How to use benefits to make people care about your offer

Can I tell you a little secret? People could care less about what you’re selling them 😨

Got a cool product? A life-changing service? A special promo?

They really don’t care… UNLESS you stop telling them what they get and start showing them how it’ll make their life easier, better, what they’ve always dreamed of, etc.

Easy enough, right?

Well, if you don’t know how to write about your offer, not so much. The reader should be able to clearly picture how their life will be improved with YOU in it, or they’ll just keep on walking to the next person.

That’s why it’s important to understand what benefits are when it comes to your business, how they differ from features, and when (and why) to use each one.

That’s also why it’s sooooo frustrating when you’re REALLY excited about what you have to offer, you wholeheartedly believe in it, and you KNOW you can change the lives of others through what you do…

Because if your writing doesn’t convey how the reader will benefit, they’ll never give you the chance to help them.

But how do you find the benefits? How do you uncover something even deeper than the benefits and connect with your community on a more emotional level of understanding?

Let’s break all this down and get into some examples too…

So you can start writing about your kickass offer in a way that really matters.

Features vs. Benefits
Plus… the real magic stuff

Features

These are the details about your product or service. It’s the technical facts, the specs, and list of info that practically screams “you get all this when you sign up now!” 

Where do you see features? Everywhere.

Think about the breakdown of an offer on a sales page, for example. Let’s say you’re signing up for an online course about drawing inked flowers. The features could be something like this:

-4 pre-recorded modules that cover basic techniques, from how to compose your drawing to easy ink pen shading you can get started with right away.

-3 bonus worksheets to help you visualize the shapes of the flowers

-A how-to guide that breaks down the flower centers

-Bonus draw-with-me videos to take you step-by-step through drawing 3 kinds of flowers

-Act fast bonus! 3 special lessons to include colored pencils into your ink drawings

The purpose of the features is simple, to show you: here’s what you get.

When you’re selling in a saturated market, features can help your specific offer stand out among your competition, especially when the benefits of all the options might be very similar.

So how do you get people to actually CARE about all those things?

(And no, the answer isn’t to slap some high made-up $$ value on your offer and tell them time’s running out. Why? Because you’re better than sleazy marketing tactics that people are catching on to anyway… I don’t know about you, but I always question when I see a countdown timer or a “last chance” message!l)

Enter… the benefits.

Benefits

These explain what the features DO for the reader and how your offer makes their lives better. It speaks to the problems, desires, dreams, and wishes they have and shows how your offer provides a solution or a stepping stone.

Side note- benefits alone aren’t going to cut it. But they ARE absolutely necessary. Remember, people are looking for someone they know, like, and trust. (Which is what YOU are constantly working on by providing value to them, sharing your insights and stories, and inviting real conversations… much like what I’m doing with this blog and my emails. Do you trust me yet? DO YOU? 😅)

As you build up that trust and sense of community with your readers, when it comes time to share your offer and how it benefits them, they’ll already know that you’re the one to help them experience some big changes.

Because again, when the market is saturated, why are they going to choose YOU instead of another person that does what you do?

Let’s go back to that drawing inked flower example. Some benefits might be:

-Eliminate overwhelm and learn at a pace that works for you

-Create drawings so beautiful, no one would believe you’re a beginner

-Finish your first complete drawing in just one day

-Add life to your drawing with blended, vibrant colors

These examples take the features from above and dig a little more into what the person will experience FROM them.

4 pre-recorded modules becomes the benefit of being able to learn at a pace that works for them. Covering basic techniques becomes the benefit of learning the skills to move beyond being a beginner.

But what if I told you we could take this a step further? 👀 

Here’s what you REALLY want to aim for…

The Transformation

This shows how your offer will allow them to experience something bigger, deeper. A better business, a better quality of life, reaching their deepest desire… through the benefits.

My friend, this is where the magic starts happening.

Let’s take those benefits and turn them into this 👇🏻

-Capture your creative ideas with a drawing that lasts a lifetime

-Build the creative confidence you’ve always dreamed of

-Foster a stronger connection with yourself & nature through your drawing journey.

