Nobody is born a copywriter; everyone learns to be. And once they have made it, it is well worth the effort to figure out how they craft the words into such a beautiful arrangement. Analyzing the copywriting of popular brands is one of the best ways to learn from great copywriters and become a professional copywriter.
Who is a Professional Copywriter?
Copywriting is an art, and a professional copywriter is one who has the ability to design the best words in an order that is both beautiful and logical. In other words, a great copywriter is a wonder at word choice, weaving them together and putting them in the right length, structure, and tone of voice.
What’s the Purpose of Copywriting?
The purpose is to make the audience feel good enough to take action. This won’t be possible unless you have a thorough understanding of your audience, including who they are, what they want, their socioeconomic status, etc. Why are these essential to know? To immerse yourself in their situation as if you were one of them.
In this article, a framework for writing a persuasive copy will be presented, followed by an investigation of the persuasive copy of three popular brands: Apple, Toyota, and Adidas. This will give you a better understanding of functional copywriting.
Framework for Writing a Good Copy
How can copywriting evoke feelings in readers and prompt them to take action? There might be many ways, but in this article, we’ll focus on the benefits, persuasion, psychological techniques, and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) techniques.
Let’s dive in and unpack the elements of this framework.
Benefits
Sell benefits, not features.
But why benefits? Because people are drawn to things that benefit them, no matter how cool you are. So, the advantages you provide are all that will entice them.
Benefits can be expressed in a variety of ways and can be either tangible or intangible. It’s important to take customer-related benefits into account when discussing benefits because they are more meaningful and more likely to result in sales.
Tangible vs. Intangible
Benefits that can be seen and measured, such as saving time and money, are referred to as tangible or measurable benefits.
The other benefits are intangible, you can’t see or measure these benefits, but they have a positive effect on the reader, like the good feeling of being persuaded by what you’ve purchased or making a donation. While selling benefits, focus on the customer and write for one person because you will be more clear and authentic, and you will be able to engage them better.
| Benefits | Apple | Toyota | Adidas |
| Tangible | Save on Mac or iPad. It’s our largest display yet. MacBook Air is strikingly thin and brings exceptional speed and power. | Designed to go the extra mile. Charge your drive when you plug it into power. | Built to harness your energy and turn it into the speed that you need to excel on the field, Adidas X is a revelation in soccer technology. Daringly fast and ultra-lightweight, be fast like a cheetah on the field. adidas X soccer cleats offer you powerful speed as you make opponents eat your dust. |
| Intangible | There’s power in silence. iPhone 13. Your new superpower Prepare for takeoff. | A powerful presence. | Enjoy Your Comfort Zone Comfort meets energy Say Hello To Incredible Energy Return Say Goodbye To Gravity With The Ultraboost 20 |
| Focusing on Customers | Your photo. Your font. Your widgets. Your iPhone. Create to your heart’s content. | Write your own adventure story. Inside, a panoramic roof enhances the feeling of space, while its intuitive technologies and comfort features effortlessly put you at ease for every drive. Take Charge of Your Path | Get back in step for the school year ahead with your favorite sneakers, all $100 and under. Imagine your world! Sneakers from Adidas are your new support. |
Persuasion
In copywriting, persuasion is the process of getting people to read, think, feel, and act in a certain way by using words and language in an artistic way. Let’s look at some tried-and-true methods for convincing readers to take action.
Common ground
People are drawn to one another by their shared characteristics. Therefore, if you can find some common ground with your audience, they will be attracted to you.
Scarcity
The scarcity principle states that people are more likely to value something if it is scarce. In other words, the more scarce something is, the more sought after it becomes. Scarcity can refer to various concepts such as quantity, time, competition, and other factors that compel visitors to take action.
Reciprocity
If you do something nice for someone, they’ll do something nice for you in return. This is known as reciprocity which is like a two-way street.
| Persuasion | Apple | Toyota | Adidas |
| Common ground | Built to last. Puts the earth first. Designed with the earth in mind. | Getting a degree is hard work. We’re here to help you with a break with our college grade rebate and finance program. (check again) Let’s face it: there’s only one planet Earth. That’s why we focus on environmentally sustainable solutions in everything we do and every vehicle we make. Cars drivers love—for a planet we all do | The outdoors awaits. Pack up with 12 essential hiking supplies everyone needs! The right fit for our planet |
| Scarcity | A rare picture of GRs in the wild. | ||
| Reciprocity | Get up to 3% Daily Cashback with every purchase. | We truly appreciate all that you do in your life of service, and we’d like to share a small token of our gratitude. | Exercises For Strong Knees Strong legs lead to healthy knees. Learn how to build knee strength with these exercises. |
Psychological Techniques
Bigness bias
This bias states that people pay more attention to big numbers than small numbers.
