5 Ways to Write About an App's Benefits -- Not Features When you're writing (or talking) about an app, it's essential to differentiate between the way you think about the app, and the way your clients think about the app.
By Bizness Apps
This story originally appeared on Bizness Apps
When you're writing (or talking) about an app, it's essential to differentiate between the way you think about the app, and the way your clients think about the app. Your small-business clients largely don't care about how it works; they care about how their customers will experience it. As an app reseller, write from this perspective, not the developer's perspective. That means talking about benefits, rather than features.
Why is it important to know how to write about an app's benefits? Because you will have to do it more often than you think. It all starts when you are pitching a small-business owner on your product, you want to be able to convey its benefits in both spoken and written form. After the sale, you will need to write the in-app copy, the app store description, the promotional material and so on. As your small-business client won't know how to do these things, you will need to guide them through this.
So without further ado, here are five ways to write about an app benefits, not features.
1. Write concisely.
It's important not to drone on and on about how great your product is. Be as concise and to the point as possible; we're talking bullet points, not essays. People want to get their information quickly so they can make a decision, not listen to you wax poetic about how amazing your app is. Consider testing your language with an A/B test over email and seeing which version gets more clicks. "Make a note of what words worked and use them in future descriptions of your product. Whatever language you use, emphasize that your app exists to solve problems and make people's lives better and easier," recommends Susie Shore, writer at Assignment Help.
2. Focus on the core experience.
"If you're going to effectively write about your app's benefits, you need to focus on the core experience the app provides to its users. Don't get bogged down in details and add-ons; ask yourself what its most important job is and focus your writing on that," advises Brant Jones, tech editor at UKWritings. As the creator of the app, you're going to be interested in details that the average user may not notice or appreciate as much as you do. What makes your app indispensable? This is what benefits the small business and their customers, not some detail you think is neat. Failing to focus on the app's purpose will result in a shallow description that could leave readers asking, "What does this app do again?" and walking away.
3. Stop adding features.
It's tempting to keep adding more and more features, thinking you're adding more value. Remember that it's about the core experience, as mentioned above. The more features you describe, the more confusing and convoluted your product seems. Focus on communicating how great your app does that one very useful thing, and how reliably it does it. Your clients are interested because of your app's purpose, the one big selling point. Sure, you might have some nice little side benefits, but the more you talk about these perks, the less you are talking about the main reason they're interested. Does that really help you?
4. Remember that an app is never complete.
Your app is going to change over time, and so will its features. What is less likely to change is the customer's experience. When you're releasing a new version, remember to reinforce in your writing that it's still the same app people love, just with improvements. While you may think your tweaking and updating is amazing, resist the temptation to present the new version as completely different. People like your app, so don't sell an update as a new product. Talk about the update in terms of its benefits, but frame them for what they are: an improved version of the app people already love. On the other hand, you shouldn't write the app description once and then never look back at it. The writing itself can always use tweaking in terms of making it more persuasive and powerful.
5. Get feedback about your app.
You need to find out what your client's customer base wants in a mobile experience. The best way to know if your app works as it should is to get it on the market. Don't waste time and money testing and developing for years; just get it out there and see what happens. You might find, after testing the market, that you need to make some changes to better accommodate the target audience. But it's better to find that out quickly than to spend a long time in development, eating up resources, before realizing changes need to be made. You can incorporate this feedback into the app's updates and the app copy.
Conclusion
Write with the end user's perspective in mind. Think about the kind of experience you aim to provide with the app, not its most interesting features. The average person isn't concerned with the fact that your latest update uses PWA technology, they just want it to work in a way that improves their lives. Focus on how the app will solve a problem and benefit the user -- and the small business. A concise and to-the-point description will beat a long-winded and overly detailed description any day.
(By Gracer Carter. Grace Carter is a business writer at Assignment Help and Australian Help services. She has helped developers highlight the benefits of their app and, as a result, increase their sales. Also, Grace is a contributor at OXEssays, British educational service.)