Whooooo-whee that’s GOOD STUFF.

Now, in many cases, you’ll end up talking about both features AND benefits (and the transformation) when you write about your offer.

But WHERE might be different. On a sales page, for example, you’ll end up talking about them both (leading with the benefit and later following up with listing out the features, typically.)

But in your emails? Your social media posts? 

Use benefits/transformations as topics for your emails… save the nitty gritty features and details for the link you send them to to learn more.

But… How do you find the benefits?

Two words:

“So that…”

No, really. That’s how you do it. It’s as easy as starting with a feature and telling yourself “so that…” a million times (or if you can manage 5, that would work too), until you get to a strong benefit.

(Some people like using “so what?” but “so that…” has always worked WAY better for me. Try them both and see what you like!)

It’s one of the oldest copywriting tricks in the book but hey, it works. Why fix what isn’t broken, right?

Let’s start with a portable phone charger. A feature could be “holds power for 10 hours.” 

So that…

You recharge it once and can then charge your own phone a few times.

So that…

You can charge your phone even when you’re not near a power source.

So that…

You can take vacations and not have to worry about your phone dying.

So that…

You’ll never miss out on capturing memories because of a dead phone.

So that…

You’ll always remember the perfect moments from your getaway.

What do you think is going to capture your readers’ attention more? The fact that this little gadget can hold power for 10 hours?

Or the fact that this little gadget will ensure they’ll always remember those perfect memories from their vacation?

Here’s another with a service-based offer. 

Let’s say you’re offering group business coaching and one of the features listed is “weekly group coaching calls.”

So that…

You can ask questions related to your biz and have them answered.

So that…

You can create connections and network with other biz owners as you learn and help each other.

So that…

You can gain fresh insights and approaches to try in your own business.

So that…

You can tighten your messaging and strategies and attract the ideal person to your services.

So that…

You create a successful, growing business that feels aligned to you, your goal, and your purpose.

It’s amazing how two simple words can force you to dig deeper and think about the true reasons someone might want your offer.

Once you uncover them, use them!

Beyond the benefits… You need to know your audience 

Putting the spotlight on the benefits is what’s going to sell your offer. But if you’re highlighting things your community doesn’t actually care about, then you’re just wasting time! 

Your readers have needs, desires, struggles, problems, dreams, etc. and it’s up to you to speak to those things.

Not only will this help you with your messaging but it’ll also prove to them that you really do understand and care about the same things as they do. It’ll put you in the position of being an ally, an equal, a community member… and not just a person trying to take advantage of them to market your service or product.

As you write about your offer, think about how to approach talking about the benefits too. Will they respond better if you present your benefits as something they get to experience or a problem they get to avoid?

-Build the creative confidence you’ve always dreamed of as you hone your drawing skills

OR

-Avoid creative failure and embarrassment as you hone your drawing skills

Now, this could be a blog post on it’s own but if you haven’t figured out the important characteristics about your audience, here are some quick ideas to learn about them (or rather, FROM them directly):

-survey them 

-ask them question/respond to email

-join the FB groups they’re in

-stalk Reddit (it’s a scary rabbit hole to fall into but it’s so good)

-on social media, utilize polls or questions in your stories

With the info you gather, as you’re writing out your emails, you’ll be able to talk about the things they REALLY care about.

Bonus points for when you get to the point that you know your audience SO well, you can tailor special “bonuses” that really help you connect with them and stand out among your competition. Because then they’ll see that you really KNOW them and what they want.

And of course, if you’re still looking for a little help when it comes to writing the emails you’ll be throwing these benefits into, that’s what my nifty free guide is for! 

Make Your Emails Unforgettable → how to use story-driven emails to create those genuine connections your readers are craving.

Now, I’d like to invite you to give the “so that…” exercise a try.

And since we experience a ton of growth when we step outside our comfort zone and try something new… pop it IN THE COMMENTS! I double dog dare yah.

If you get stumped, we can work on it together 😉