Features Tell, Benefits SELL (+ how to find yours) 💰

So what?

Hey everyone, I’ve been thinking a lot this week about how easy it is to get lost in the details of our own products. We know the specs, the materials, the cool tech... but do our customers care about that stuff?

Often, not really. Not directly, anyway.

I see so many product descriptions and even ads that just list features

• 100% Organic Cotton

• Bluetooth 5.0

• Advanced AI Algorithm

Okay, cool... but so what?

That "so what" is where the magic happens in creative strategy. It’s the bridge between what your product is and what it does for the customer. Get that right, and your ads start hitting differently.

Inside this issue:

• The crucial difference: Features vs. Benefits (and why it matters so much for Meta ads)

• A simple framework to turn specs into selling points

• How to apply this to your product today and test it on Meta

• Bonus: A quick checklist for your next ad creative brainstorm

Let's get into it.

🔍 The Big Idea: Stop Selling Features, Start Selling Outcomes

Think about scrolling through Instagram or Facebook. You've got maybe 1-2 seconds to grab someone's attention. Listing technical specs isn't going to cut it. People buy solutions to their problems or ways to achieve their desires. They buy outcomes.

• Feature: A factual statement about what your product is or has, e.g.: Waterproof up to 50 meters.

• Benefit: The positive outcome or advantage the customer gets because of that feature, e.g: Wear it worry-free while swimming or showering.

Focusing on benefits taps directly into customer motivations and answers their subconscious question: "What's in it for me?". In the world of Meta Ads, where creative is the biggest performance lever, translating features into benefits is fundamental. It’s the difference between an ad that gets ignored and an ad that converts.

🧱 The Framework: The "So What?" Bridge

The simplest way to bridge the gap is to constantly ask "So What?" after stating a feature.

1. Identify a Feature: Start with a specific characteristic of your product.

   • Example: "Our skincare serum contains Vitamin C."

2. Ask "So What?": What does this feature do for the customer?

   • So What? → "Vitamin C brightens the skin." (This is the direct benefit)

3. (Optional) Ask "So What?" Again (Deeper Benefit): What deeper desire or outcome does that direct benefit lead to?

   • So What? → "You'll look more radiant and feel more confident." (This is the emotional benefit)

Example 1, feature: 100% Organic Cotton T-shirt

• So What? → It's super soft against your skin. (Direct Benefit)

• So What? → You'll feel comfortable and relaxed all day long. (Deeper Benefit)

Example 2, feature: Noise-cancelling headphones

• So What? → Blocks out distracting background noise. (Direct Benefit)

• So What? → You can finally focus on your work or enjoy your music without interruptions. (Deeper Benefit)

🧠 Real-Life Application: Scan, Translate, Test

Here’s how to put this into action this week:

1. Scan Your Product Page: Grab your best-selling product's description. List out all the features you mention.

2. Translate: Go through each feature and apply the "So What?" framework. Write down the direct and, if possible, deeper benefits for each.

3. Identify Top Benefits: 

   1. Which benefits seem most compelling for your target audience?

   2. Which solve their biggest pain points or speak to their strongest desires?

4. Test on Meta: Create a simple A/B test. Keep the visual the same, but test a feature-focused headline vs. a benefit-focused headline derived from your translation exercise.

   • Example Test:

     • Ad A Headline (Feature): "Durable Ripstop Nylon Backpack"

     • Ad B Headline (Benefit): "Your Gear Stays Safe on Any Adventure"

   • Run it for a few days and see which headline gets a better Click-Through Rate (CTR) or leads to more purchases.

💣 Value Bomb

Stuck translating a feature? Ask yourself: "Because of [Feature], you can now [Benefit]." Fill in the blanks. If it doesn't make sense or feel compelling, you haven't found the true customer benefit yet. Keep digging!

• Example 1 (Backpack): "Because of the padded laptop compartment, you can now carry your tech safely without worry."

• Example 2 (Skincare): "Because our face cream includes hyaluronic acid, you can now give your skin deep hydration for a plump, youthful look."

🛠 Tactical Tip

Test Benefit Angles in Your Hook & Generate Ideas: Use your top 2-3 benefit angles as opening lines/concepts for different ad variations. Need help brainstorming those benefit statements? Try this simple prompt with ChatGPT or Claude:

Act as a conversion-focused DTC copywriter. My product is [briefly describe product, e.g., 'a sustainable bamboo toothbrush'].

One of its key features is: [Insert Feature, e.g., 'biodegradable handle'].

Using the 'So What?' framework, explain:
1. The direct benefit of this feature (what it allows the customer to DO).
2. The deeper, emotional benefit (how it makes the customer FEEL or what larger goal it helps them achieve).

Present these benefits as concise statements suitable for ad copy.

Use the AI output to fuel your A/B tests comparing different benefit-led hooks:

• Video Hook 1 (Benefit A - Direct): "Switch to a toothbrush handle you can actually compost..."

• Video Hook 2 (Benefit B - Deeper): "Reduce your plastic waste, one brush at a time..."

👋 Closing

Alright, that's the core idea: Features tell, benefits sell. It sounds simple, but mastering this translation is ground zero for powerful creative. Start practicing the "So What?" framework, and test those benefit-led angles!

Coming up Friday: We'll take this a step further and explore tactical AI prompts you can use right now to automatically turn your dry feature lists into compelling benefit statements for your ads. Stay tuned!

Got questions or want to share how you differentiate features vs. benefits? Just hit reply – always love hearing from you.

Speak soon, Tomasz