Given that human moments are integral to any successful marketing story, marketers and storytellers should sell the destination, not the vehicle. The destination represents what economists call utility, while the vehicle represents the product. The former matters more than the latter. Travellers choose buses based on where they are headed, not because the vehicles are attractive or comfortable. It is therefore imperative to emphasise the destination over the vehicle, in keeping with the saying, “Sell the light, not the light bulb.” This transport analogy applies to copywriting and editorial marketing.

We are focusing on this subject because we are in the creator economy and the content-first era. People tend to envision themselves at their destination before considering how to get there. A product demonstration might earn a scroll, but a 15-second story showcasing the before-and-after experience is more likely to hold attention. Unlike dry descriptions of product features, presenting customers’ pain points through relatable human experiences can make a message instantly compelling. The point is that every product should be translated into a specific customer outcome.

For instance, the copy, “Our project management software has automated task tracking,” would be more effective if expressed as, “Know who’s doing what, what’s late, and which deliverables are due today.” When showing a prospective member around a high-end country club, tell them, “This is where you’ll enjoy brunch,” rather than simply saying, “This is the dining room.” When advertising a whitening toothpaste, the copy could read, “Stop hiding your smile. Start showing it off.” The message could then highlight results from a clinical trial demonstrating the product’s effectiveness within three days.

Benefits Beat Features

Many technically excellent products struggle in the market because their campaigns focus more on features than on possibilities, failing to give prospective customers compelling reasons to care. Potential buyers appreciate a product’s inherent value only when they can envision how it will solve their problems. Just as desire precedes details, features become meaningful only after customers understand why a product is worth their money.

Great marketing is not centred on what you have built but on what happens to the user as a result of your creation. We understand that you worked hard to develop the specifications, but focusing excessively on them in your marketing can come across as self-adulation, something audiences have little patience for. Their attention and willingness to convert are driven by the question, “What’s in it for me?” The best copy makes the customer the hero, not the product.

Features explain what a product is. Transformation explains why anyone should care. Proof removes whatever doubt remains. The strongest messaging connects a product to the problem it solves and the outcome customers desire. Marketers would be remiss if they left consumers to figure out the product’s significance and relevance for themselves.

Avoid All Sizzle and No Steak

Promising all sizzle and no steak hurts conversion rates and takes a heavy toll on trust and credibility. What customers are actually buying is the assurance that a product or service will reliably solve their problems once they become owners or users of that offering. In editorial marketing, product features are not as important as transformation and proof.

Evidence of transformation is what convinces people that a product can deliver similar results for them. Without it, even a strong brand promise sounds like an exaggerated claim. A promise of transformation without supporting evidence will always come across as hype. Proof can be likened to the question an interview panel might ask: “Tell us something about yourself that is not in your CV.”

Meanwhile, brands must be careful not to become so absorbed in the transformation narrative that product features are buried. This can confuse customers about what they are actually buying. Clarity through specific details is non-negotiable!

Proof Moves Interest to Action

Every major claim in a piece of marketing copy must be supported by evidence, an explanation of the mechanism, or relevant context. After all, people do not buy a drill; they buy the hole in the wall! The evidence supporting a product’s claims must be firmly established before marketers attempt to sell the promised transformation and stimulate sales.

Almost any piece of copy can convert if the desired result is presented in a way that resonates with the customer. Features inform, but transformation sells. One conveys information; the other appeals to the desire to be persuaded.

Most product detail pages (PDPs) stop at providing information and appealing to emotions. The evidence that demonstrates how the promised outcome can be achieved is where reviews, unboxing videos, and real customer results become valuable. User-generated content (UGC) is particularly useful here because it showcases lived experiences shared by identifiable customers. Proof turns scepticism into confidence; it is persuasion at its best!

The Formula:

• State the claim (the destination).
• Explain how the product gets the user “home.”
• Show proof that the transformation is possible.
• Make the next step clear and compelling.
• Position the proof close to the promise so that customers can readily find a reason to believe it.

Another approach is to begin the copy or sales pitch by describing the problem and amplifying the pain point through the customer’s emotions. The marketer can then present the product as a solution. This makes prospective customers feel understood rather than sold to, which many people interpret as an attempt to exploit them.

Essentially, marketing should show people where they could be, explain how a product can help them get there, and give them a reason to believe the promise.

Algorithmic Recommendations and B2B as Exceptions

In the age of AI, evidence may be the most valuable currency of all. Everyone can describe a destination, but not every advertisement can demonstrate that the product has actually helped people get there.

Meanwhile, with the growing use of answer engines, where people describe their problems to large language models (LLMs), particularly when researching software as a service (SaaS), product details cannot be underestimated. These details are what machines rely on when identifying and recommending products in response to user queries. Product descriptions should therefore incorporate relevant features using language that reflects the terms and phrases people use when asking questions of generative AI models.

AI-powered searches place a premium on authority and factual relevance rather than gratification or sentiment. Although these systems can interpret natural language and user intent, their recommendations depend partly on the availability of clear, relevant, and verifiable information. As an expert adviser, an answer engine such as ChatGPT or Gemini can recommend a product more effectively when its features are explicitly stated and relevant to the user’s query.

Similarly, transformation-focused messaging and proof alone may not suffice in business-to-business (B2B) transactions, where detailed technical information is essential. Enterprises want comprehensive product information so that their teams can evaluate offerings, convince end users, and answer their questions. Product features therefore assume greater importance in this market.

Enterprise clients care deeply about specifics because their decisions are influenced by risk mitigation, collective decision-making, and complex technical integration rather than emotional appeal or immediate gratification. Given that B2B products must operate within fragile ecosystems involving legacy procurement systems, security compliance, cross-departmental workflows, and custom data pipelines, buyers carefully select vendors whose products will not expose them to professional blame or put their careers at risk.

Moreover, B2B product features are scrutinised by chief financial officers, IT security teams, end users, and legal departments. A CFO, for instance, is typically interested in demonstrable return on investment (ROI), unit economics, and risk reduction—not merely an inspirational story about transformation.

Alas, It Is About Aligning with the Customer’s Needs

Since customers, not marketers, know the destinations they want to reach, marketers must understand those destinations to help them get there. Marketers should have a good grasp of customer and buyer psychographics and reflect those insights in their campaigns.

Consider a copywriter developing an advertisement for an MRI machine. Knowing that many patients experience claustrophobia when entering the machine’s enclosed, humming cylinder, the copywriter could address their anxiety by highlighting measures designed to make the scanning experience more comfortable and less stressful.

The best insights come from understanding what customers truly want, not merely what a business is selling. Sometimes, their needs have very little to do with the product itself. Customers buy experiences and anticipate future outcomes. Great marketing helps buyers envision life after a purchase. The more easily they can picture that future, the more readily they can appreciate the product’s value.

Ugochukwu, the Communications Manager at Rhiagano, can be reached via ugo.ugwuanyi@rhiagano.com.