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How to Describe a Market in a Story

By A.W. Naves

Are you writing a chapter set in a busy market? Make it vivid by using the tips below on how to describe a market in a story. We’ve included 10 adjectives that you use.

1. Bustling

Lively, busy ; full of activity and energy.

“The market was bustling with vendors and shoppers, all haggling for the best deals.”

“The bustling market was so infectious that you couldn’t help but get caught up in the excitement.”

How it Adds Description

The word “bustling” suggests that the market is crowded with people, vendors, and goods, all in a constant state of motion. It can create a feeling of chaos or suspense as the characters navigate through the crowds to reach their destination or it can serve as a backdrop for an important event or conversation between characters.

2. Colorful

Vibrant, vivid ; full of bright colors and hues.

“The market was a riot of color , with vendors selling fruits and vegetables in every shade.”

“The colorful displays of merchandise and goods were a feast for the eyes.”

The word “colorful” implies that the market is full of different types of people, goods, and experiences. It suggests that the market could be home to unsavory characters or illegal activities that foreshadow a pivotal scene in the story where a character faces a challenge or obstacle that must be overcome.

3. Traditional

Classic, old-fashioned ; keeping with long-established customs or practices.

“The market was filled with traditional crafts and goods, made by skilled artisans using age-old techniques.”

“The traditional foods on offer at the market were a throwback to an earlier time.”

The word “traditional” suggests that the market has been established for a long time and adheres to customary or historical practices. It implies a sense of familiarity, consistency, and reliability, and may connote a slower pace of change or resistance to innovation. It may emphasize a sense of nostalgia or loss if the market is being threatened by outside forces or changing times.

Loud, raucous ; full of shrill sounds and commotion.

“The market was noisy with the sounds of vendors shouting and people bargaining for deals.”

“The noisy market could sometimes be an assault on the senses.”

The word “noisy” insinuates that shoppers are talking loudly, vendors are calling out to potential customers, and various sounds of merchandise being sold can be heard. It can create a sense of tension or chaos in the scene or reveal something about the character’s personality or perspective, such as if they find the noise overwhelming or energizing.

Unusual, unfamiliar ; not of native origin.

“The market was filled with exotic spices and fruits from far-off lands.”

“The exotic textiles and fabrics on display were unlike anything I had ever seen before.”

The word “exotic” suggests that the items being sold there are unusual. This can create a sense of intrigue and interest in the market, as well as imply that the characters in the story may be exposed to new and exciting experiences. The market might also be used as a source of valuable items or information that the characters need to progress in a quest or to solve a mystery.

6. Aromatic

Fragrant, perfumed ; full of pleasant smells.

“The spices and herbs at the market were aromatic , wafting through the air and tantalizing the senses.”

“The aromatic odor of freshly baked bread filled the market, drawing in buyers with its delicious scent.”

The word “aromatic” is often used to describe the pleasant, distinctive smell of certain foods, spices, and herbs. It creates a sensory experience for the reader, allowing them to imagine the scents and flavors of the various products being sold. This can help to create a sense of atmosphere and set the scene for the action that is to come.

7. Multicultural

Diverse, varied ; reflecting different cultures and ethnicities.

“The market was a multicultural hub of activity, with vendors and shoppers from all over the world.”

“The multicultural atmosphere of the market was a celebration of diversity and inclusivity.”

The word “multicultural” indicates that the market in the story is diverse and includes people from many different backgrounds. This can lead to interesting encounters, conflicts, or collaborations between those who visit the market. It may also suggest that the story will touch on themes of cultural identity, diversity, and inclusivity.

Loud, thunderous ; full of busy sounds.

“The market was a noisy cacophony of sounds with shoppers haggling and chatting.”

“The noisy atmosphere of the market was a reflection of its lively and bustling character.”

The word “noisy” conveys a sense of chaos, commotion, and activity. It can be used to show a character who is trying to navigate through a crowded market to reach a specific stall, or trying to eavesdrop on a conversation to gather information with the noise and activity making it more difficult for them to find their way. This can add depth and texture to the story.

9. Eclectic

Diverse, varied ; combining elements from a variety of sources.

“The market was an eclectic mix of goods from around the world, with vendors selling everything from handmade jewelry to exotic spices.”

“The eclectic atmosphere of the market was a testament to its diversity and inclusivity.”

The word “eclectic” describes a market that is composed of a diverse range of items, styles, or sources. It suggests that the market is not just a typical place to buy goods, creating opportunities for the plot to develop in unexpected ways, such as the character discovering an important clue, meeting a key character, or encountering a major obstacle.

10. Organic

Natural, unprocessed ; grown or produced without synthetic chemicals.

“The market was a haven for organic produce, with farmers selling fresh fruits and vegetables grown without pesticides or other chemicals.”

“The organic market was a welcome break from the processed and packaged foods found in most grocery stores.”

The word “organic” suggests that the products sold at a market are natural and wholesome. It conveys themes of health, sustainability, and consumerism in a story. A character seeking healthy food options or trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle might be drawn to the organic market as a source of high-quality, environmentally friendly products.

Writing to Market: What Successful Authors Know

These days, being a successful author isn’t about getting lucky in your search for an agent or soliciting dozens of publishers until one of them takes a fancy to the book you spent countless hours on. With indie authors wielding the power of self-publishing like an entrepreneurial sword, more people than ever are making a living (and potentially a comfortable one at that) from their writing career.

One of the ways these indie authors have found incredible success is writing to market. They treat the process of being an author the same way most people treat their day jobs: do the work, write the things people want to read, get book sales.

It sounds like the dream, right? And for many people, it is. But writing books to market isn’t for everyone. So in this article, we’re going to figure out if it’s something you want to pursue and, if it is, how you’d go about it.

To that end, we’ll be discussing:

• What writing to market is
• Understanding your market
• Crafting compelling, market-oriented stories
• Leveraging trends and market demand

It sounds technical and, to a degree, it is. This is truly about authorship as a career . That doesn’t mean your writing journey isn’t without passion or creativity (and we’ll discuss that in this article), but writing to market means approaching this through the lens of a business.

Let’s clarify that a little.

What is Writing to Market?

"Writing to market" is a phrase that's been bouncing around the indie author community for some time now, but many authors still aren’t familiar with it. So what does it really mean? 

At its core, writing to market is about striking a balance between creative expression and commercial appeal. It's the art of crafting stories that not only capture your own voice but are also tailored to meet the demands and interests of a targeted audience.

Imagine being an entrepreneur and thinking of a product. Before launching it, you'd first research what the consumers want to ensure your time and money are spent on something viable. 

Similarly, you need an insightful understanding of reader expectations and preferences, trending themes, and genre-specific demands to write to market. This doesn't mean you're selling out or dampening your creativity—in fact, forcing yourself to work within a time limit and reinventing known ideas can push you to be more creative. Writing to market is about leveraging your talent in a way that vibes with a larger group of readers, maximizing both reach and revenue .

The importance of understanding your target audience in this can’t be understated. When you know who you're writing for, you can more effectively cater to their tastes, emotions, and desires, amplifying the chances of your work's success in the crowded literary marketplace.

Writing to market merges the heart of creative writing with the strategic acumen of a savvy marketer. It's where passion meets strategy and your creativity meets commercial success .

Understanding Your Target Market

Alright, let's get down to brass tacks. If you're looking to write something people actually want to read (and pay for), you need to know who those people are, aka your target market.

Understanding them is like getting a cheat sheet for your next writing assignment. Here’s how you do that.

Market Research for Writers

This is a crash course in these topics, as they could be their own articles. For the sake of this article, I’ll explain as much as I can.

Identifying Your Niche and Ideal Readers

There are hundreds of genres, subgenres, and even sub-subgenres. You could write a sci-fi romance novel about time-traveling vampires, and guess what? There's probably an audience for that. 

But the key is to find out who's into what you're offering and if there are enough of them. So decide on your niche first. 

Are you all about those heart-pounding thrillers? Or maybe cozy mysteries are your jam? Once you’ve got that figured out, think about the kind of person who'd be super into it. That's your ideal reader.

Analyzing Reader Demographics and Psychographics

Now, get a bit sneaky. Dive deep into understanding your ideal reader. 

How old are they? What's their day job like? What TV shows are they binging? Heck, what's their favorite snack? 

Then psychographics come into play. It’s not just about age and location. It's about what makes them tick. Get to know their values, interests, and lifestyle. The more you know, the better.

Studying Genre-Specific Trends and Themes

Pop into online forums, check out Goodreads reviews, or snoop around in Facebook groups centered around your chosen genre. 

What are readers loving or hating? Any recurring themes or tropes they can't get enough of? Being a little nosy (while being respectful) now can give you a leg up later.

Connecting with Your Readers

Once you know who your readers are, then what? You need to get in front of them to effectively write to market.

Engaging with Your Target Audience

It's time to mingle. Jump onto social media platforms, join those reader groups, and don't be shy to comment and chat. 

Think of this as a two-way street; not only are you promoting yourself, but you're also building genuine connections.

Conduct Surveys and Seek Feedback

Feedback is gold. Want to know if your vampire love triangle subplot is a hit or a miss? Ask! Shoot out surveys, polls, or even DMs if you have permission. 

Listen to the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s all valuable.

Building an Author-Reader Relationship for Long-Term Success

This isn’t a one-book game. It's a journey. The more you interact, appreciate, and value your readers, the more they’ll stick around for your next book... and the one after that . 

It's easier to keep an existing reader than to find a new one.

Then, once you know your readers and exactly what they like, it’s time to write it.

Crafting Compelling Stories for Targeted Audiences

Now that you’re buddies with your audience, let’s chat about how to write the stories they’ll rave about to all their friends. 

We’re not just talking about a good story; we’re talking about the story for them.

To do that, I’ve got nine tips for you, broken up into three categories: genre, writing style, and your plot and characters.

Choose the Right Genre

1. Explore Popular Genres and Their Characteristics

Here’s the thing: genres are like flavors of ice cream. Sure, vanilla is timeless, but maybe matcha green tea is having its big moment. 

Dive into what’s hot now, but also know the main ingredients. Romance novels are all about relationships and emotional payoff. Thrillers need suspense and unexpected twists . 

And don’t forget to sprinkle some of your unique style on top.

2. Evaluate Personal Interests and Strengths

Real talk? Passion shows. If you’re rolling your eyes writing about zombies because it’s "in," readers will catch on. 

Still aim to write what you love. If you can find a sweet spot between what excites you and what your audience craves, you’re onto a winner.

3. Align Your Genre Choice with the Target Market

Think of it like a Venn diagram. One circle represents what you love to write, the other shows what your audience loves to read. 

That sweet spot in the middle? That’s your golden zone. Aim for that overlap and you're golden.

Tailor Your Writing Style

4. Adapt Tone, Language, and Writing Style

You wouldn't talk to your grandma the same way you’d chat with your best friend after a T-Swift concert, right? Think of your readers in a similar way. 

Know their vibe and match it. If they're young adults , maybe that snarky, informal tone works wonders. But if you're writing historical fiction for a more mature audience, perhaps a refined, elegant style suits better.

5. Address Reader Pain Points and Desires

Stories aren’t just stories. They're ways for readers to live vicariously, to find solace, or even solutions to their real-life problems. 

If you know that your audience struggles with, say, loneliness, a tale of a character finding their tribe can be super impactful.

6. Balance Creativity with Market Preferences

While it's crucial to keep market tastes in mind, don't cage your creativity. Remember why you started writing in the first place. 

Marry your imagination with market insights . Let them coexist.

Create Great Characters and Plots

7. Develop Characters Readers Want

In your market research, hopefully you find what characters are in right now.

Is it a snarky heroine? A track star? An antihero ?

The main characters in your story will be one of the selling points of your story, and readers are looking for specific ones. Think about ways you can integrate these types of characters into your book.

8. Put a Spin on Familiar Plots

I’m not saying you should recycle whatever the current bestseller is, but look for commonalities in successful new releases.

Is it hot right now to include a magic school as the backdrop to your plot? Maybe chosen ones aren’t in right now, so a story about one won’t sell well.

Figure out what works and what doesn’t, then put your unique take on the former.

9. Don’t Be Afraid of Tropes

Tropes can be powerful tools if used correctly, and are even mandatory in some genres (I’m looking at you, romance genre ).

If you’re writing to market, you know which tropes are in and which aren’t. Think about how you can use these tropes effectively without sacrificing quality or creative genius.

Writing a story isn’t just about stringing words together. It's a blend of knowing your readers, understanding their world, and sprinkling in your magic. 

But, when writing to market, you need to understand that thing you’re writing to.

Leveraging Trends and Market Demand

You've got the tools, you know your audience, and you're pumped to write. Now, let's give your work that extra edge by tapping into what's buzzing in the literary world.

Recognize Emerging Themes and Concepts in the Market

Remember when dystopian novels like The Hunger Games had their big moment? Or when everyone was raving about vampires? Being aware of emerging themes gives you a head start. 

