How to define features and benefits

Focus on the reader’s needs

If you were giving away a Hawaiian vacation to people who signed up for your webinar, which would you lead with? The vacation, or the webinar?

From what I’ve seen — from training more than 25,000 communicators in more than 1,000 organizations over 20 years — most folks would choose the webinar.

Sign up for our webinar
and get a dream trip to Hawaii!

But leading with the webinar won’t grab your readers’ attention and move them to act.

Instead, lead with the benefits and substantiate with the features. Focus on your reader’s wants and needs first, then follow up with your organization and its products, services and ideas.

Steal a trick from these Silver Anvil winners.

These benefits leads from PRSA Silver Anvil-winning campaigns are great models of leading with the benefits and substantiating with the features.

Lead with the benefits …	… Substantiate with the features
Employers now have a better way to measure, monitor and manage employee absences …	… thanks to UnumProvident Corporation’s (NYSE: UNM) expanded online Comparative Reporting & Analysis (CR&A) information services.
Do you dread shopping for new appliances? Are you tired of being bumped in narrow aisles, searching for customer assistance and even purchasing appliances that don’t fit your needs?	If so, the new Northridge-area Maytag store was designed just for you.
On average, an employer can expect that 10 percent of its employee population will be out on a disability leave during the course of the year. To help employers better understand the types of disabilities affecting their industries and how targeted workplace solutions can mitigate associated costs and employee absences …	… MetLife has made available The MetLife Series on Championing Productivity …

Make the switch.

Sometimes, a small switch is all you need to put the benefits first. Check out these before-and-afters:

Before	After
XYZ Corporation (NYSE: XYZ) today announced that print and copy costs can be reduced up to 20 percent with our new ABC product.	Organizations can reduce their print and copy costs up to 20 percent with XYZ Corporation’s (NYSE: XYZ) new ABC product.
Everquest “Seeds of Destruction” is the new expansion for the Everquest video game franchise.	Gamers can level up their character to 85 in the latest expansion of Everquest’s “Seeds of Destruction.”
National Semiconductor’s Workbench Sensor Designer tool enables engineers to quickly move from concept to simulation to prototype in a few keystrokes.	Engineers who typically take weeks to design sensor systems can now complete their designs in minutes, thanks to a new, online design tool.

Next time you write a press release, brochure or newsletter article, put the reader benefits first.