I am a huge fan of templates.
Nothing feels worse than staring at a "blank screen of doom". It's so much easier to write compelling Website copy when you have a jumping off point.
Today I am going to give you one such jumping off point!
This concept will be covered in much greater depth in my upcoming Website Content Writing Course for Coaches and Consultants (Coming late 2019).
{Feature} so that you can {Benefit}
That's the template! It seems simplistic and you may have even heard it before, but this gets to the heart of 75% of my writing.
This simple marketing template should be your bread and butter when crafting Website content.
Let's break it down!
What is a Marketing Feature?
In the "steak and the sizzle" analogy, features are the "steak".
Marketing features are, simply put, the "facts" of a product, service, or business.
Let's look at an example online fitness/wellness coach, "Sadie". Sadie is marketing a 6-week nutrition program/course
Here are some of the facts (or features) of Sadie's hypothetical course:
- 6 week course during the holiday season
- 1 1:1 coaching call per week
- 1 group coaching call per week
- A facebook group with other members
- A members only Website with 6 weeks worth of recipes, meal plans, and bonus exercises
Notice we aren't yet saying why these things are important or enticing. These are just the "facts" - nothing more.
What is a Marketing Benefit?
Benefits are the sizzle. A Benefit is the reason why the feature should matter to your avatar.
In short, benefits sell the features and are ultimately the reason someone is going to buy.
And here's where our handy template comes in!
{Feature} so that you can {Benefit}
To craft a feature/benefit statement, simply add "So that you can" to the feature and connect it to the benefit.
Let's take another look at Sadie and her features:
Here are the features linked up with their benefits, connected by the phrase "so that you can":
| 6 week course during the holiday season | STYC... | stay consistent during the hardest time of the year to be healthy. |
| 1 1:1 coaching call per week | STYC... | get hands-on support from a licensed nutrition coach and get your questions answered. |
| 1 group coaching call per week | STYC... | benefit from the questions that others going through the same process have. |
| A facebook group with other members | STYC... | get and give motivation/support from likeminded women who know the struggle. |
| A members only Website with 6 weeks worth of recipes, meal plans, and bonus exercises | STYC... | work at your own pace and will have everything you need to succeed in these 6 weeks and beyond. |
I have to tell you...those were so easy to write. You already know why your products/services/you are so great.
But when we're staring at a blank screen our minds go blank as well.
By breaking it down into steps and working with a template, it is a ton easier to write.
There are other kinds of features and benefits as well. Specifically, there are "Unique Features", "Advantages", and "Ultimate Benefits". We'll cover those another time!
What do you think? Will you try this template the next time you're writing Website copy? Comment below to let me know!
I respond to every comment. 🙂