You can either hop on the trend train or, if it's saturated, find a fresh twist on it.

Incorporate Relevant Elements into Your Writing

So you've spotted a trend. Now what? 

Weave it into your narrative in a way that feels natural. Maybe it's the setting, a character's job, or even the central conflict. The trick is to make it integral, not just a fancy add-on.

Understand the Needs and Wants of Your Target Readers

This is where your earlier research pays off. If you know that your readers are craving strong female protagonists or are tired of the same old love triangles, give them what they want. 

But, as always, add your unique spin.

Identify Gaps in the Market

Look, the market is big, but it's not always filled evenly. Maybe there's a dearth of LGBTQ+ representation in a particular genre, or perhaps readers are searching for stories set in a specific era or location. 

Find those gaps and fill them with your awesomeness. But make sure you do it appropriately and authentically if you’re dealing with real-life people or topics.

Tailor Your Content to Meet Existing Demand

Listen to your readers. Check out reviews of books in your genre, participate in online forums, and engage with readers on social platforms. 

What are they wishing for? What makes them roll their eyes? Use that feedback to tailor your content.

If you’re writing to market, you need a thick skin. You need to be able to take feedback and adapt your writing accordingly, because you’re writing more for the reader than for yourself.

It's about being alert, adaptable, and always ready to pivot or evolve. Because in the dynamic world of writing, staying static is not an option.

Write Your Book to Market

One thing we haven’t discussed in this article is how quickly you need to write in order to write to market. In the best case scenario, you’re able to spot an upcoming trend and get ahead of it, giving you a month or two to be part of the first wave of books readers get their hands on.

Worst case scenario, you have a month left to write, edit, format, and publish your book.

Either way, time isn’t really a luxury you have, and you need to get your book done quickly.

That’s where Dabble can help you write to market.

Not only does Dabble come equipped with Story Notes to make planning your characters and world a breeze, nor does it just come with the Plot Grid to make it easy to craft a unique and market-reader plot with killer subplots, but its goal setting feature makes writing a book in a short period of time actually feasible.

Need to pen 70,000 words in a month but have a weekend trip and a day full of calls coming up? Dabble will take your goal, your timeline, and your days off, crunch that all up, and tell you exactly what you need to write every day.

Write more one day or can’t reach your goal another? We’ll adjust for you, no problem.

With that sort of accountability, you can get your book out to the market and start raking in those dollar bills. All you have to do is click here to try Dabble out for free and get writing.

Doug Landsborough can’t get enough of writing. Whether freelancing as an editor, blog writer, or ghostwriter, Doug is a big fan of the power of words. In his spare time, he writes about monsters, angels, and demons under the name D. William Landsborough. When not obsessing about sympathetic villains and wondrous magic, Doug enjoys board games, horror movies, and spending time with his wife, Sarah.

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How to Write a Market Description

Last Updated: November 21, 2023 References

This article was co-authored by Michael R. Lewis . Michael R. Lewis is a retired corporate executive, entrepreneur, and investment advisor in Texas. He has over 40 years of experience in business and finance, including as a Vice President for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. He has a BBA in Industrial Management from the University of Texas at Austin. This article has been viewed 174,693 times.

When starting a company, it is important to determine who your potential customers are and what their needs look like. You must get a handle on the market. Who are your main competitors and what could you do better or differently? Writing a market description is a good way to place your product appropriately. Potential investors and customers will garner a better sense of how your product fits into its target market. Although you may have other instances where you need to write a market description, the most common is as part of a general business plan .

Market Description Template and Example

Doing Market Research

• Before writing a market description, be aware of the “iceberg principle.” The majority of the iceberg is underwater. This represents your research time and spent energy. Only the tip is visible. The small tip is your output, e.g., website, advertising, brochures, and business cards. [1] X Research source
• Your market description forms part of your business plan overall. For tips on writing a thorough business plan, see Write a Business Plan .

• For example, let's say you are starting a high-end laundering service. Your customers could be professional workers with high amounts of disposable income. They are both men and women, some with children and some without children. Your customers like to spend their time with their families and working out or taking cooking lessons. What they lack is free time.
• Your potential customers would probably not include families with low amounts of disposable income, individuals who work at jobs that don’t require high-end laundering of their wardrobe, etc.

• Do some demographic research on your area. The SBA is a good place to start, but chambers of commerce and other offices in your community can also help. How many people matching the description of your target market live in your area? Do they tend to live in one area, or spread out?

• For instance, your competitor could offer laundry services with delivery. Customers are annoyed, though, that they have to drop off their laundry. Could you create a profitable model that combines pick-up and drop-off delivery services?

Writing your Description

• For example, "Petra’s Pick Up and Drop Off Laundry offers a full range of laundry services, e.g., washing, drying, ironing, dry cleaning. Our business prides itself on being the only business in the Luxesville area that offers both pick up and drop off delivery services."

• For example: “Our market research has shown that there are too few laundry services available to Luxesville’s highly professional population. Only two businesses exist for a population of 125,000 people and they are both located in the same neighborhood. We would like to offer our services in the up-and-coming south end of the city where young, busy professionals are flocking. Because of market trends, we anticipate demand for our services will increase by 20% in the next two years."

• For example, you might write: “Because 80% of Luxesville’s residents work over sixty hours per week and thus have limited free time, laundry services are particularly attractive. Additionally, as the median income in Luxesville is $175,000, we ascertain that residents have enough disposable income to afford our services. 60% of those workers earning above the median income are women, meaning that this area has a large number of professional women. In fact, only 14% of households have a stay-at-home spouse. This means the traditional relegation of laundry to an at-home partner is less likely to occur. We plan to target professional households with high disposable income between the ages of 25-55.”

• For example, “Luxesville’s professional population is highly educated, overworked, and extraordinarily stressed. Many of these people value any free moment of time they have to exercise, spend time with their children, or visit restaurants. They do not want to waste time on mundane tasks like grocery shopping or laundry. They are frustrated that the only laundry services available require customers to drop off their laundry during business hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Many of these professionals are not home until 8, 9, or 10 p.m. Thus, having the ability to have their laundry picked up and dropped off and to order such services online is a huge attraction.”

• You can also use surveys to ask your competitors' customers about their perceptions, ask suppliers in your industry about orders, and use online tools to do market research. [9] X Research source Provide any details about your competitors that can make your entry into the market stronger.
• For example, you might write, “Our competing launderers, “Drop and Sop” and “Clarity is Wearity,” are serving their maximum amount of customers. As previously noted, they both operate in the Hedgefund Forest neighborhood. Because they are family-owned enterprises, which is a positive point to some customers, they offer restricted hours and both close at 6 p.m. This does not serve the professional community. Their decision not to offer pick up services also has left many customers disgruntled. Thus, by beginning our business in the south end of the city, we hope to build a strong base and eventually expand towards Hedgefund Forest to pick up the slack of other launders.”

• Examine the larger context of your products or services. You might offer information on pricing, other consumer metrics, or any other information that strengthens your point.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ http://www.dynamicbusinessplan.com/market-description
• ↑ http://ced.uaa.alaska.edu/publications/manuals/FINALBBHandbook.pdf
• ↑ http://engineering.vanderbilt.edu/ge/engineering-management/ProspectiveSponsors/ENGM3200.php
• ↑ academic.uprm.edu/jacruz/admi3125/Sample_Business_Plan.doc
• ↑ http://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccabagley/2013/10/02/how-to-identify-your-market-size-up-competitors/2/
• ↑ https://www.inc.com/guides/201105/10-tips-on-how-to-research-your-competition.html

About This Article

To write a market description, start by crafting a 1-2 sentence overview of what your business does. Then, in the next 2-3 sentences, explain your reasoning for choosing this market, whether that be lower business taxes, a lack of other businesses in the market, or positive market trends. Next, describe your ideal customer demographic, such as age, income, sex, and marital status, and outline how your product or service will appeal to that demographic. Finally, make sure to review other competitors in the market to assess what they’re doing right or wrong and how your business will provide something they don’t. For advice on how to use the Small Business Association to do market research, read more from our Financial co-author. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write a Creative Brief in 11 Simple Steps [Examples + Template]

Updated: April 27, 2023

Published: April 26, 2023

The first step in any successful project is drawing up a game plan with a clear objective. It's one of the reasons marketers love creative briefs.

A creative brief acts as a roadmap that takes a project from ideation to completion. It ensures the scope, timeline, key stakeholders, and purpose of the project are communicated clearly. The creative brief is the single source of truth for everyone working on a project. If questions come up or tasks become unclear, the creative brief will steer things in the right direction.

What is a creative brief?

A creative brief is a short document that sums up marketing, advertising, or design project mission, goals, challenges, demographics, messaging, and other key details. It's often created by a consultant or a creative project manager. The goal of a brief is to achieve stakeholder alignment on a project before it begins.

The Purpose of a Creative Brief

Whether you’re a consultant pitching a creative brief to a client, or a project manager presenting a brief to your team, start by speaking with the project stakeholders. These discussions will help you understand the company's mission, project goals, and challenges your team faces. Then, you’ll have enough information to write a compelling brief that focuses on what’s really important to your company or client.

The idea of a creative brief sounds simple, but it can be hard to wrap a lot of important details into just a few pages. Therefore, a creative brief is typically comprised of eight sections that can fit on one to two pages.

Free Creative Brief Templates

Three customizable templates designed to serve as the blueprint for your next campaign.

• Campaign brief template.
• Video brief template.
• Client brief template.

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

How a Creative Brief Works

Creative briefs are pretty standard documents within just about every marketing, advertising, or design team. For smaller projects that live in-house (like designs, templates, marketing assets, etc.) the brief is owned by the team who will be executing on the information in the brief. This is usually the creative team, but this team can fall within the brand department or even live within marketing.

For more advanced, long-term projects that involve an agency, the creative brief is owned by the creative team or agency who will be executing the work. This is because they'll work closely with the stakeholders on the project to understand what is needed, plus they'll bring their own expertise and competitive research to the brief that the internal team may not have access to.

These types of creative briefs aren't rare, but they are created infrequently due to the nature of the projects they support. So for this post, we'll focus mostly on the day-to-day creative briefs that you're likely to use often. Here's how they work.

Creative Brief Outline

• Project Name
• Company Background
• Project Objective
• Target Audience
• Competitors
• Key Message
• Key Consumer Benefit
• Call to Action
• Distribution

Step 1. The teams who need assistance from the creative team will retrieve the creative brief template from a repository like OneDrive, Google Drive, or an online form.

Step 2. The team that is requesting the project will complete the brief according to their team's needs and goals. The completion of the creative brief starts with the team requesting the project so that they can explain their vision and goals clearly to the creative team.

Step 3. From there, the brief is sent back to the creative team to review. They'll be looking for timelines, resources, and budget requirements.

Step 4. If they have any questions, they'll go back to the team who wrote the brief and finalize the details.

Step 5. After that, the project is kicked off, sometimes with the help of a project manager, who will check-in with stakeholders on the project and keep everything on schedule, within scope, and within budget.

Step 6. Once the project is complete, both teams will review the deliverables against the creative brief to ensure everything is completed correctly.

The format of every company's creative brief might vary slightly to suit the needs of the project or client. Below is a simple outline that will be the foundation of your creative brief. It includes the most important steps in the creative process and information that'll be relevant to stakeholders involved in the project.

Once you’re fully informed and ready to write, use the following steps to draft yours. To make it even easier, I've included a fill-in-the-blank template in the last step.

How to Write a Creative Brief

• Decide on a name for the project.
• Write about the brand and summarize the project’s background.
• Highlight the project objective.
• Describe the target audience.
• Interpret the competitive landscape.
• Prepare the key message.
• Choose the key consumer benefit.
• Select an attitude.
• Determine the best call to action.
• Draft the distribution plan.
• Share the creative brief with stakeholders.

1. Decide on a name for the project.

The first step in developing a creative brief is deciding on a project name. This might sound simple, but it's one of the most critical components of a creative brief. If you're building a campaign around a brand new product or service, the campaign name will be the first time many members of your team will be introduced to it. Referring to the campaign (and therefore product or service) by the correct name prevents the game of telephone from happening. Without a specific and clear campaign name, people will make up their own terminology which can alter the intent of the campaign .

To create a project or campaign name for your creative brief, keep it creative and brief. A few words or a short sentence should work just fine. If you're launching a product, identify what the call to action will be for the target audience, then center the name around that. Here are a few examples of fictional campaign names:

• The Search for Adventure Campaign- A scavenger hunt-themed amusement park.
• The Don't Forget Your Memories Campaign - A photo frame company.
• The "What's hotter than Pepperco hot sauce?" Campaign - A hot sauce brand.

