Some brands just know how to write, or at least their copywriters do. There are a few companies that have found a real voice that speaks to us often because their message is clear, consistent, and unique. Whether those words are written or spoken, the tone is always on-brand.
Even if you don’t like their stuff, you definitely know who they are. The most amazing aspect of their copywriting prowess is that even as their message shifts over the years, the voice is still identifiable.
There are a lot of articles out there that feature excellent examples of copywriting, like ads, landing pages, commercials, etc., but few showcase brands that consistently deliver. That’s why we’re going to address the masters of evergreen copywriting below.
What Makes These Companies Copywriting Powerhouses?
When you consider the essential elements of good marketing, excellent copywriting is at the top of the list. It’s more than a simple phrase used to generate action, copywriting is an ongoing effort to attract, maintain, and influence your customers through effective communication. In days long past, copywriting may have been limited to a single ad featured in a big publication, but with the dawn of the internet it is now so pervasive and integral to ongoing marketing methods that it can literally make or break brands.
We analyzed the copywriting style of dozens of large and rapidly growing brands, then chose the companies we found consistently excelling in the following ways:
- Copywriting Voice Consistency Since Founding
- Copywriting Style Infused in Online Interactions
- Copywriting Pitch Effectiveness as Evidenced by Consistent Growth
- Copywriting Consistency Across Advertisements, Landing Pages, & Newsletters
Here we explain why we love the copywriting of these brands and a couple things you can learn from them and apply to your own copywriting.
Peloton
Peloton is a behemoth in the exercise equipment space, and if you are wondering how expansive their reach has become, just look in your living room (my Peloton bike is one of the first things you’ll see when you walk in my house).
This $8 billion company founded in 2012 has managed to create and sell boring cardio equipment as a sexy, inclusive, and inspiring product and service that 4.4 million members subscribe to.
Since the inception of the business they’ve maintained a consistent copywriting style that conveys a friendly, supportive, and motivating voice that glorifies both their users and trainers. Better yet, their style has allowed them to weather a variety of controversies that could have easily derailed their message and sullied their brand image.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN:
UTILIZE FACTS & STATS. Fitness is an easy topic to flub with wild claims, promises, and questionable “science.” Peloton gets their message across using stats like “Peloton Members work out 3x more on average than gym members.” and direct comparisons between the cost of owning their bike rather than maintaining a gym membership.
USE THAT USER CONTENT. Peloton consistently validates their claims by bolstering them with user testimonials, contributed content, and trainer callouts. Their writing seamlessly combines the pitch with user contributions into a message that feels more like a friendly recommendation rather than a hard sell.
DoorDash
It’s no surprise that DoorDash took off over the last couple years, but the truth is that they’ve been growing consistently since being founded in 2013. Now worth over $4.7 billion with over 3,800 employees, the clever online food ordering and delivery platform dominates the industry with a 56% market share.
Their copywriting style is cheeky, direct, and simple, all of which are very necessary when effectively communicating with end users (you), “dashers” (their drivers), and “Partners” (the restaurants, convenience stores, and grocery stores on the app). They manage to write and advertise well in cities throughout the world using a voice that conveys availability, convenience, opportunity, and freedom.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN:
EVERYONE ON BOARD. The DoorDash copywriting is very inclusive and consistent. Whether they’re addressing their customers, employees, or merchants, they convey the same message of opportunity and benefit. Just take a look at their About Us page and see how many positive words like “possibility,” “energy,” “grow,” etc. that you’ll find. Next time you write, think about how you can consistently push your message no matter who you’re addressing.
Purple
Purple is a “comfort technology” company founded in 2015 that sells mattresses, cushions, pillows, and other products that utilize trademarked cushioning materials. While their product is unique and features some special material technology, what really makes them stand out is their copywriting. Now worth $1.1 billion, the company has exemplified the power of effective, modern marketing and continues to stand out in the crowded “mattress in a box” space.
Purple’s copywriting approach combines a feature/technology focus with clever wordology to convey common benefits in a quirky way. The copywriting voice extends from their website to their ads to their feature lists, and they’ve maintained an entertaining approach from the start.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN:
STOP WRITING BORING. Purple products are special, but they’re not THAT special. Lots of memory foam mattresses have similar benefits and characteristics. Purple gets around that fact by describing their features in a unique way. For example, when describing the benefits of having a mattress that responds to body movement faster, they state, “That’s a fancy way of saying it responds to your body instantly for an uninterrupted floating feeling all night long. Ah, science.” In comparison, they state that their competitors are “Slow on the Uptake.” It’s funny while being informative and derisive at the same time. Try not to write your product features the same way your competitors do… make them special.
Wendy’s
Wendy’s is the oldest company on our list by a wide margin, but that makes their inclusion all the more impressive. Founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas, there are now over 6,700 locations and the company’s value has exceeded $5 billion. That’s all well and good, but what is really unique is the ability of the company to maintain the same mascot (the smiling ginger “Wendy” that we all know and love) and somehow evolve their copywriting to stay hip and relevant throughout the development and proliferation of the internet era!
Wendy’s copywriting highlights their product’s uniqueness when compared to their competitor’s products, namely McDonalds. They have an ongoing trolling campaign against McDonalds that has defined their approach to writing; it’s clever, cutting, memorable, funny, and downright offensive to the competition. They have managed to combine consistent feature-callouts (like their “we don’t cut corners” description of their patties) with competitor trolling to create a memorable approach to copywriting.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN:
GO WITH THE FLOW. At some point Wendy’s realized that the best way to describe what makes them special is to describe why McDonalds sucks. It was probably an effective strategy for social media posts (specifically Twitter) that they later extended to all advertising channels, then combined with their standard feature-callout approach. If you’ve written something that took off on one channel, it may be time to adjust your voice on all channels. Look at your most effective copywriting piece, determine the voice that made it successful, then see how you can apply it throughout your media.
BONUS: Pierce Brown’s Instagram Account
Pierce Brown is an American science fiction author and New York Times bestseller. When you think of exemplary copywriting, you may not think of fiction writers, but in this instance, you should. You see, Mr. Brown needs to sell his books and his audience demands updates as his series progress. He has cleverly turned to instagram to share those updates and does an amazing job of showcasing his imagination and talent with each post. Here is one of my favorites:
