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Sell benefits, not features
5 minutes · 7 steps · workout 2 of 6 in this module
What you'll be able to do
By the end of this workout, you'll be able to turn any feature into the benefit behind it, put the benefit first and the feature as proof, and see the difference in conversion numbers.
A first look: Features describe the product; benefits describe the customer
A feature is a fact about your product: the material, the size, the ingredient, the guarantee. A benefit is what changes in the customer's day because of it. Customers don't buy features. They buy the dry laptop, the extra 20 minutes in the morning, the coffee that's ready when they arrive. To find the benefit, take the feature and ask “so what?” until you land on something the customer would actually say out loud. Then ask it once more to be sure.
Example: Corner Coffee: “Beans roasted in-house every Monday.” So what? “The coffee is never more than a week old.” So what? “Every cup tastes like the first one.” That last line is the ad.
What this workout covers
- Features describe the product; benefits describe the customer
- Case: Spec sheet vs. Tuesday morning
- Benefit first, feature as proof. Then watch your frame.
A question from this workout: Spec sheet vs. Tuesday morning
Green Garden Skincare tested two texts for its vitamin C serum on Instagram, same visual and same audience. Ad A: “15% vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, vegan formula, 30 ml.” Ad B: “Dull, tired-looking skin by Tuesday? One drop in the morning, and you look like you slept.” Both link to the same product page.
- Ad A click-through rate
- 1.1%
- Ad A conversion rate (clicks to orders)
- 1.5%
- Ad B click-through rate
- 1.9%
- Ad B conversion rate (clicks to orders)
- 2.4%
Why did Ad B win on both numbers, and what should Green Garden do with Ad A's text?
- Ad B is shorter. Shorter always wins; delete the ingredient list everywhere
- Ad B leads with a problem the reader recognizes and the result they want. Ad A's ingredients are proof, so move them to the product page and under the benefit, not in front of it
- Ad B got lucky with the algorithm. Run Ad A again with a bigger budget
- Ad A is more honest because it lists facts. Keep A for brand safety
Pick your answer first, then open the reasoning below.
Show the answer and the reasoning
Answer: B. Ad B leads with a problem the reader recognizes and the result they want. Ad A's ingredients are proof, so move them to the product page and under the benefit, not in front of it
Ad B stops the right person (the hook) and tells them what changes (the benefit), so more people click and more of them buy. Ad A's ingredients aren't useless; they're the proof that makes the benefit believable. They belong after the benefit, where a curious reader looks for them. The most common mistake is the first option: deleting features entirely. Without “15% vitamin C” somewhere, “you look like you slept” is just a claim with nothing behind it.
The other steps work the same way: you decide first, then see why each option is right or wrong.
How you practice here
- 2 short concept cards
- 2 multiple-choice questions
- 1 campaign case with real-looking numbers
- 1 matching exercise
- 1 guided calculation
Part of the module: Ad Copywriting Basics
Copy that grabs attention in the first line, sells a benefit and gets people to act: hook, body, CTA and formulas that work.
More workouts in this module
- The hook: stopping people in the first line
- AIDA and PAS: two formulas that work
- Writing a call to action (CTA)
- Same message, different platform: Google, Meta, TikTok, marketplaces
- Ad policies and truth-in-advertising rules
Programs that include this workout