2. Write about the brand and summarize the project’s background.

Another simple, yet essential section is the company background. If you work in an agency setting, this is non-negotiable as your team is likely handling several client campaigns at once. However, if you're developing a creative brief for an in-house project, you'll still want to include this part. New hires on your team, freelancers, and vendors will appreciate the background that your internal team is already privy to.

The company background shouldn't be a general history of the company or a copied and pasted paragraph from the about page. Instead, tailor this to the project at hand. Set the scene with one or two sentences that sum up the brand’s mission. Follow this with a few sentences that give background on the brand and what led to the development of the project.

While some creatives have put this information all together in a quick paragraph, others separate it with headers like “Brand Statement” and “Background.”

Here are some questions to consider when writing a company background for your creative brief:

• Has the company launched a campaign like this before?
• Why is the company choosing to launch this campaign right now?
• What's happening in the market and how will this campaign respond to it?

3. Highlight the project objective.

Here is where the creative brief gets more specific. The project objective should briefly explain the purpose of the project, the timeline, and the audience it'll target. This can be done in a sentence or two, but you can get creative and stylize it in sections.

This part of the creative brief will be helpful in emphasizing why the project needs to happen. The goal aspects will help you and your team align on the project’s expectations. If the company or client hasn’t identified any major challenges, you can focus this section on goals and objectives. Explain what a successful project looks like and how it will benefit the company.

Pro Tip: Writing a project objective is very similar to writing a goal, so take a look at this blog post for more detail on goal and objective writing.

Here’s an example of a sample creative brief for PayPal that offers separate sections for “The Problem” and “The Goal”:

4. Describe the target audience.

Next, it's time to define the target audience for the project. This is the segment of your market that will directly benefit from the product or service being launched. You can take audience segmentation a step further by identifying a primary and secondary audience. Doing so will give your team more freedom to explore creative ideas that might resonate with one group more than the other.

When crafting the target audience section, be sure to include the following:

• Demographics - Simple demographic information gives your team insight into exactly who the audience is. This includes data points like age, income, education, ethnicity, and occupation.
• Behaviors - Buying behaviors, trends, and other customer history make up the target audience behaviors. These provide important context to the creative brief because they explain where the customer is in their buyer journey.
• Psychographics - This is how the audience thinks and feels about your brand and the product or service you sell, in general.
• Geographics - Digital, physical, and hybrid campaigns will benefit from having geographics stated explicitly in the creative brief so that media buyers can price ad slots in each market.

Pro Tip: Your creative brief shouldn't be too long, and this section can take up quite a bit of space. To make this section more digestible, consider using buyer personas .

Here’s how the sample brief for PayPal noted above thoughtfully explains a new product’s target audience:

5. Interpret the competitive landscape.

Knowing what your competitors are doing is advantageous for the whole team. You can use competitive data to come up with ideas that haven’t been tried yet, learn from their failed projects, or build a project that improves on a strategy they’ve used in the past.

Include a quick list of competitors with similar product or service offerings. Briefly list a few things your company has in common with them, how your brand has differentiated itself already, and a few areas where this project can help you get ahead.Get Your Free Templates

6. Prepare the key message.

The key message can be the most difficult part of the creative brief to develop because just about every stakeholder will have a different opinion of what it should be. To get buy-in faster, try this simple trick. Ask yourself "We're launching this project, so what?" The "so what?" is your key message. It explains why your target audience should stop what they're doing and pay attention to your campaign.

The key message includes the pain point, what the audience's experience might be like without the pain point, and the benefit they'll receive as a result of your company's solution. This framework places the customer in the spotlight of the campaign. Instead of telling them what this product or service could do for them, it positions them as the main character in the journey from problem to solution.

7. Choose the key consumer benefit.

If you're launching a new product, there are likely several features and benefits that the target audience will experience when they decide to purchase it. However, it's very difficult to structure a campaign around several different features. That's why marketers and creatives use something called a key consumer benefit (KCB) in the creative brief to keep everyone aligned on the primary benefit being communicated. To choose the right KCB, you'll want to get input from the project stakeholders and rely on consumer data to guide the decision.

Pro Tip: Your KCB won't always be the fanciest feature of your product. The benefit that solves the biggest problem for your audience is a great choice for the KCB.

8. Select an attitude.

The tone and voice of your campaign create the overall attitude and that should be consistent throughout every creative element that's being developed. Identifying a few adjectives that describe the attitude of the campaign can help copywriters draft copy that sends the correct message within the right context. Graphic designers can use colors and techniques to portray the tone and voice as well.

In this section of the brief, you should also note the appropriate voice for your audience. While some audiences, like those in the business world, prefer more formal language, others might engage more with a casual, relatable tone. To substantiate your decision to choose a particular brand voice and tone, you could write something like, “Our brand voice is a casual and carefree tone because it speaks to younger Gen-Z audiences.”

Pro tip: Use a thesaurus to find specific words that evoke nuanced emotions and attitudes for a hyper-targeted campaign.

9. Determine the best call to action.

Finally, your audience needs something to do once they see your campaign. The good thing about CTAs is that they don't have to be physical actions. A CTA could have a goal to change thoughts and perceptions about your brand which doesn't require the audience to do anything at all.

Your creative brief might include several different CTAs, especially if you have a primary and secondary target audience. But it's a good idea to have one primary CTA that drives the project objective we talked about earlier.

10. Draft the distribution plan.

When the project is done, you’ll need to make sure your audience actually sees it. List a few channels or platforms on which you plan to announce the launch, as well as any promotional content you plan to create.

When drafting this section, think about your target audience. Don’t waste time on a promotional strategy that they won’t see. For example, if you’re promoting a project to Gen-Z, you’ll want to invest in social media rather than billboards or newspaper ads.

11. Share the creative brief with stakeholders.

Once you’ve drafted a creative brief, share it with the team you’ll be working with. You’ll also want to circulate it around the company via Slack, email, or presentations. If you’re a consultant working outside of a client’s company, encourage your clients to share the brief internally.

As you or your clients spread awareness, you should be open to answering questions or taking feedback from colleagues in case they have any great ideas. This strategy will improve team alignment , increase support of the project, and ensure that all of your colleagues are on the same page.

Follow Along with HubSpot's Free Creative Brief Templates

Download Now

Creative Brief Template

Having trouble with the flow and organization of your brief? Here’s a simple template that could help. Copy and paste it into a document and fill in the blanks. You can also add to it or adjust it as needed for your project.

Download More Creative Brief Templates

[Inset company or client logo at the top along with the project name.]

COMPANY BACKGROUND:

For ___ years, ______ [Brand Name] has been serving customers in the ____________ [group/job field/geographical area] with ____________________ [product or service].

[Brand Name] has made achievements including __________,__________, and ___________. We have also launched marketing campaigns that have touched on ____________,________, and ____________. With the launch of _________ [project name] they hope to ___________.

PROJECT OBJECTIVE:

With this project, the company aims to solve problems related to ____________________, while also expanding on ___________ and improving on _____________.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Our target audience is ____ [gender], in the age range of _ and _, and live areas like ____, _____, and ______. They enjoy _____, dislike ______, and might work in fields like _____, _____, and _____. They want more of ________ and their daily pain points include ________.

Their favorite products might include _______ and ______. They learn about these products through channels including ________, _________, and _______.

COMPETITORS:

Our three biggest competitors [are/will be] ________, ________, and _______. These competitors offer _____, ______, and ______. We are ahead of them in _____ and ______, but we are behind when it comes to product offerings like __________ and _________.

KEY MESSAGE:

The target audience is experiencing __________ [pain point], but with our newest project ___________, they'll get to experience _________ [new experience without the pain point]. That's what makes ______ [solution] an unrivaled solution within the market.

KEY CONSUMER BENEFIT:

________ [feature] is the best way for our target audience to experience _____ [benefit].

[Include three to five adjectives that describe the tone and voice of the project.]

CALL TO ACTION:

When the target audience sees our campaign, they will [feel/think/do] _________.

DISTRIBUTION:

We will promote the launch on platforms and channels that our demographic regularly engages with. These will include ________, ________, and _______.

We will also release content including _______, _______, and ________ to gain attention from our audience and inform them of the project.

Below are a few messages we will use:

• _________________________________________________.

Types of Creative Briefs

Creative briefs serve several purposes in the communications field. Marketers, designers, and advertisers use them differently. Depending on your role, your team, and the project you're working on, one might be more effective than the other. Below are some of the most common types of creative briefs used across industries today plus examples of what they might look like.

1. Marketing Creative Briefs

A marketing creative brief is most commonly used to bring campaigns to market. This type of creative brief can be used for both new and existing campaigns. Broad business goals and strategies to accomplish them are usually included in this type of creative brief. It's also not uncommon to see revenue goals and a budget included in a marketing creative brief.

Simple Marketing Creative Brief Example

2. Product Design Creative Briefs

Product design creative briefs outline the go-to-market strategy for a new product or feature launch. Product marketers are responsible for developing this type of brief. Developed in conjunction with the product manager, the product design creative brief will describe the features and benefits of the product and how the audience will benefit from them. Unique features of this type of creative brief include product documentation and product descriptions.

Product Design Creative Brief Example

3. Advertising Agency Creative Briefs

Advertising agencies develop creative briefs often for the various clients they serve. These briefs are concise and include the client's brand guidelines as well as the specific project guidelines. A budget may also be included in the brief so that all teams can make wise decisions about the tactics they recommend for the client. An account manager or supervisor develops the creative brief and shares it with client stakeholders before the agency begins working on the project.

Advertising Agency Creative Brief Example

Creative Brief Examples

1. creative request template.

For the day-to-day management of creative projects, using a creative request template in Asana acts as a dynamic take on a traditionally static creative brief. With a few tweaks to suit your business's needs, this template flows through each stage of the project while specifying tasks, deliverables, and key points that need to be included in the project. Moreover, Asana provides several types of views that make this template easy to look at from a calendar view, list view, board view, and timeline view so you'll always know the progress of your project in relation to the creative brief.

When to Use This Creative Brief:

This creative brief example is great for marketing, brand, creative, and design teams who handle a large backlog of projects with stakeholders on many different teams. Use this brief for both ad-hoc and regularly occurring projects.

2. Creative Brief Presentation Template

This creative brief example was designed by TemplateForest. It's a visual-forward example of a brief that works well for long-term projects like building a business or refreshing a brand. This longer brief includes a variety of information from internal brand insights to an external competitive analysis.

Use this creative brief when you're partnering with a creative agency on bigger projects. They can use this layout to inspire a creative brief that fits the needs of your business.

Streamline Projects with a Creative Brief

Scope creep happens to the best of us. Projects get bigger, stakeholders are added, and the objective of the project seems to morph as time goes on. Streamline your next product launch or marketing and advertising campaign with a creative brief. As a result, you'll find that your team is more aligned with the project's goals. We've even provided free creative brief templates to get you started — download them below.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in July 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Enchanting Marketing

Writing advice for small business

How to Infuse Your Writing With Oodles of Personality (in 3 Steps)

by Henneke | 61 enchanting opinions, add yours? :)

Today is her writing day.

Helen is a marketing coach, and she tells herself she must, at last, write her coaching page. How else can she attract more clients?

She sips her Jasmine tea, and mutters to herself that she must stop procrastinatin g and start writing.

But she feels sooooo uninspired.

She performs a quick Google search for inspiration. Ouch. A search for “marketing coach” generates 462,000 results.

Helen feels scared about competing with thousands of coaches for the same clients. But she understands how she should compete:

She has to describe her service with personality so she can attract her favorite clients. And when she does her best work, clients will rave about her, and her reputation will spread naturally.

The theory sounds good. But Helen feels stuck. How does she describe her coaching offer with more flair?

Shall I explain?

50 shades of cold

I recently read the thriller “The Quality of Silence” by Rosamund Lupton. From a writing perspective, the numerous descriptions of the coldness caught my attention.

Think about it for a sec … How would you describe a cold day? Extremely cold? Freezing? Ice-cold? It’s so cold you can’t stop shivering?

In the book, Yasmin arrives in Alaska with her deaf daughter Ruby. They drive in 24-hour darkness through the frozen wilderness searching for Ruby’s lost father.

10-year old Ruby’s description of the cold air is full of personality:

It’s FREEZING cold; like the air is made of broken glass. Our English cold is all roly-poly snowmen and ‘woo-hoo! it’s a snow day!’ a hey-there friendly kind of cold. But this cold is mean.

The main storyteller’s voice is grownup, and it describes the cold differently:

Yasmin put on her Arctic parka and face mask and mittens before getting out of the truck. Even so, the cold shocked her; it was like plunging into a lake, not air.

And Yasmin wonders what the color of cold is:

She’d thought the color of cold was white, like snow, or blue perhaps, like on a cold tap, but cold like this was conceived in a place without daylight and was black, the absence of all light and color.

Later in the book, the cold gets worse. Yasmin and Ruby get stuck in a truck in the middle of a snowstorm, without heating:

It’s getting so hard to breathe, my lungs are filling up with ants and there isn’t room for air any more. There’s a monster made of cold, hard as the edge of a pavement, coming towards us in the dark and it’s cutting through the windscreen and doors and windows and the only weapon against it is heat, but we don’t have any heat.

