In advertising copywriting, headlines are for features, images are for benefits

This article is an excerpt from my Udemy course, 30 Copywriting Secrets from the Best Ad Campaign of All Time.

One of your main jobs as a copywriter is to translate product features into benefits. People buy benefits, not features.

Just so we’re clear: a feature is what a product does, a benefit is what that feature does for me.

Your challenge, of course, as a copywriter, is figuring out how to describe product benefits in such a way that potential customers understand what you are saying. Your challenge is especially tough in print advertising, especially with headlines.

In print advertising, one of the most effective ways to communicate product benefits is by demonstrating them with a visual.

Take a look at this ad from the 1960s. It was created for the Volkswagen Beetle. Volkswagen wanted their potential customers to know that Volkswagens held their value. That’s a feature. The benefit to their customer was that they would earn more for the Volkswagen when they went to sell it.

But how do you communicate that benefit in an original way? With a headline that states the feature and a photo that communicates the benefit. Check out that headline: “After three years, the car that costs the least costs the most.” That is the feature clearly stated. Volkswagens hold their value.

Now check out the visual. It communicates the benefit of buying a Volkswagen. You earn more money when you sell your car. The headline states the feature. The image demonstrates the benefit.

Now look at this ad. The headline states the feature. “The last thing you’ll need is power steering.” I realize that this headline is a little cryptic, but what it says is that the Volkswagen doesn’t have power steering. But what is the benefit of no power steering? Well, the Volkswagen is so light, it’s easy to steer by hand. But that benefit is not in the headline. It’s in the visual. That’s because the best place to communicate a feature is in the headline, and the best place to communicate a benefit is in the visual.

Here is a third example. Volkswagen wanted potential customers to know that their car was inexpensive to buy. But inexpensive is just a feature. What is the benefit of buying an inexpensive car?The benefit is found in the photo. When you buy a Volkswagen instead of a fancier car, you save enough money that you can buy a new stove, a new refrigerator, a new washer, a new dryer, a new record player and plenty more.

The secret to making this technique work for your campaigns is to think visually. Every time you come across a product feature, translate it immediately into a benefit that a customer will get from that feature. Then literally picture that benefit. Think of a creative, visual way that you can communicate that benefit to potential buyers. Communicate the feature in your headline. Communicate the benefit in your visual.

This article is an excerpt from my Udemy course, 30 Copywriting Secrets from the Best Ad Campaign of All Time.