Distinction bias
When there is only one choice, people are happy, but when there are many, they over-examine and over-value differences. Therefore, ensuring that their choice is the best would make them very happy.
Money Illusion
The face value of money is more appealing than the actual purchasing value, so $150 free money is more powerful than a $150 voucher.
Neglect of probability
According to this bias, people are attracted to outcomes rather than probabilities. We don’t have an intuitive grasp of probability, so we mostly see the outcome.
| Psychological techniques | Apple | Toyota | Adidas |
| Bigness bias | MacBook Air features 100 percent recycled aluminum in its compact enclosure. Save up to $1000 on iPhone 14 Pro after trade‑in. | Up to 90 days of complimentary technical support (opens in a new window). | Join Our Adiclub & Get 15% Off |
| Distinction Bias | Only Apple gets you supercharged for college. Power perks. Only at Apple. | Elevate your adventures with performance that’s never compromised. Explore the Auto Show like never before. The First-Ever 2023 Corolla Cross Hybrid Explore beyond the ordinary. An image of innovation you can touch, feel and drive—this lift-up sedan is unlike anything you’ve seen before. | The Only Ultraboost Sizing Guide You’ll Ever Need The Greatest Ever, Again Shop Adidas for the best back-to-school sales to make this year better than the last. |
| The money illusion | Plus get a gift card up to $150. Save up to $1000 on iPhone 14 Pro after trade‑in. | Every Toyota comes with a peace-of-mind, two years of no-cost maintenance, and Roadside Assistance. | Get back in step for the school year ahead with your favorite sneakers, all $100 and under. |
| Neglect of probability | Discover new vehicles and T360 Theater enter for a chance to win prizes, and more. |
Neuro-linguistic programming techniques
NLP is a branch of psychology that studies brain language. Neuro means brain, linguistic means language, and programming means using knowledge to achieve a specific result through repetitive action. What role does NLP play in copywriting? In NLP, the power of the conscious mind is used to persuade the unconscious mind to achieve a particular goal.
Here are a few NLP techniques to consider:
Storytelling
Readers are interested in stories because stories activate the brain and leave a lasting impression on the mind. Using stories that are relatable to the reader’s situation and showing both the successes and failures of those who have gone through a similar situation can impact your audience implicitly.
Sub-modalities
A sub-modality in NLP refers to a way of thinking that is based on senses. To put it another way, each of us has a dominant sense. There are those of us who prefer to think in visual terms (sight), while others prefer to think in aural terms (sound), and some in tactile terms (touch). If you use sub-modalities, you’ll be able to sneak into the minds of your readers.
Positive language
When describing the path to achievement, positive language and words are far superior to negative ones. If you were to choose between “lose weight” and “get slim,” which one would have the biggest impact on you?
Meta Model questions
Meta model questions are thought-provoking questions that set the reader on a path that leads to a specific destination. The words ‘how’ and ‘what’ are good examples of meta-model questions. For instance, Adidas asks, “How to warm up before a workout?” the answer is clear using Adidas warm-ups!
Weasel words
Longman defines ‘weasel’ as achieving something through cunning. Of course, copywriting shouldn’t be this harsh since it often involves making bold statements that aren’t entirely accurate.
| NLP | Apple | Toyota | Adidas |
| Storytelling | – | – | – |
| Sub-modalities | Look sharp. Sound great. Come through loud and clear on calls wherever you are | Look sharp at every turn. Set your sights on new adventures. | Learn our top tips to stop chafing in its tracks and calm an already irritated zone. Avoid Skin-on-Skin Rubbing |
| Positive language | To be clear, it’s gorgeous. | Stylish on the outside. Functional on the inside. With a hybrid powertrain and available All-Wheel Drive (AWD), Sienna has the versatility to keep up with your lifestyle. | Sports keep us fit. A Game-Changing, High-Performance Fit |
| Meta model questions | Shaky action shot? Fix it in pre. | – | How To Warm Up Before A Workout? Adidas What To Bring On a Hike? Adidas |
| Weasel words | Up to 18 hours of battery life./ Save up to $700 on iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro after trade‑in. And keep working — or playing — all day and into the night with up to 18 hours of battery life. | Toyota Crown Platinum’s all-new Hybrid MAX Powertrain delivers up to 340 horsepower—with instant torque. City trips. Road trips. No problem. When fully charged, RAV4 Prime has up to an EPA-estimated 42-mile EV-only rating. | Shop Adidas for kids’ back-to-school shoes to help them stay on their toes. After countless trials and hundreds of iterations, the Boost midsole was launched in 2013. |
Final Words
The key to great copywriting is to get into business while adhering to this framework. In other words, fake it till you make it.
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