To write descriptions that ooze personality, go beyond the obvious. Think a little harder to find strong imagery to fully engage your reader. This works for anything, whether it’s the scenery in a fiction book, a product description on an ecommerce site, or the service page on your website.

Follow the three steps below to describe anything with oodles of personality …

Step 1. Write with piercing precision

Writing with personality starts with being more descriptive. Pay attention to details.

Note how many details are in this description of the cold:

She’d seen cold as a predator, made of the dark, as if it were alive. But she felt it now as vastly, cruelly impersonal; a frozen darkness absorbing you into itself. She felt it filling her hollow spaces, embedding itself as icy marrow in her bones and then consciousness seeped away from her into the Arctic blackness.

And here’s how Vitamix applies the same technique, describing precisely why their mixers are durable:

A key to long motor life is preventing it from overheating. In addition to the overload protection that’s built into every blender, Vitamix engineers have been working for decades to perfect airflow circulation around the motor, precisely channeling a controlled amount of air to the places that need it most. The result is a quieter, more reliable motor that will serve you for years to come.

And studio Neomam describes exactly how they develop link-worthy content for their clients. One of the steps they describe is how they test their content:

Before we hit up journalists we test your content with a real audience of at least 1,000 people using Reddit. We make adjustments based on audience feedback, so we’re confident about the success of your content even before we start pitching.

No matter what service you supply, it’s easy to think your clients know what you do.

But do they really? Probably not.

So, take a potential client by the hand and show her, step by step, what you do for her and how you make her life better. Don’t skimp on the details.

Step 2. Create a multi-sensory experience

Have you considered what cold smells like?

She smelled the cold and then realized that it was an absence of all odors. She wondered if it was because her airways were not functioning properly – she could feel the little hairs in her nose freezing – or if it was that in this degree of cold no molecules could permeate the air.

When you appeal to the senses , readers experience your content as if they can really see, feel, hear, smell or taste it.

The copywriters at Innocent know this, and they turn drinking a smoothie with pineapples, bananas and coconut into a sunny, sensory experience:

(…) this drink tastes of sunshine. Not that watery stuff that you get in the UK for five or six days of the year, but the great, clear, life-affirming rays that you’ll only find where these fruits are grown. So even if you’ve used up your holiday allowance on lots of mini-breaks to Prague and Oslo, you can still find a little bit of the tropics in this recipe. Just close your eyes, whack on the factor 16 and have a mouthful. Il fait soleil.

Sound difficult for a service?

Chris Conner gets pretty close in his description of my business blogging course :

Imagine sitting on a sunny sidewalk at a café … As you are writing in your journal, your teacher occasionally strolls by to look over your shoulder and help with your work. Henneke’s Enchanting Business Blogging course is as close as you will get to that without buying a plane ticket.

If you struggle to describe your product or service, ask your clients. What was their experience like? Can they provide a detailed description? What experience can they compare your service with?

Step 3. Make readers feel the impact

What impact does the cold have on your body?

She took a breath and the freezing air went into her lungs and she felt them going into spasm. She gasped and more cold air went into her lungs and it was as if she were drowning.

When you read such a vivid description, you can almost feel the cold air and the spasms of your lungs.

The copywriters at Purple use the same writing technique . Here’s how they explain what a comfortable mattress means for you:

The Purple Smart Comfort Grid™ effortlessly isolates motion, so you don’t feel your partner, posterity, or pets when they wiggle about.

The only mattress that intelligently adapts to the human body for mind-blowing, personalized comfort. Translation: Wake up every morning with your happy face on.

When you think about the impact of your service on clients, it’s often best to ask clients to explain it to you. Here’s how Irina Bengtson describes one of my courses:

I loved waking up in the mornings during this class. I knew something exciting was waiting for me—a next lesson, a new assignment or a new comment.

And Louise Rasmussen said it like this:

Henneke’s Enchanting Business Blogging course is like fentanyl for chronic writing pain. For me this course undid 20+ years of misguided writing habits.

Writing your own service description can feel hard. But you don’t have to do it alone. Ask your clients for their input, and use their testimonials throughout your page.

Discover your writing genius

You might think that writing with personality should come naturally.

But writing often doesn’t work like that.

You have to work a little harder to inject personality into your writing. So, follow the three steps. 1. Write with piercing precision . 2. Appeal to the senses and use strong imagery. 3. Let readers feel the personal impact.

That’s how you engage your readers with power and pizzazz.

Let your personality shine.

And discover your writing genius.

Recommended reading on descriptive writing:

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Reader Interactions

Leave a comment and join the conversation cancel reply.

May 18, 2021 at 8:57 am

It was such a delight reading your post Henneke! It has been a while since I last checked out your blog. I will say it helped to calm my otherwise anxious mind as I was so immersed in your vivid descriptions/writings. Reading doesn’t feel like a task but such an enjoyment, it feels like my soul is nourished. So thank you, please keep up the great content 🙂

May 18, 2021 at 9:34 am

Thank you so much, Charlene, for your lovely compliment and for coming back to read my blog again!

March 15, 2019 at 3:08 pm

Thank you Henneke, the descriptive examples you shared were fun to read and very helpful as I embark on my writing adventure. 🙂

March 15, 2019 at 4:32 pm

I’m glad you liked the examples, too. Enjoy your writing adventure, Deborah! 🙂

October 11, 2018 at 3:18 am

“She felt it filling her hollow spaces, embedding itself as icy marrow in her bones and then consciousness seeped away from her into the Arctic blackness.” That sentence really grabbed me and I needed to walk out into the sunshine.

Once again you inspired me to write something immediately. I’d love to share it with you but think, maybe not. And even though I had no idea what I would write, it flowed out of me. And it turned out to be a Bio piece if I were so bold as to use it. Whether it’s ‘any good’ or if I use it or not seems immaterial. To be stirred as your writing always stirs me is reward enough. Thanks so much, Henneke and may your day be blessed. ♡

October 11, 2018 at 6:50 pm

Ha, yes! Reading that book made me feel cold sometimes, too.

It makes me happy that my writing inspires you to write. Thank you for your lovely comment, Joan 🙂

July 4, 2018 at 1:25 pm

I don’t usually comment on older posts, but your examples are so apt, I had to congratulate you, Henneke, brilliant as always.

It brings to mind one of many things I learned from studying NLP …that while the majority of people are visual, with language that expresses their experience of the world such as “I see” and “look at it this way”, many are auditory, so their language is a little different: “that sounds interesting” and “listen to this”. A smaller percentage of people are kinaesthetic, responding to “I feel” and “that touches me”. Very few are gustatory, responding to smell and taste references. I have found it very useful to include words and phrases in my writing, especially marketing copy, that embrace different styles of expression and learning.

For any reader who can’t imagine writing in a gustatory way, I recommend “Chocolat” by Joanne Harris. It’s a masterpiece of mouthwatering, scented writing that seizes the senses in every way!

July 5, 2018 at 11:58 am

I am glad you took the time to comment on an old post. Thank you, Sue. I love your point on communicating multi-sensory experiences. I find that in different situations, I respond to different senses. When I think back to the places I’ve lived, my impression is often a combination of visuals, sounds and smells. It seems that smells can bring up strong memories for me. But when I write, my first drafts are often full of “I feel” (or “I think”). When editing, I remove these. Isn’t it fascinating how we’re all different?

I’ve added “Chocolat” to my reading list. I look forward to reading it! Thank you for your recommendation.

May 12, 2018 at 2:39 am

I suppose in this area, a foundation in creative writing would certainly help to add flair to descriptions. The art of melding your creative writing voice and your professional voice to create a smooth, natural, non-stuffy persona that informs and also entertains readers at the same time —I think, Henneke, you have mastered it. I love how you start out your posts as though they’re stories.

Thank you for this post. Informative and inspirational as always!

May 12, 2018 at 5:53 pm

Yes, I agree with you. Blending creative writing skills with an understanding of persuasion is a great combination.

Thank you for your compliment! I appreciate your comments.

May 8, 2018 at 7:45 pm

I really love your point about impact. I used to be a senior marketing writer at a high tech company. I wrote stories directed to non-technical audiences about our work. Writing about the technology was boring to outsiders. But if I could describe how the technology helped first responders get food, water, and ice to disaster victims, the story instantly had more appeal.

May 9, 2018 at 3:12 pm

I love your point about telling stories to help explain how technology makes a real difference to people’s lives. The technical details are uninteresting outside a techie audience, but how technology changes lives is interesting for everyone.

Thank you for sharing your story, Patty.

May 4, 2018 at 11:43 am

I’m obviously in the minority, but this kind of writing is awful. It doesn’t add personality, it adds corporate whimsy, which is artificial and pretentious.

May 4, 2018 at 7:01 pm

Firstly, not everyone needs to write with personality. For instance, if you’re writing for a bank, then people expect straightforward, plain copy. Ideally, the copy should be jargon-free (though most banks don’t seem to be able to do this).

Secondly, this process doesn’t need to make copy whimsical. Look, for instance, at the example of Vitamix in the post. The tone is more serious than the copy of Purple.

The right tone for copy always depends on the brand (or the writer) and who the audience is. You’re clearly not the intended audience for a Purple mattress. But that’s how good positioning works—you only attract the people that are right for your brand.

May 4, 2018 at 10:37 am

noodles of personality 🙂

May 4, 2018 at 6:57 pm

May 2, 2018 at 7:33 am

Hi Henneke, This was a great and helpful post, I will try these techniques in my writing from now on. I really must read that thriller, you have made a great case for it!

May 2, 2018 at 7:56 pm

Thank you, Sudhaara. I’m glad you found it helpful. Happy writing!

I hope you’ll enjoy The Quality of Silence, too 🙂

May 2, 2018 at 3:28 am

Write. Appeal. Feel. It always goes back to touching the five senses to truly make an impact. Your cold examples made me shiver, and reminded me why I live in Florida. 😉

Keep up the good work, Henneke!

Reading about the traveling in Alaska made me glad to live in England—it might be wet and it might not be as sunny as Florida, but it’s warm compared to Alaska. 24-hour darkness sounds tough, too.

Thank you for stopping by again, Penelope. Always good to see you 🙂

April 27, 2018 at 8:38 pm

Hi Henneke,

I don’t know what to say; I’m speechless and happy and smiling.

You’re playing a huge role in improving my copywriting, and I’m sure the same goes for many others.

The way you encapsulate the ideas in simple words is fantastic.

I learned from this blog post that how choosing the right words can make readers feel the depth of the story. Amazing.

I’m looking forward to reading the next blog post.

April 29, 2018 at 6:59 pm

“make readers feel the depth of the story” — I love how you’ve phrased that, Hassaan.

I’m glad you enjoyed this article. I enjoyed writing it, too 🙂

April 26, 2018 at 10:45 am

I know I’ve said this before, but it’s the examples in your blog posts that take them to the next level for me. Thank you for the time you take to find them, they are worth their weight in raindrops ?

I love your writing. It’s crisp and clear but also fun and entertaining. You make things simple and doable.

I can see how some people might not like it, but as you say, those people are not the important ones; you will probably never win them over ?.

April 26, 2018 at 9:02 pm

This time I was lucky with the examples as I didn’t need to go searching. I was reading The Quality of Silence and the examples were just begging me to write this post 🙂

And yes, I can’t win over everyone, and that’s not necessary either. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂

I hope the rain keeps falling on Cape Town, and wishing you happy writing while listening to the sound of rain (isn’t it a beautiful sound?)

April 26, 2018 at 9:29 am

Love learning new ways to engage in the writing process. (One that was dreaded much like death. yeah,. really)

Now, it’s fun – like jumping through puddles on a warm rainy day – because it brings on the feeling of ease and effortless flow !

So glad my hubby found you. His joy for writing is infectious. It is mainly due to your class, and lucky for me, he shares his knowledge with the pleasure of a kindergartener ! Wild and free, so now we get to meet in the middle where structure creates freedom.

AND, I do have a much better web site – blog –

A heartfelt Thank-YOU!

April 26, 2018 at 8:59 pm

I love your idea that writing is like jumping through puddles on a warm rainy day. What a beautiful metaphor!

And it makes me happy to read that writing brings you joy—it brings me so much joy, too 🙂

Thank you for stopping by to leave a comment, Amy, and do say hello to Chuck. Happy writing!

April 26, 2018 at 9:06 am

I really appreciated reading this post Henneke.

What I ‘ve taken from this, and am experiencing in my own writing, is that it’s not ‘how much’ we write but ‘what’ we write that adds personality.

Less can truly be more.

We experience more too as readers.

I rarely comment but I do enjoy your posts :-).

April 26, 2018 at 8:56 pm

Yes, that’s so true: “Less can truly be more.” I so agree with that.

