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The Technical Product Copywriting Framework: Features → Benefits → Outcomes
Most technical writers stop at features. Good copywriters go to benefits. Great copywriters show business outcomes. This is the core of my technical product copywriting framework, a three-step process for turning dry, technical features into compelling, persuasive copy that converts.
In this article, I’ll break down my Features → Benefits → Outcomes framework in detail. You’ll learn how to go beyond simply listing what your product does and start showing your customers what they can achieve with it. We’ll look at real-world examples and I’ll share the exact process I use to help my clients turn their technical products into irresistible offers.
The Problem with Most Technical Copywriting
Before we dive into the framework, let’s talk about why most technical copywriting fails. It’s because it gets stuck at the first step: features. Technical writers, who are often engineers themselves, are naturally inclined to focus on the technical details of a product. They’ll create long lists of features, specifications, and capabilities. And while this information is important, it’s not what ultimately persuades a customer to buy.
As I discussed in my guide to direct response copywriting for SaaS, people don’t buy products; they buy better versions of themselves. They’re not interested in your product’s features; they’re interested in what your product can do for them. This is where the Features → Benefits → Outcomes framework comes in. It’s a simple, three-step process for turning dry, technical features into compelling, persuasive copy that converts. It’s the framework I’ve used to help my clients generate millions in pipeline, and it’s the framework I’m going to share with you in this article.
Pillar 1: Features - The “What”
Features are the “what” of your product. They’re the specific, tangible things that your product does. For example:
- “Our software has a real-time threat detection engine.”
- “Our API has a 99.9% uptime.”
- “Our dashboard is customizable.”
Features are important, but they’re not enough. They’re the foundation of your copywriting, but they’re not the whole house. To make your features compelling, you need to translate them into benefits. A 2023 study by the RAIN Group found that the most effective sales messages are those that focus on the customer’s needs and goals, not the seller’s product. The same is true for copywriting.
How to Identify Your Key Features
Before you can translate your features into benefits, you need to know what your key features are. Here’s a simple exercise I use with my clients:
- Brainstorm a list of all your product’s features. Don’t worry about being comprehensive at this stage. Just get everything down on paper.
- Group your features into logical categories. For example, you might have a category for “security features,” “performance features,” and “collaboration features.”
- Identify your top 3-5 key features. These are the features that are most important to your target audience and that set you apart from the competition. A great way to do this is to survey your existing customers and ask them what features they value most.
Once you have your list of key features, you’re ready to move on to the next step: translating them into benefits.
Pillar 2: Benefits - The “So What?”
Benefits are the “so what?” of your product. They’re the answer to the question, “What’s in it for me?” Benefits explain how your product’s features will make your customer’s life better. For example:
- Feature: “Our software has a real-time threat detection engine.”
- Benefit: “Get instant alerts on security threats, so you can respond before they cause any damage.”
- Feature: “Our API has a 99.9% uptime.”
- Benefit: “Build reliable applications that your users can count on.”
- Feature: “Our dashboard is customizable.”
- Benefit: “See the data that matters most to you, all in one place.”
The “So What?” Test
A simple way to turn a feature into a benefit is to use the “so what?” test. For every feature you list, ask yourself, “So what?” Why does this feature matter to my customer? What’s the end result for them? Keep asking “so what?” until you get to a clear, compelling benefit.
For example:
- Feature: Our software has a real-time threat detection engine.
- So what? You get instant alerts on security threats.
- So what? You can respond before they cause any damage.
- So what? You can avoid costly data breaches and protect your company’s reputation.
Now you have a powerful benefit statement: “Avoid costly data breaches and protect your company’s reputation with our real-time threat detection engine.” This is the kind of benefit-driven copy that resonates with both technical and business audiences. It’s clear, it’s compelling, and it speaks directly to the customer’s needs.
Pillar 3: Outcomes - The “Why”
Outcomes are the “why” of your product. They’re the tangible, measurable business results that your customers can expect to achieve by using your product. Outcomes are what your business audience cares about most. For example:
- Feature: “Our software has a real-time threat detection engine.”
- Benefit: “Get instant alerts on security threats, so you can respond before they cause any damage.”
