benefits they get.

But what happens after you’ve emotionally “sold” someone? Well then you have to back it up logically. If people don’t believe what you are telling them, they won’t buy.

And he does it by talking about the functions. But not in a boring way. Hell no.

You should use those features to justify why they will benefit from your product.

In the example of the weight loss supplement, your pill could have a certain ingredient that speeds up a person’s metabolism, which means they lose more weight without having to exercise more.

And as you can see, this is how the functions are used in your copy.

They are there to satisfy the logical side of your potential customer’s brain.

But remember:

Selling to people’s emotions, selling the benefits they will get from using your product, is the first hurdle you need to overcome.

Then the product features support their claims.