Thank you for leaving a comment, Bianca. I appreciate it. Happy writing!

April 25, 2018 at 10:44 am

Thanks Henneke for this great article. I am a big fan of your blog 🙂

April 25, 2018 at 5:32 pm

Thank you, Chooki. I’m glad you’re enjoying my blog posts. Thank you for stopping by.

April 25, 2018 at 12:16 am

Awesome, Henneke, You’ve done it again. You never stop surprising me with something I really truly need at that moment. Love you, thank you, I’m so grateful for having you and your intuitive writing to support my own progress. What a glorious day this is, the sky is clear, the little waves on the ocean past the boardwalk are sparkling and dancing out of the bay, Ocean here we come. All because you made me look at it more closely.

What a lovely comment!

What you say is so true. When we take the time to stop and look more closely, we realize how much beauty we pass by. I try to make myself look around me on my daily walks. I love looking at the trees and listening to the birds. And the sea is magic — just a little too far for me to get there daily, but I try every month. I love the sound of the waves 🙂

Thank you for adding your thoughts, Annamarie.

April 24, 2018 at 10:12 pm

This is such an important topic and I love the examples you give. It’s so true; with all the content that’s out there already, you NEED to add personality to your writing if you want to stand out.

BTW, I think I’m going to have to read The Quality Of Silence now… 🙂

April 25, 2018 at 5:30 pm

Yes, without personality it’s hard to compete online. I totally agree with you.

April 24, 2018 at 9:38 pm

Dear Henneke,

Whenever I read one of your posts…Everytime, and I mean Everytime I am never left feeling disappointed.

Great work, thank you.

Regards Wendy ?

April 24, 2018 at 9:40 pm

Thank you so much, Wendy, for your lovely compliment.

Happy writing!

April 24, 2018 at 9:32 pm

Hi Henneke, I enjoyed the article and the metaphors (by the way, metaphor exercises were my favorites during the course!). I also remembered Peter Høeg’s book “Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne” (“Smilla’s Sense of Snow in the USA) with amazing descriptions of snow that came from an inuit language of native people in Greenland. Thank you for inspiration.

April 24, 2018 at 9:37 pm

Maybe I should re-read that book. I read it ages ago, but it was before I was interested in writing. I don’t remember much about it, but one of my nieces is called Smilla 🙂

Thank you for stopping by, Irina!

April 24, 2018 at 8:19 pm

It just doesn’t get any better than this…good stuff!

April 24, 2018 at 9:08 pm

Thank you, Jack. 🙂

April 24, 2018 at 8:11 pm

There is a beautiful winter description in the autobiography of German writer Joseph von Eichendorff, describing the winter of his birth (1787/88). For those who understand German, here is the original text: «So streng war der Winter, dass die Schindelnägel auf den Dächern krachten, die armen Vögel im Schlaf von den Bäumen fielen und Rehe, Hasen und Wölfe verwirrt bis in die Dörfer flüchteten.» And my humble English translation: «So severe was the winter that the shingle-nails were cracking in the roofs, the poor birds fell off the trees in their sleep, and deer, rabbits and wolves fled to the villages in confusion.» Now that’s a winter, is it?

Yes, I love that description of winter. Thank you for sharing, Matthias (and for the translation!)

April 24, 2018 at 7:53 pm

I am feeling the precision point. Crisp! I dig it because I’ve focused on writing with precision recently. No filler. Think of how to say much with few words. Visualize experiences to make the the pictures to feel alive. Thanks much for the rocking post!

April 24, 2018 at 9:06 pm

That’s a good point about precision: Saying a lot with a few words is a challenge, but it’s a challenge I like!

Thank you for your comment, Ryan. I appreciate it.

April 24, 2018 at 3:30 pm

Spot on, Henneke!

I love the advice that you don’t always have to do it alone.

I find that, even though you are its author/innovator, you can never fully understand how your product or service impacts the lives of those who use it. Only they can describe it vividly enough.

Sometimes, to stir the emotions of those you are trying to promote your product to, you have to call on those who have used the product and have been affected by it.

Testimonials and reviews are, thus, very powerful tools that, as copywriters, we don’t always value and utilize enough.

Thanks for another great post.

April 24, 2018 at 8:57 pm

Yep, I agree. Testimonials and reviews, too, are powerful tools. The best marketers (and the best copywriters) are close to customers because customers can give them all the input they need, and if you pay attention they write your copy for you.

Thank you for stopping by again, Patrick. I appreciate it. Happy writing!

April 24, 2018 at 2:59 pm

Fantastic post, Henneke! Your examples shone with sensory details. Loved how the author of the thriller personified the cold into a deadly beast, and how we can use the same principles in our copy (to positive effect!). 🙂 This is one for the files. Thanks, as always, for your inspirational and educational posts!

April 24, 2018 at 3:13 pm

The various cold descriptions in the thriller are really inspirational. When you put them all on a sheet, you can see how varied they are. It’s like a masterclass in descriptive writing.

As always, thank you for stopping by, Kathy. I appreciate it. 🙂

April 24, 2018 at 1:58 pm

I can’t wait to write another article on my blog. Thank you for these tips. Learning from your blogs makes writing liberating instead of suppressed thoughts and feelings… writing becomes an art of “free stroke” expression with colourful thoughts and feelings. Thank you for sharing your talent.

April 24, 2018 at 3:08 pm

That is a big compliment. Thank you.

It cheers me up when people feel inspired to write after reading my blog. Happy writing, Lorna!

April 24, 2018 at 1:50 pm

April 24, 2018 at 3:07 pm

I hope you’ll enjoy the thriller. I thought it was a good read (especially the first 3/4).

Thank you for stopping by, Kim 😉

April 24, 2018 at 1:40 pm

Hi Henneke, You have the most uncommon way of stirring my thoughts. Yes, writers provide intangible services. But it is the injection of the writer’s personality that brings life to a pile of written words to influence a reader. Again you dealt with the ‘how’ in your usual amazing and easy-to-follow way. My appreciations.

Thank you, Paul. I’m glad you enjoyed this post, and I appreciate your comment. Happy writing!

April 24, 2018 at 12:46 pm

Haha! ‘..so you don’t feel your partner, posterity, or pets when they wiggle about.’ I am jealous of that joke.

I love this one: ‘It’s FREEZING cold; like the air is made of broken glass.’ Now there’s a good writer.

Great post! Do you recommend the thriller?

April 24, 2018 at 3:04 pm

You’ll find a lot more fun copywriting on the Purple website 🙂

And yes, I enjoyed the thriller, especially the first 3/4 or so. It’s well written.

April 24, 2018 at 3:15 pm

The Purple website?

April 24, 2018 at 3:42 pm

The mattress company: Purple.com. That’s where ‘..so you don’t feel your partner, posterity, or pets when they wiggle about’ comes from 😉

April 24, 2018 at 6:00 pm

Ah, yes, sloppy reader, me.

April 24, 2018 at 11:38 am

I don’t think I’m doing it right. I can’t help but add some p for personality in my writing most of the time and I honestly think people like it as it makes for a more fun read. I think. Even if the subject is serious or “how-to.”

But, I know for certain that a couple people who I WANT to see the beauty in a personable, relatable, more fun style, just hate my work.

I work super hard at taking constructive criticism, editing relentlessly, accepting #LetsGetRejected and doing the best I possibly can. But, I guess I am somewhat upset somehow, sometimes, cause I feel like they just don’t get it. Or maybe like appreciate my style perhaps it is!?!? Idk…

I totally love the quote examples for how cold and variable cold can be and feel and sound…with words… lending personality. Brilliant.

Thanks, Henneke! Take care, Sue-Ann

April 24, 2018 at 3:01 pm

Hey Sue-Ann,

Not everyone needs to like your writing, and the stronger your voice the more people will fall either in the love-your-writing or hate-your-writing camps. There are also plenty of people who don’t like my writing. They may think it’s boring or childish. And one person has mentioned that my writing was too masculine (whatever that may be). I also get complaints about my word choice sometimes. But I write for the people who feel I’m writing for them, so most of the time, I ignore criticism (not always of course, sometimes it is valid).

I don’t know why you feel that some people hate your writing and you want them to see the beauty in your writing. If it really matters that much to you, ask them for their input and ask them to be specific in their comments. Is there too much imagery? Is the imagery too strong? Do they not like your word choice? It might also be something completely different.

But be careful. Not everyone has to like you.

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About Henneke

I never saw myself as a writer, but in my early forties, I learned how to write and discovered the joy of writing. Now, I’d like to empower you to find your voice, share your ideas and inspire your audience. Learn how I can help you

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The Marketing Copywriting Guide: Techniques + Brand Examples

• Growth Marketing

Did you know that over half of mobile users abandon sites that take over 3 seconds to load? Now, let’s try a quick experiment and count to three. 

Did these seconds feel long for you? When you think about the experiment, maybe they didn’t feel that long; but when users are not consciously aware of their behaviors while browsing the web, three seconds have been proven to be way too long. This is especially true in today’s scroll-culture — with the popularity of 15-second TikToks and 280-character Tweets, today’s consumer (Gen Z especially) is accustomed to absorbing information through quick intakes. In 2022, the average consumer attention span dropped to just 8 seconds, meaning that it’s becoming more and more difficult to capture and maintain user attention. 

The conclusion? Immediately engaging marketing copywriting is the backbone of success. To get your prospect to act, you need to grab their attention, hold it, keep it engaged, and guide them to their intended action. From website landing pages, to emails, and push notifications, almost every marketing initiative includes some sort of copy, meaning that copywriting is a crucial skill that every marketer needs to have. Let’s start with the basics. 

What is copywriting for marketing content? 

Copywriting is writing any sort of language to be used in advertising. We also use the term “copy” to describe text on websites, social media, marketing emails, etc. While marketing copywriting in itself is a profession, it’s also a critical skill that all great growth marketers should have in their toolbox. The ability to write copy that captivates and engages the intended viewer with the right messaging isn’t easy, but if you’re interested in getting better at it, you’ve come to the right place.

What does a marketing copywriter do?

Marketing copywriters act as the voice and the storyteller of a certain brand, product, or service. They mold and control their target audiences’ perceptions, using words to achieve certain marketing objectives, such as increasing awareness, driving conversions, or fostering loyalty. Copywriters usually work closely with creative departments to present a holistic brand story through a cohesive, strategic combination of words and visual elements. 

As an interdisciplinary space, marketing copywriters often come from a variety of different backgrounds, straddling the midpoint between creative writing, marketing strategy, consumer psychology, and communication sciences. On one hand, it’s important for marketing copywriters to have a strong background in writing and have the ability to confidently manipulate words to achieve different tones of voice, writing styles, and sentence structures.

On the other hand, having an extensive writing background does not necessarily equate to being a good copywriter; skilled copywriters should also have some experience in marketing strategy and understand the importance of customizing copy to different target audiences, funnel stages, and platforms. 

If you are looking to become a marketing copywriter, or if you’re a copywriter looking to further improve your skills, you’ve come to the right place. 

Why is copywriting important?

The easiest way to envision the importance of copywriting is to see it as the intersection of growth, creativity, and community. Whether it be through driving action or increasing awareness, good copywriting leverages the strategic approach of targeted communication and the creative power of emotive writing to build relationships between brands and consumers. 

The benefits of successful copywriting are manifold, but the keys ones are:

• Growth: good copywriting efficiently drives users through the conversion funnel, thus increasing revenue, ROI and profits
• Creativity: good copywriting elicits specific consumer emotions and supplements brand visuals to tell a holistic story, thus solidifying brand awareness and recall
• Community: good copywriting will resonate with target audiences and build long-term customer relationships that stimulate growth loops, decrease CAC and increase customer LTV. 

Copywriting is the backbone of almost all of a brand’s touchpoints. From landing pages to emails, social ads to SEM — nailing down the right copy for the right audience, channel, and funnel stage is the first step towards sustainable and measurable impact. 

What is the difference between copywriting and storytelling?

These days, everyone has a story or content to spread. Whether it’s a food blog or the latest brand launch, people are constantly surrounded by new pieces of content. But what makes your content matter? Stand out? Cut through all the copy clutter that we are exposed to every day?

The foundation of good marketing copywriting is storytelling, but the two are not mutually dependent. The word “storytelling” actually speaks for itself. It is about telling stories, and being able to engage your audience, or to make something more clear. Photos, pictures, graphs, and videos really elevate the storytelling as well. Storytelling is all about painting the picture, setting the scene, and taking the reader on a journey. 

Copywriting is one of the most critical elements of all forms of marketing and advertising and is also tied to great storytelling. It is like a call-to-action on a bigger scale, trying to catch your audience’s attention and make them feel, think, or respond. The product, called “copy” or “marketing copy”, is the written content aiming to increase brand awareness and ultimately to persuade the audience to perform a particular action.

