How to Use Features and Benefits to Sell Anything: Lessons from Robert Bly and a Yellow Pencil / by Lewis Lin

I've been reading Robert Bly's book, "The Copywriter's Handbook," where he effectively emphasizes the significance of documenting a product's features and benefits.

The exemplary breakdown of the features and benefits of a standard yellow pencil within the book stands out as one of the most impressive, clear, concise, and jargon-free explanations I've ever come across.

This pencil example is something I’ll refer to again and again, so I’ve included the plain text below.

Features

  • Pencil is a wooden cylinder surrounding a graphite core - Can be sharpened as often as you like to ensure clean, crisp writing.

  • Cylinder is hexagonal - Won't roll off your desk.

  • One end is capped by a rubber eraser - Convenient eraser lets you correct writing errors cleanly and quickly.

  • Eraser is attached with a tight-fitting metal band - Holds eraser snugly in place; no pencils ruined by eraser coming loose.

  • Pencil is 7.5 inches long - 7.5-inch graphite core ensures a long writing life.

  • Pencil is 0.25 inches in diameter - Slender shape makes it easy to hold and comfortable to write with.

  • Pencil is No. 2 - Graphite core is blended for just the right hardness--writes smoothly yet crisply.

  • Yellow exterior - Bright, attractive exterior--standouts in a pencil holder or desk drawer.

  • Sold by the dozen - One-stop to the store gives you enough pencils to last for months.

  • Also available in a box containing a gross - Easier purchasing and a lower price per unit for large-volume users such as business offices and schools.

  • Made in the USA - A quality product. (Also, buying American-made strengthens the US economy.)

Benefits

  • Can be sharpened as often as you like to ensure clean, crisp writing.

  • Won't roll off your desk.

  • Convenient eraser lets you correct writing errors cleanly and quickly.

  • Holds eraser snugly in place; no pencils ruined by eraser coming loose.

  • 7.5-inch graphite core ensures a long writing life.

  • Slender shape makes it easy to hold and comfortable to write with.

  • Graphite core is blended for just the right hardness--writes smoothly yet crisply.

  • Bright, attractive exterior--standouts in a pencil holder or desk drawer.

  • One-stop to the store gives you enough pencils to last for months.

  • Easier purchasing and a lower price per unit for large-volume users such as business offices and schools.

  • A quality product. (Also, buying American-made strengthens the US economy.)