Apple’s Copywriting: 5 Lessons for Marketers from Cupertino

How do 3 million pixels fit into 7.9 inches?

Brilliantly.

For the past 6 years, Apple has crafted website content that is nothing short of spectacular. Whether you browse the new iPad Air web page, the new iPad Mini web page or Apple’s oldest product web page, for the iPod Classic, you are immediately met with words of persuasion, of education and of benefit.

Even with the brand awareness Apple has, their copywriting is still essential towards their web store sales, and they take their content seriously. Every word is crafted with love, care, and detail, and it is clear that they spend as much time on the development of it as they do their beloved products.

Why do they do this?

Apple understands that their copywriting upholds their brand. They understand that it is an essential ingredient of their website and they understand that without it, they would not be able to evoke sensation in the reader.

There are several things that writers and marketers can learn from Apple’s copywriting.

Here’s 5 of those things.

1. Scannable Content is King

Visit any product page on Apple’s website, and no matter how fast you scroll down the page, something will pop out at you and push you to read on.

Now you may be wondering how Apple have achieved this. Have they perhaps cast a spell on all of their potential customers?

No. Simply, Apple understands that scannable content is king.

Take the iPhone 5C features page as an example. The copywriting on this page is split up in to easy to identify segments and each of those segments has its own compelling headline. This page, along with many others, is devoid of any huge walls of text or bunched together images.

Whether you are on a desktop computer or a 3.5-inch smartphone, it is easy to identify which areas of the content are of interest to you.

Writers and marketers should learn from this. Split your content up and make it scannable through headings, bold, italicised, underlined words and CAPITAL letters.

2. Typography Means Everything

Typography is so incredibly important when it comes to copywriting – in fact, we believe that typography is the foundation of website design. Typography is so much more than a pretty page; it defines your content and your websites user experience.

Make no mistake, bad typography can kill your websites potential to win sales and leads.

Writers and marketers can learn a lot from Apple’s website, which is devoid of any old school fonts or garish Microsoft Word inspired headings. Apple does not just use modern, slick fonts on their website either – they carry this across through all of their channels, including to the products themselves.

Consistency, therefore, is key to good typography and it should stretch across your entire marketing channel.

3. Pictures and Media Increase Interactivity

Apple create beautiful products and there’s no escaping that fact. They are proud of the products that they create and they therefore drench each and every product page with images, video, and animation. This media brings each web page to life and it simply begs you to touch and interact with it.

Marketers can learn a lot from this.

Web pages are boring if they feature nothing but text, and offering visitors the ability to see features and products for real is a great way to increase engagement.

According to research, 67% vs. 50% of an audience is persuaded by a message with visual information and articles with images get 94% more visitors than those that don’t. Use these facts to your advantage and flood your web pages with beautiful media.

4. Writing is Supposed to Evoke Sensation in the Reader…

…not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.

The quote above is from E.L. Doctorow, and it is extremely relevant in the context of online copywriting. Apple’s website is full of writing that evokes sensation; “You have to hold the iPad to believe it. It’s just 7.5 millimetres thin and weighs less than half a kilo. You can do so much more, with so much less”.

What does the above quote from Apple’s website say to you?

If Apple have done their job correctly, it should harness your curiosity and will you to read more; how can it make me do more? How much lighter could it possibly be?

The fact is, writing can be boring. It can lead you on to something great but never deliver. Writers and marketers can learn from Apple and all good copywriting by trying their hardest to capture the readers imagination.

If your copywriting does not engage your visitor, what is the point of it?

5. A Smiling Face Adds Trust

How do your products make your customer feel?

Whilst beautiful images of products help to increase interactivity, images of humans connect you to the products themselves. Apple’s products are littered with people smiling whilst using them; the iPad, for example, has a man and his son using FaceTime whilst smiling and the photo gallery app is littered with smiling faces.

The reason Apple did this was not to show how exciting their products are, but to create a direct connection to customers. Apple wants you to be able to feel and interact with their products on their website but they also want you to be able to connect with them. To connect there must be a human link.

Writers and marketers should take note – a smiling face will increase sales and it will increase leads. Your website and blog might be flat in design and pastel-coloured, but that ultra shiny look is not going to win the heart of your customer.

How YOU can write copy like Apple

You might not have a product that’s as sexy as the iPad Air, and you might not have a product that is as productive as the Macbook Air, but that doesn’t mean you cannot wrap your products up in stellar copywriting.

Web page copywriting is, essentially, sales copy. You want to sell to your customer but you also want to be beneficial and offer value.

So, when you write, do so with energy. With flair. With pizzazz.

By putting those Apple copywriting tips above to good use, you will create a better experience for your customers.