A successful brand understands that the customer needs to be the hero of the story, meaning that the storytelling aspect of copywriting must align with your customer’s own story. This means putting your customer’s needs first and thinking about the “what’s in it for me” aspect of the consumer perspective. Consumers want to interact with brands that share their values and principles, and it’s the brand’s job to make that alignment clear to them. 

Essentially, the goal here is to put the audience at the center of your brand story — make it clear as to what’s in it for them, and how the product or service you offer relates to their day-to-day. In Donald Miller’s book, “Building a Story Brand” , he introduces the SB7 framework, which outlines critical rules that a brand should follow when writing marketing copy.

Here is the SB7 framework:

Let’s use Apple as an example. Their copywriting strategy mirrors the SB7 framework and positions their ideal customer as the “hero” of their journey.

1. The Character

Apple identified their target customer as aspiring filmmakers who care about having a good camera, then framed that character as the hero of the story. 

2. The Problem

Apple identified privacy as the key problem for their hero. 

3. The Guide

Apple positioned itself as the guide that can help make their customers’ (heroes’) lives easier. 

4. The Plan

Apple highlights their value proposition — which in this case is product durability — as a plan to help their hero solve their problem. 

5. The Call to Action

Apple urges Android users to take action and make the switch to iPhone.

6. Avoiding Failure

Apple illustrates how the hero can make their life easier by switching to iPhone. 

7. Achieving Success

Instead of listing specs and features, Apple uses an image to show what success looks: a high-quality image shot on iPhone. 

Ultimately, marketing copywriting is improved by the ability to tell a good story, but that story must be told with the customer as the hero — not the brand. This ensures that the storytelling aspect drives consumers toward the end goal of taking action. 

What are some copywriting frameworks?

The aida framework.

The AIDA framework stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. 

The steps to executing this framework are as follows: 

• Attention: Get your reader’s attention with something catchy and relevant (question, statement, urgency, etc.).
• Interest: Facts, social proof, and numbers capture the reader’s attention every time.
• Desire: Make them desire the product/service provided
• Action: Add a call to action to tell the reader what to do next

For example, the olive oil brand Graza uses the AIDA framework on its landing page to convert initial attention to action:

• Attention: “Olive oil the way it should be” engages audiences that are interested in high-quality cooking oils
• Interest: “Always fresh, never blended, (real) EVOO” lists out the product benefits, uses, and facts to validate the value proposition
• Desire: Descriptive words such as “Drizzle” and “Sizzle” stimulates further interest in the product
• Action: A clear call to action of “Shop this classic kitchen duo” drives the user to conversion

Harking back to the principle of storytelling through copywriting, the AIDA framework takes the consumer through a journey from start to finish, using each new step to build on previously established attention or trust.  

The Problem-Solution Framework

Determine the value props that will matter to these people, and provide them with the solution for their needs. A useful exercise to write better copy is to list out 5-10 problems your target market deals with, the effects of these problems, and then how your product or service solves them.

Let’s look at a simple example. If we were a DTC eCommerce company that sold hiking boots, these are a few of the problems and solutions we would list:

Just like that, in our solutions column, we suddenly have three lines of copy that will resonate with our target market. The more rows you are able to complete, the more options you will have ready to launch when the time comes.

The 4 U’s Headline Framework

Start with the 4U’s that produce good content: Useful, Urgent, Unique, and Ultra-Specific. Keep the copy short, cut the fluff, and think of how to package your message in the shortest yet most powerful way.

The 4 C’s Framework

Make sure that your copy adheres to the 4 C’s: Concise, Clear, Credible, and Compelling. 

Concise: Writing with clarity means being concise. Unnecessary words often dilute the meaning of the conveyed message.

Clear: Don’t use fancy words just for the sake of it. Good, clear copy cuts like a knife. Avoid big words that make you sound like you are trying too hard. 

Credible: Research your topic so that you appear as a person with a genuine interest in offering your help and expertise and, of course, know your audience inside and out. 

Compelling: Don’t be afraid to inject creativity and a unique voice into your copy so that you can keep your audience engaged amongst the noise. 

The Before-After-Bridge (B.A.B) Framework 

The Before-After-Bridge framework positions your brand’s product or service as the missing piece to bring you from problem to solution. For example, coffee brand Taika communicates the benefits of its drinks by illustrating the:

• Before: “coffee has been focused on where it was grown and not how it makes you feel”
• After: “the world’s first perfectly calibrated coffee”
• Bridge: “That’s why we made Taika”

The Feature-Advantage-Benefit Framework

The Feature-Advantage-Benefit framework is a straightforward and easy way to communicate what your brand does and why your consumers should care. This 3-step formula includes stating:

• Feature: what the product/service feature is
• Advantage: what advantage it has
• Benefit: what the consumer gains from using the feature

Refresh, a plant-based gum brand, uses this framework in their “Garden Mint” product description.

• Feature: “Mint gum like never before”
• Advantage: “Fresh taste of mint straight from the garden…”
• Benefit: “Freshen up your breath…”

The Contrast x Complement Framework

Two is better than one. Use contrasting and complementary words to create a paired mirroring effect that is both engaging and concise. Here are some examples.

What is good marketing copywriting?

Good marketing copywriting extends beyond the basic principles of good writing; although it is certainly important to achieve quality through writing style, flow, grammar, and sentence structure, good marketing copywriting is so much more than just that. 

The difference between “good” and “bad” copywriting lies in the question of whether or not the piece of copy is able to achieve the established marketing goals — whether it be impressions, revenue, or conversions. 

This challenge of goal-oriented marketing copywriting  involves a couple of important considerations:

• Target audience: how can you frame your tone of voice to resonate with your target audience and create a relationship with the consumer you are communicating with?
• Funnel stage: where is your audience in terms of their buyer’s journey and what information is most important to surface to them at this stage of their process?
• Platform: what platform are your writing copy for, and how can you make sure that the copy fits within the appropriate conventions and requirements of the platform? 

Writing with these marketing considerations in mind will ensure that your copywriting is working towards achieving a specific, measurable and strategic goal. 

How do you write copy for different funnel stages?

Identifying what part of the funnel the user is in is crucial to relevant marketing copywriting that drives conversions. After all, the audience that sees your copy will have a different level of familiarity with your brand — so it’s important to meet them where they are, with the right answers they need. Here is a rough framework (with examples!) that will help you think of the user journey more holistically and write copy that is more relevant to your intended audience.

Top of Funnel Copywriting 

At the top of the funnel, you want to focus on brand awareness and give the viewer as much valuable information about your brand as possible. Who are you? What do you do? Why do you do it and why should the viewer care? Content that answers these questions will get the quality recall you need lower down the funnel.

For example, this ad for Accelerate, a video conferencing platform, demonstrates what the product is and why viewers should care about it. The copy focuses on providing valuable information such as product benefits, price, and competitive advantage, so as to attract consumers’ attention and increase brand awareness. It also uses the 4 U’s Headline Framework with copy that is Useful (“everything you need”), Urgent (“Meet Accelerate”), Unique (“one video platform for everything”), and Ultra-Specific (“video platform”). 

Middle of Funnel Copywriting 

At the middle of the funnel, you have users who have a rough recall of your brand. You want to get more specific here: what are the exact products/services that you offer? What is the unique value proposition of each? What are some statistics or testimonials you can use to drive conversions? Be as specific as possible to build on the recall and drive their decision.

Continuing with the Accelerate example, the copywriting style on the platform’s Sign In page demonstrates the specificity required for middle-of-funnel copywriting. The copy identifies what the product is (“a virtual collaboration platform”), and uses a bullet checklist to highlight exactly what features the product offers (“simplified scheduling”, “frictionless video calls” etc). This level of clarity builds upon the customer’s existing recall of the brand, and uses additional information to drive their decision forward. The copy also uses the 4 C’s framework with a concise headline, a clear list of benefits, a credible user base (“thousands of small business owners”), and a compelling value proposition. 

Bottom of Funnel Copywriting 

At the bottom of the funnel, you have users who already know your brand and your offerings — and they need an extra push to finally convert. At this stage, you can be very straightforward with a harder sell (that still falls within your brand voice and remains consistent with your overall messaging). Tell the user what specific actions they should take in order to find the value they are looking for. Introducing extra urgency, discounts, limited-time offers, and perks at this stage can help seal the deal.

This email on Accelerate’s suite of integrations is sent to all registered users. These are users that are already familiar with the brand and have likely interacted with the product itself. By drawing attention to Accelerate’s suite of integrations, this email prompts users to take action (“integrate your tools with Accelerate”), and increases customer retention by incentivizing the user to revisit the platform. This email also uses the Feature-Benefit-Advantage framework by emphasizing how the Integration feature has the benefit of automated tools for the advantage of boosted productivity.

How do you write copy for different platforms?

Different channels are designed to reach different audiences, at different peak times, and within different character limits. Each channel is built for a specific audience, hence there needs to be a different style of writing. Your visuals vary by channel, so why shouldn’t your copywriting do the same? The key to channel specific copywriting is to understand the intention of the user where you are meeting them. 

When you think about it as a user, it seems obvious, but this is often lost on time-strapped marketers attempting to push content out rapidly. While it may be time-effective to copy and paste, when the copy doesn’t convert on engagement, you’re going to wish you had spent more time considering where your copy was going to live and how it would be consumed.

Landing Page Copy

The key to writing good landing page copy is to capture the user’s attention immediately and guide them through the brand story as they (ideally) scroll through the site. In an eye tracking study conducted by Nielson , results showed that 57% of users’ page-viewing time is spent above the fold (ATF), and 74% of the viewing time was spent in the first two screenfulls (up to 2160px). What this means is that the hero section or ATF needs to convey the value of the brand immediately in order to capture users’ attention before they lose interest. 

Within the hero section and consistently throughout the entire landing page, there should be clear CTA buttons that ask users to take action. Common examples of these landing page CTAs can include “Shop Now”, “Learn More”, or “Get Started”. 

Take Windmill, a modern air conditioner brand, for example. Their hero section displays a compelling headline, “eye candy for your window”, and uses an illustrative metaphor to convey the aesthetic benefit of their product. The “Shop Now” CTA is also immediately obvious. 

Another important copy element to include on the landing page is social proof. Use numbers or customer testimonials to build trust — after you’ve fully explained what the product or service is and what value you can provide. Windmill does this on its landing page by including testimonials from users and reviews from well-known publications.

Ultimately, the landing page should follow a linear information hierarchy, with the main value at the top, followed by supporting benefits and information as the user scrolls. 

Social Ad Copy

When writing copy for ads, it’s crucial to combine both text and visuals to allow the two elements to support one another in telling a story. Ad copy should also balance emotional and rational appeal prior to outlining a clear call to action. 

In order to write a compelling ad copy, you must be concise while demonstrating a clear understanding of the problem and how the brand solves it. Understanding your customer’s pain points is the first step to convincing your customers how your brand can help solve their problems. 

Meditation brand Headspace, for example, combines emotional language like “a happier, healthier life” with more rational statistics like “28% less sad”. The ad immediately communicates how Headspace can help solve the consumer’s problem (which in this case is sadness) by providing a solution (i.e. a guide to health and happiness). A CTA of “Install Now” is clearly outlined, and the main message of the entire ad can be perceived in less than 8 seconds. 

Search Ad Copy

Writing copy for SEM (search engine marketing) requires an ability to speak to the user’s search intent while also communicating key value propositions within limited character counts. Google search ads allow headlines of up to 30 characters and descriptions of up to 90 characters. Copywriting for search engine marketing should be straightforward, concise, and clearly communicate the value of the product or service in response to the user’s search intent. 

Figma’s search ad copy responds to the search intent of finding “the best graphic design tool” by emphasizing its effortless interface and its speed capabilities. In one short headline, Figma’s search ad is able to communicate its promise to the user to “make designing effortless” and help them “create designs faster”.

It’s important to note that for newer brands, SEM is often used to test various value propositions in order to better understand which key features users are most interested in. In the case of search ad testing, copywriters should aim to create different headline and description variations that each clearly highlight a different value proposition, so as to facilitate better experimentation and data-backed insights. 

Email copy is similar to ad copy except with more real estate. Like the landing page, the key message and CTA needs to be above the fold to immediately capture the user’s attention. Like ads, the headline and key message need to be short, clear, and demonstrate how your brand can help your consumers solve a problem. Although the relatively longer length of an email offers more room to get creative, it doesn’t mean that you should write a lengthy and monotonous piece — it should still be clear, concise, and get straight to the point. 

Magic Spoon taps into its value proposition right from the first line, “Best in class breakfast”. Then, the email follows with a clear “Try Now” CTA that is supplemented with clear product benefits such as “Cheaper than a protein bar” and “No grains or gluten”. 

SMS / Push Notification Copy

In contrast to emails, copywriting for SMS and push notifications has extremely limited real estate that needs to be optimized for maximum impact. Because of the space and character limit, headlines need to be catchy, messaging needs to be (extremely) concise, and benefits need to be immediately obvious. A common way to increase engagement in shorter copy formats like SMS and Push is to use emojis to supplement your headlines (note: emojis count for 2 x characters).

