I’ve been reading Robert Bly’s book, “The Copywriter’s Handbook,” where he effectively emphasizes the significance of documenting a product’s features and benefits.
The exemplary breakdown of the features and benefits of a standard yellow pencil within the book stands out as one of the most impressive, clear, concise, and jargon-free explanations I’ve ever come across.
This pencil example is something I’ll refer to again and again, so I’ve included the plain text below.
Features
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Pencil is a wooden cylinder surrounding a graphite core - Can be sharpened as often as you like to ensure clean, crisp writing.
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Cylinder is hexagonal - Won’t roll off your desk.
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One end is capped by a rubber eraser - Convenient eraser lets you correct writing errors cleanly and quickly.
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Eraser is attached with a tight-fitting metal band - Holds eraser snugly in place; no pencils ruined by eraser coming loose.
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Pencil is 7.5 inches long - 7.5-inch graphite core ensures a long writing life.
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Pencil is 0.25 inches in diameter - Slender shape makes it easy to hold and comfortable to write with.
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Pencil is No. 2 - Graphite core is blended for just the right hardness—writes smoothly yet crisply.
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Yellow exterior - Bright, attractive exterior—standouts in a pencil holder or desk drawer.
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Sold by the dozen - One-stop to the store gives you enough pencils to last for months.
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Also available in a box containing a gross - Easier purchasing and a lower price per unit for large-volume users such as business offices and schools.
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Made in the USA - A quality product. (Also, buying American-made strengthens the US economy.)
Benefits
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Can be sharpened as often as you like to ensure clean, crisp writing.
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Won’t roll off your desk.
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Convenient eraser lets you correct writing errors cleanly and quickly.
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Holds eraser snugly in place; no pencils ruined by eraser coming loose.
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7.5-inch graphite core ensures a long writing life.
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Slender shape makes it easy to hold and comfortable to write with.
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Graphite core is blended for just the right hardness—writes smoothly yet crisply.
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Bright, attractive exterior—standouts in a pencil holder or desk drawer.
-
One-stop to the store gives you enough pencils to last for months.
-
Easier purchasing and a lower price per unit for large-volume users such as business offices and schools.
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A quality product. (Also, buying American-made strengthens the US economy.)