How to Write Fantastic Bullet Points in Your Copy
Mix features with benefits, give specifics, and switch it up
Mix features with benefits, give specifics, and switch it up
On February 3, 2020, a Tennessee lawmaker was seen drinking out of a Hershey’s chocolate syrup bottle. A photo of the man, Representative Kent Calfee, drinking from the bottle then went viral on Twitter. People on social media speculated that maybe he was drinking chocolate syrup or hard liquor. It turned out he was drinking water.
He and his wife are big into recycling and so instead of throwing out the bottle, he found another use for it. Calfee’s choice of beverage container is unusual and hence creates a bit of curiosity. When we create bullets for marketing materials, we also want to create curiosity but without doing something that might appear too strange.
So how do we create curious bullets in a way that works on the page? And why is curiosity so important anyway?
Why Curiosity Is So Important to Bullets
Curious bullets get your sales page read. They are as arresting as stop signs. They slow you down, make you read, and make you wonder. You want to know what each line item can do for you. You know that each bullet is like a finger pointing to hidden treasure. And to gain access, you must get that product or service.
How to Construct Curious Bullets
First, you list the features of your product or service. Then you add how, why, or a specific.
List the features
For example, I’m writing copy for a parenting course right now. Here are some of the ideas (features) from the course:
Ways to get your kids to do things they don’t want to do
Ways to make chores more fun for the kids
Celebrating to keep repetitious chores from becoming a burden
To improve these bullets, add ‘how’
How to get your kids to do things they don’t want to do
How to make chores more fun for the kids
How to keep repetitious chores from becoming a burden by celebrating
With the addition of one word, we can see these bullets have already become a bit more curious.
Add ‘why’ as well
Why you can get your kids to do things they don’t want to do
Why chores can be fun for the kids
Why celebrating relieves the burden of repetitious chores
So how and why both make bullets more curious.
Add a number or a term that labels a specific feature
Let’s see what happens when we add a dash of the specific. (Specifics are in bold.)
How to get your kids to do things they don’t want to do with the validation approach
Three creative ways to make chores more fun for the kids and for you too
Why celebration can keep repetitious chores from being a burden, and the two steps to creating celebrations that work
Notice that with the addition of the specifics, the curiosity factor is driven up another notch. As you read, you may find yourself wanting to know more about these ideas.
But Won’t Your Readers Feel This Is Repetitive?
Not if you continue to mix and match. Avoid using how or why too many times in a row. Notice the variety in the bullets below from the same parenting course.
How to quickly defuse your own upsets (to avoid speaking harshly to your children)
Why parenting regrets can drain your energy — and how to dissolve them so you can bounce back from mistakes
The simple grammar of emotional expression (and why teaching it to your kids allows them to communicate difficult feelings in a respectful way)
Two ways to show unconditional love even when you’re feeling upset
How to build a healthy attitude about failure with the power of fun
Two hows, one why, and two other beginnings keep the variety up and your reader’s interest high.
So to create honest yet curious bullets, first list features, then add how or why and specifics. You’ll find that your reader’s eyes continue to widen as they read down the page and are more likely to click the buy button. And you definitely won’t have to drink from a syrup bottle to get their attention.