Since SMS and Push notifications don’t include a specific CTA button like landing pages, ads and emails do, the CTA should be integrated into the message itself. For example, content platform Invisibly encourages the user to perform 3 actions: “take surveys, earn points, and access your favorite subscribers”, and demonstrates the value of doing so “without the subscriptions and ads”. 

Knowing your brand voice

Your brand voice is one of the most important pieces of marketing copywriting. It’s the audience-facing, distinct personality that is consistent and evident across all communication touchpoints. This voice usually manifests across a brand’s website, social media posts, blog posts, ads, emails, etc. An easy way to envision this would be to imagine your brand as a person.

Are they playful and humorous or serious and knowledgeable? Are they your close friend, an expert mentor, or a helpful colleague? What phrases, vocabulary, and stylistic choices do they routinely use when talking to you? If the way a person talks is part of their personality, the way a brand communicates is likewise a part of their identity, positioning, and overall distinctiveness.

Normally, your brand’s voice is a key element of your brand’s guidelines. The brand voice guideline should specify the do’s and don’t’s to copywriting and the rationale behind why you chose specific characteristics that tie back to your brand identity. When writing marketing copy, it’s important to stick to these guidelines to maintain consistency across channels and touchpoints while still tailoring your message to specific audiences and platforms on a more micro level. 

One common mistake is to see brand voice and tone as interchangeable terms — which they’re not. Remember: your voice always remains constant. A brand voice should be an overarching personality that is relatively consistent across the board, while brand tone can vary across different social media platforms, audiences and intentions. For instance, your holiday cheer email or social media marketing post will sound very different from ad copy that’s creating a sense of urgency around a limited-time sale.

Simply put: your voice is consistent, but your tone can change. A brand’s voice is more about who they are and what they stand for on a macro level, and tone is more about how they communicate it at each micro touchpoint. 

Will AI replace copywriters? 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re sure to have noticed the increasing importance of leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in copywriting and content marketing. AI copywriting tools like Japser.ai, Copy.ai or Anyword, as well as generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT, have taken over the copywriting space in a way that drastically changes the nature of any marketing copywriting role. 

A lot of copywriters are worried about the impact that AI will have on their jobs: “ Will AI take my copywriting jobs? ”, they’ll ask. The short answer is no, but that necessitates a certain level of adaptability and quick learning on the copywriter’s part. The best copywriters know how to work with AI tools, not against them. Copywriters need to seamlessly integrate AI tools into their writing workflows, and hone in on the skills that AIs inherently lack. The “human touch” becomes more important than ever, as writers will need to shift their focus to revising AI-generated content to ensure quality, brand consistency, and platform suitability.

In an age where AI tools are able to take care of the writing and creation portion of the job, human copywriters need to expand their skill set and see copywriting as one piece of an overarching marketing strategy in order to avoid becoming obsolete. The best copywriters don’t just create content, they know how to emotionally resonate with their target audience, they understand the narrative of a buyer’s journey, and they know to consider how each piece of content fits into a larger channel or audience strategy.

Copywriting for digital marketing is an incredibly important skill. At the end of the day, all of us have access to the same ad platforms and tools. One of the best ways to stand out is by having impeccable copywriting. Especially now, content is accessible in all ways, and content creators are finding new platforms to tell their stories and engage an audience. Clean and effective copywriting will help you break through the noise and stand out from your competitors.

Following the above suggestions can help you create great copy by understanding the channel that you are creating the copy for, and thinking about how the copy can interact effectively with other visuals in your ads. Combine storytelling with great copywriting, and you will create effective communication with your target audience and hence, a successful ad.

If your copy can achieve these few important things, you’re well on your way to becoming a great marketing copywriter! If you’re looking for an agency to take the hard work off your plate – feel free to reach out to our team for a chat.

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Marina Chilingaryan

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Really insightful! I’m looking to improve my social media copy.

Absolutely informative guide, Thanks for sharing this guide,Got a lot to know from it.

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How to Write a Creative Brief with Examples and Templates

By Joe Weller | March 5, 2024

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A  creative brief  is a roadmap for teams planning a marketing or advertising campaign, including the objectives, deliverables, and target audience. Strong creative briefs keep team members and external stakeholders aligned as the campaign develops.

  Inside this article, you’ll discover how to write a creative brief , the main elements to include, and downloadable example briefs and templates . Plus, you’ll learn how to use generative AI to help draft a creative brief .

Main Elements of a Creative Brief

Creative briefs should include sections detailing the campaign’s goals, deliverables, style, and target audience. The brief will also have information about the brand and competition in the marketplace.

A project manager for the team requesting the content or a  member of the marketing or advertising team will write a creative brief. The specific sections of a creative brief might vary depending on the project and its stakeholders, but keep these eight main elements in mind:  

• Brand Identity and Project Overview: The first section of the creative brief provides relevant background information about the brand’s mission and the campaign’s purpose, whether it is responding to pain points or advertising a new product. Summarizing these key details at the outset gives the creative team a focused direction and ensures the campaign fits into the overarching brand identity. 
• Objectives:  Clearly define goals and be sure to link them to  key performance indicators (KPIs) . Using  SMART  (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals when crafting objectives help you focus on the project and key metrics. 
• Competitive Analysis: Reviewing examples of recent campaigns from rival brands is a valuable strategy when seeking insight for a creative brief. Analyzing competitors’ strengths and weaknesses sheds light on what resonates with consumers and how to make a campaign stand out in the market.
• Target Audience:  Creative briefs should boil down which segment of the brand’s audience the campaign will target. Specific demographic profiles help the creative team understand customer behaviors and deliver the most effective and appealing assets.
• Tone and Style:  Whether defining a personality, listing adjectives that correspond with the core message, or designating a color palette, the creative brief clarifies the attitude and visual identity of the campaign. Designers need direction on the desired voice and style to ensure a unified final project that speaks to the target audience.
• Content Format and Deliverables:  Every creative brief must outline the specific content that the creative team needs to produce, such as social media assets, print advertisements, graphics, video content, online copy, or other elements of the campaign strategy. Include any format requirements or other specifications, so that the creative team can align their output with the campaign objectives.
• Timeline and Budget:  Stipulating key deadlines, checkpoints, and budget requirements enables the creative team to deliver on target. This information is crucial when working with external agencies, for whom the brief can function like a contract. Concrete schedule parameters give project managers details that they can follow up, warding off scope creep. Learn  how to manage scope creep  and keep projects on track.
• Stakeholders:  Briefs should include the contact details and roles for all the team members who will be involved in the project. Establishing individual responsibilities and review processes ensures internal and external stakeholders can communicate seamlessly throughout the process.

How to Write a Creative Brief

Writing a creative brief starts with gathering the information that will guide a campaign’s direction. Begin with a focused overview of the project and include concrete details on your objectives, audience, and deliverables.

A strong creative brief is clear, specific, and short. Think of it as a blueprint to inspire creativity and keep your team on track from ideation through delivery and execution. Consider using  creative brief templates  to save time and maintain consistency across multiple projects.  For branding campaigns or launches, a more specialized  brand brief  might be necessary. 

1. Gather Information and Resources  

Before you start writing, do the prep work for your brief. This might include researching competitors, analyzing pain points, meeting with stakeholders, and referencing past campaigns. Use this information to finalize your core message, target audience, and objectives.  

Once you have a clear idea of the campaign, gather the necessary supporting documents. Compile links to important resources, such as a brand style guide, digital asset library, and any example content for the creative team to reference.  

2. Decide What to Include  

The details of the campaign, stakeholders, and objectives will determine which elements of the creative brief are necessary. For example, internal team members might not need comprehensive information about your brand mission. Or you might include a budget for advertising campaigns, but not for designing a new website banner.

Keep in mind that the creative brief should be concise and focus on the creative direction of the campaign. If you need to determine a comprehensive marketing and distribution strategy, consider completing a  marketing strategy brief first.   

3. Name the Campaign and Write an Overview   

Naming the project is a simple first step to streamline communication. The campaign name should point to its core message — the idea, consumer benefit, or call to action (CTA) — the creative team needs to get across with their assets.  

Start by writing an overview that defines the core message in a few sentences. Consider including relevant brand identity aspects or drafting a short section with brand and product background. Establish why you are launching this campaign, the opportunities or challenges, and the takeaways for your audience. 

“For example, in our creative brief for a new rug collection launch, we highlighted our rugs’ unique designs inspired by Southwestern traditions and their high-quality sustainable materials. Conveying these key points up front allows designers and copywriters to center their creativity around the communication of these distinguishing factors,” offers  Connor Butterworth , CEO and Owner of  Southwestern Rugs Depot . 

4. Set Clear Objectives

Highlight one or two goals for the campaign that align with its core message. Be sure to define the KPIs you will use to measure success. Common campaign objectives include boosting engagement, increasing conversions, and communicating a specific call to action or desired consumer behavior.   

5. Analyze the Competition

Survey the competitive landscape for real-world models. Focus on a few major competitors and provide examples of their recent campaigns for similar products. Highlight key successes and failures to learn from, and create a list of the ways in which your brand or product differs.  

Elaine Chen , Founder of marketing consultancy Excogita, advises, “Creatives understand that not every project will immediately hit the mark, but they need feedback to get to the right place. Spend time looking at competing campaigns so that you have concrete ideas about what you feel will and won't work, and share some of these insights in your brief.”

6. Define the Demographic

Determine a primary target audience for the campaign. Are you trying to reach a segment of the current brand audience or potential new customers? Break down your target audience with demographic data — such as age, gender, and geographic location — as well as buying behaviors and psychographic information, such as preferences and interests. 

Instead of listing all the aspects of your target audience, use profiles or personas to draw a precise portrait of your customer in a couple sentences. Learn  how to create customer profiles  to better understand your audience with individualized buyer personas.  

7. Explain the Tone

Choose several adjectives that describe an attitude or personality for the campaign. Align this personality with the key message, cater it to your target audience, and fit it within your brand identity. Include links to any brand style guidelines or designated fonts and color palettes.

Should graphics feel sophisticated and minimalistic or playful and energetic? Is the tone authentic and empowering or confident and provocative? The adjectives you choose will guide both the visual direction and voice of your campaign, keeping all the elements of the project cohesive.

8. Designate Deliverables

Determine what assets or content the creative team needs to produce to meet the campaign objectives. Specify the content format, the number of deliverables, and any requirements or specifications, such as image dimensions or character limits. You might mention your distribution strategy if modified versions of the assets will be needed for different platforms.

9. Walk Through the Timeline and Budget

Working backward from the campaign launch date, determine when assets need to be delivered in order to be reviewed by key stakeholders and released on schedule. Fill in important due dates, review periods, meetings, and final approval deadlines leading up to the release date. If the creative team will be producing video content or multichannel advertising campaigns, establish a budget.

10. Present to Stakeholders

Share the completed brief with all the stakeholders involved, from the creatives who will be producing the content to the executives who will approve final designs. The creative team might consist of in-house designers and marketers, or it could be an external agency. Consider including a project manager to track deadlines and deliverables. Project managers can create a separate  project brief  to summarize high-level details.

Whether you present the brief at a  project kickoff meeting or distribute it electronically, be open to feedback. The creative team might have questions on the timeline, resources, tone, or approval process. The marketing director could help you fine-tune the target audience and core message. Refine the brief if necessary before you share the final version. Make sure everyone understands the direction of the project and their responsibilities.

Examples of Creative Briefs

These creative brief examples use variations on the basic creative brief template to communicate specific project details to stakeholders. These downloadable and customizable templates include example copy for a variety of creative brief scenarios.

Simple Creative Brief Example Template

Download the Simple Creative Brief Example Template for Microsoft Word

Download the Simple Creative Brief Blank Template for Microsoft Word

Here’s an example of a creative brief for a marketing campaign designed in-house. This short creative brief template keeps a tight focus on the project itself — and doesn’t waste time providing unnecessary context.

Client Creative Brief Example Template

Download the Client Creative Brief Example Template for Microsoft Word

Download the Client Creative Brief Blank Template for Microsoft Word

This example shows how a creative brief might be completed for implementing a marketing campaign with an agency. There is more information about the client — the brand, project message, and call to action — while leaving room for the creative team to innovate. 

Graphic Design Creative Brief Example Template

Download the Graphic Design Creative Brief Example Template for Microsoft Word

Download the Graphic Design Creative Brief Blank Template for Microsoft Word

Here’s an example of a creative brief for a graphic design project that is perfect for solo graphic designers or graphic design firms planning projects in collaboration with their clients. The simple, adaptable layout has room for details on image requirements and design elements, as well as direction about the project. 

For more elaborate design projects — such as a logo design or product design — consider using a specific  design brief .