- Outcome: “Reduce your mean time to detection (MTTD) by 90% and save an average of $1.2 million per data breach.”
- Feature: “Our API has a 99.9% uptime.”
- Benefit: “Build reliable applications that your users can count on.”
- Outcome: “Increase user retention by 25% and reduce churn by 15%.”
- Feature: “Our dashboard is customizable.”
- Benefit: “See the data that matters most to you, all in one place.”
- Outcome: “Improve your team’s productivity by 30% and make better, data-driven decisions.”
The Power of Specificity
The key to writing compelling outcomes is to be as specific as possible. Don’t just say your product will “improve productivity.” Say it will “improve productivity by 30%.” Don’t just say your product will “save money.” Say it will “save an average of $1.2 million per data breach.” The more specific you can be, the more credible and persuasive your copy will be. This is a core principle I cover in my guide on how to write technical content that ranks and converts. A 2024 study by Demand Gen Report found that 77% of B2B buyers want to see more data and research in the content they consume. They’re tired of vague claims and marketing fluff. They want to see the proof.
Of course, you can’t just make up these numbers. You need to have data to back them up. This is where case studies, customer surveys, and industry benchmarks come in. The 2024 B2B Buying Disconnect report from TrustRadius found that buyers are increasingly skeptical of vendor claims, making data-backed outcomes more important than ever.
Putting It All Together: The Framework in Action
Now let’s look at a few examples of how you can use the Features → Benefits → Outcomes framework in your own copywriting.
Example 1: A Cybersecurity SaaS Product
Example 2: A Developer API
Pillar 4: Advanced Applications of the Framework
Once you’ve mastered the basics of the Features → Benefits → Outcomes framework, you can start to apply it in more advanced ways. Here are a few examples:
Onboarding Emails
Your onboarding emails are a critical part of the customer journey. They’re your opportunity to welcome new users, to help them get started with your product, and to show them the value of what you have to offer. The Features → Benefits → Outcomes framework is a great way to structure your onboarding emails.
Here’s an example of an onboarding email for a project management tool:
Subject: Welcome to ProjectFlow! Here’s how to get started.
Hi [Name],
Welcome to ProjectFlow! We’re excited to have you on board.
To help you get started, we’ve put together a quick guide to our most popular features:
- Feature: Create unlimited projects and tasks.
- Benefit: Keep all of your work organized in one place.
- Outcome: Ship your projects 25% faster.
- Feature: Collaborate with your team in real-time.
- Benefit: Keep everyone on the same page and avoid miscommunications.
- Outcome: Reduce your team’s email back-and-forth by 50%.
- Feature: Track your progress with our customizable dashboards.
- Benefit: See how your projects are progressing at a glance.
- Outcome: Make better, data-driven decisions and hit your deadlines every time.
Ready to get started? [Create your first project now.]
Thanks,
The ProjectFlow Team
Sales Decks
Your sales deck is another great place to use the Features → Benefits → Outcomes framework. Instead of just listing a bunch of features, use the framework to tell a story about how your product can help your prospects achieve their goals.
Here’s an example of a slide from a sales deck for a marketing automation platform:
Slide Title: Go from Busy to Productive
Website Copy
Of course, your website is one of the most important places to use the Features → Benefits → Outcomes framework. Your homepage, your product pages, and your landing pages should all be focused on the outcomes that your customers can achieve with your product. I’ll be doing a deep dive on this in my upcoming article on how to write SaaS product pages that technical buyers actually trust.
From What to Why
The Features → Benefits → Outcomes framework is a simple but powerful tool for transforming your technical copywriting. By moving beyond what your product does and focusing on what your customers can achieve with it, you can create copy that’s more compelling, more persuasive, and more effective. It’s the difference between selling a product and selling a solution. And in the competitive world of B2B SaaS, that can make all the difference. I’ve seen this framework transform the way my clients talk about their products. I’ve seen it turn confusing, jargon-filled websites into clear, compelling sales pitches. And I’ve seen it generate millions in pipeline. So, if you’re ready to take your technical copywriting to the next level, I encourage you to give it a try. You might be surprised at the results.