Advertising Creative Brief Example Template

Download the Advertising Creative Brief Example Template for Microsoft Word

Download the Advertising Creative Brief Blank Template for Microsoft Word

This creative brief example uses a straightforward advertising campaign template to cover objective, tone, messaging, target audience, and non-negotiables. There are also key advertising elements needed for the campaign. 

What to Keep in Mind When Writing a Creative Brief for Internal Use vs. an Agency

Creative briefs are a campaign’s starting point for both in-house teams and agencies. The project’s stakeholders will determine the brief’s content. Both internal and external creative teams need information about the campaign’s message, but agencies might need more brand details.

Internal creative briefs are often short and direct, since the stakeholders will bring their understanding of the brand and its identity to the project. Internal creative teams might already be familiar with style guidelines, recent campaigns, and customer personas. It’s still important to include focused direction specific to the campaign objectives, but the brief can be more informal and flexible.

Creative briefs shared with external agencies, on the other hand, are often more extensive. CEO and Founder of  Awning.com Shri Ganeshram recommends crafting a “more detailed and structured brief” when working with an agency. “It has to convey the essence of your brand and project requirements without any assumed knowledge,” he continues. “When I worked with an external design agency for our marketing campaign, the detailed brief we provided helped them grasp our brand ethos quickly, resulting in a highly successful campaign.”

As a marketing executive with both in-house and agency experience, Chen points out that projects that are contracted out might also require more comprehensive briefs. “Many companies are only working with agencies on high-profile or very strategic assignments such as major advertising campaigns, creating new brands, or significant rebrands. Accordingly, the briefs will need to include lots of insights about the product and audience, while avoiding being too prescriptive to give the agency room to innovate.”

Additionally, while both internal and agency creative briefs typically include deliverables and deadlines, these stipulations might carry more weight externally. In his experience working with agencies, Ganeshram explains, “The creative brief acts as a contract of sorts that outlines what the client expects, providing a clear framework within which the agency operates. This distinction is crucial for ensuring both parties have aligned expectations.” 

Pitfalls to Avoid When Writing a Creative Brief

An effective creative brief empowers designers, advertisers, or marketers to deliver original and compelling content. On the other hand, vague or complicated briefs make it impossible for creative teams to meet expectations. Avoiding these pitfalls streamlines the creative process.  

There are five common pitfalls to keep in mind when writing creative briefs:  

Ambiguity:   

A vague direction can make it impossible for the creative team to understand the vision for the campaign. Provide specific information about the tone and message, as well as clear guidelines for the format of the final product. “If you leave anything up for interpretation, then you risk the result not being what you expected,” advises Kristien Matelski, Content/PR Manager at  Vizion Interactive . “I’ve found that a few good examples are much more valuable than just describing what I’m looking for.”

• Overprescription: Conversely, including too much detail can limit creativity and overwhelm the core message. Designers, copywriters, and other creatives need freedom to bring their own expertise and imagination to the project. “While detailed background information is always helpful, realize that you can only convey so much in a single communication,” Chen notes. “Avoid requiring your creative team to fold in too many messages or else you could end up with a garbled mess.”
• Broad or Unspecified Audience: It’s crucial to define a target audience with as much detail as possible. Large campaigns might have primary and secondary markets, but to create effective assets, the team needs to have a specific audience in mind and understand their behaviors. “Too often companies are so focused on what they have to say that they end up failing to incorporate customer perspectives and create a message that just falls flat,” cautions Chen.
• Unrealistic Expectations:  The purpose of a creative brief is to keep stakeholders’ expectations and responsibilities aligned throughout the project’s development. However, if the brief sets impossibly tight deadlines or unattainable objectives, creatives won’t be able to deliver compelling results.
• Complicated CTA:  Campaigns work best with a simple and clear core message or desired outcome. Creative briefs that fail to develop a clear call to action result in campaigns that can’t meet their objectives. Chen adds, “It's most realistic to ask consumers to do just one easy thing after seeing your ads. A complicated, multistep process or a confusing mix of options is doomed to fail.”

How to Use Generative AI to Write a More Effective Brief

Recent advancements in generative AI have made it a powerful tool for crafting creative briefs. AI can analyze pain points and customer data, suggest relevant core messages, and elevate directions on tone and style. Think of the AI as a partner or assistant when drafting your prompts, and be prepared to finetune the results.

“Generative AI can be a game-changer for crafting creative briefs in marketing and advertising,” observes Peter Wood, CTO at  Spectrum Search . “It's essential to leverage AI for initial idea generation. By feeding the AI system with your campaign’s objectives and target audience demographics, you can get a diverse range of creative concepts and narratives, which might not be immediately obvious to a human team.”

You can also use AI to assist in data analysis when researching your competitors and establishing customer personas. Wood continues, “This analysis can inform the tone, style, and content of your brief, ensuring it is aligned with what resonates with your audience.”  

“As a content manager, I’ve found that creative briefs have been a primary use for AI,” reveals Kristien Matelski. To get the best results from the AI, she recommends providing it with background information about your brand and objectives, as well as detailed instructions for the content you want it to generate. Keep revising and updating your prompts as you work, and make sure to verify any facts or data in your results. 

Here are four tips to keep in mind when utilizing AI to draft your creative brief:  

• Pretend the AI Is Your Assistant:  AI is not a search engine, and it can handle more complex directions. “Be as detailed as possible with what you want, like you’re giving instructions to an assistant to write a brief or outline for you,” suggests Matelski.
• Provide Background:  Feed the AI relevant information about the brand, product, or campaign objectives. Matelski says, “I generally start by giving the AI some context about the who, or the company we are generating a creative brief for, including a link to their website. Then I tell it the what that we’re creating, a creative brief or outline for a new product page.”
• Include Specifics:  If you are using a template, make sure to list the fields you want the AI to generate. Establish any requirements and important campaign directives to include in the brief. As an example, Matelski offers, “Be sure to mention X, Y, Z brand names, color choices, and keywords.”
• Edit, Edit, Edit:  Once the AI has generated the brief, read through the results and determine next steps. “You’ll need to edit yourself or go back and forth with the AI a few times to get it how you want it,” Matelski acknowledges. You might ask the AI to condense the overview, suggest a more playful core message, narrow the objectives, or tailor the deliverables for a specific social media platform. Consider whether you need to provide additional information with your instructions.

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What Is Creative Writing? (Ultimate Guide + 20 Examples)

Creative writing begins with a blank page and the courage to fill it with the stories only you can tell.

I face this intimidating blank page daily–and I have for the better part of 20+ years.

In this guide, you’ll learn all the ins and outs of creative writing with tons of examples.

What Is Creative Writing (Long Description)?

Creative Writing is the art of using words to express ideas and emotions in imaginative ways. It encompasses various forms including novels, poetry, and plays, focusing on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes.

Table of Contents

Let’s expand on that definition a bit.

Creative writing is an art form that transcends traditional literature boundaries.

It includes professional, journalistic, academic, and technical writing. This type of writing emphasizes narrative craft, character development, and literary tropes. It also explores poetry and poetics traditions.

In essence, creative writing lets you express ideas and emotions uniquely and imaginatively.

It’s about the freedom to invent worlds, characters, and stories. These creations evoke a spectrum of emotions in readers.

Creative writing covers fiction, poetry, and everything in between.

It allows writers to express inner thoughts and feelings. Often, it reflects human experiences through a fabricated lens.

Types of Creative Writing

There are many types of creative writing that we need to explain.

Some of the most common types:

• Short stories
• Screenplays
• Flash fiction
• Creative Nonfiction

Short Stories (The Brief Escape)

Short stories are like narrative treasures.

They are compact but impactful, telling a full story within a limited word count. These tales often focus on a single character or a crucial moment.

Short stories are known for their brevity.

They deliver emotion and insight in a concise yet powerful package. This format is ideal for exploring diverse genres, themes, and characters. It leaves a lasting impression on readers.

Example: Emma discovers an old photo of her smiling grandmother. It’s a rarity. Through flashbacks, Emma learns about her grandmother’s wartime love story. She comes to understand her grandmother’s resilience and the value of joy.

Novels (The Long Journey)

Novels are extensive explorations of character, plot, and setting.

They span thousands of words, giving writers the space to create entire worlds. Novels can weave complex stories across various themes and timelines.

The length of a novel allows for deep narrative and character development.

Readers get an immersive experience.

Example: Across the Divide tells of two siblings separated in childhood. They grow up in different cultures. Their reunion highlights the strength of family bonds, despite distance and differences.

Poetry (The Soul’s Language)

Poetry expresses ideas and emotions through rhythm, sound, and word beauty.

It distills emotions and thoughts into verses. Poetry often uses metaphors, similes, and figurative language to reach the reader’s heart and mind.

Poetry ranges from structured forms, like sonnets, to free verse.

The latter breaks away from traditional formats for more expressive thought.

Example: Whispers of Dawn is a poem collection capturing morning’s quiet moments. “First Light” personifies dawn as a painter. It brings colors of hope and renewal to the world.

Plays (The Dramatic Dialogue)

Plays are meant for performance. They bring characters and conflicts to life through dialogue and action.

This format uniquely explores human relationships and societal issues.

Playwrights face the challenge of conveying setting, emotion, and plot through dialogue and directions.

Example: Echoes of Tomorrow is set in a dystopian future. Memories can be bought and sold. It follows siblings on a quest to retrieve their stolen memories. They learn the cost of living in a world where the past has a price.

Screenplays (Cinema’s Blueprint)

Screenplays outline narratives for films and TV shows.

They require an understanding of visual storytelling, pacing, and dialogue. Screenplays must fit film production constraints.

Example: The Last Light is a screenplay for a sci-fi film. Humanity’s survivors on a dying Earth seek a new planet. The story focuses on spacecraft Argo’s crew as they face mission challenges and internal dynamics.

Memoirs (The Personal Journey)

Memoirs provide insight into an author’s life, focusing on personal experiences and emotional journeys.

They differ from autobiographies by concentrating on specific themes or events.

Memoirs invite readers into the author’s world.

They share lessons learned and hardships overcome.

Example: Under the Mango Tree is a memoir by Maria Gomez. It shares her childhood memories in rural Colombia. The mango tree in their yard symbolizes home, growth, and nostalgia. Maria reflects on her journey to a new life in America.

Flash Fiction (The Quick Twist)

Flash fiction tells stories in under 1,000 words.

It’s about crafting compelling narratives concisely. Each word in flash fiction must count, often leading to a twist.

This format captures life’s vivid moments, delivering quick, impactful insights.

Example: The Last Message features an astronaut’s final Earth message as her spacecraft drifts away. In 500 words, it explores isolation, hope, and the desire to connect against all odds.

Creative Nonfiction (The Factual Tale)

Creative nonfiction combines factual accuracy with creative storytelling.

This genre covers real events, people, and places with a twist. It uses descriptive language and narrative arcs to make true stories engaging.

Creative nonfiction includes biographies, essays, and travelogues.

Example: Echoes of Everest follows the author’s Mount Everest climb. It mixes factual details with personal reflections and the history of past climbers. The narrative captures the climb’s beauty and challenges, offering an immersive experience.

Fantasy (The World Beyond)

Fantasy transports readers to magical and mythical worlds.

It explores themes like good vs. evil and heroism in unreal settings. Fantasy requires careful world-building to create believable yet fantastic realms.

Example: The Crystal of Azmar tells of a young girl destined to save her world from darkness. She learns she’s the last sorceress in a forgotten lineage. Her journey involves mastering powers, forming alliances, and uncovering ancient kingdom myths.

Science Fiction (The Future Imagined)

Science fiction delves into futuristic and scientific themes.

It questions the impact of advancements on society and individuals.

Science fiction ranges from speculative to hard sci-fi, focusing on plausible futures.

Example: When the Stars Whisper is set in a future where humanity communicates with distant galaxies. It centers on a scientist who finds an alien message. This discovery prompts a deep look at humanity’s universe role and interstellar communication.

Watch this great video that explores the question, “What is creative writing?” and “How to get started?”:

What Are the 5 Cs of Creative Writing?

The 5 Cs of creative writing are fundamental pillars.

They guide writers to produce compelling and impactful work. These principles—Clarity, Coherence, Conciseness, Creativity, and Consistency—help craft stories that engage and entertain.

They also resonate deeply with readers. Let’s explore each of these critical components.

Clarity makes your writing understandable and accessible.

It involves choosing the right words and constructing clear sentences. Your narrative should be easy to follow.

In creative writing, clarity means conveying complex ideas in a digestible and enjoyable way.

Coherence ensures your writing flows logically.

It’s crucial for maintaining the reader’s interest. Characters should develop believably, and plots should progress logically. This makes the narrative feel cohesive.

Conciseness

Conciseness is about expressing ideas succinctly.

It’s being economical with words and avoiding redundancy. This principle helps maintain pace and tension, engaging readers throughout the story.

Creativity is the heart of creative writing.

It allows writers to invent new worlds and create memorable characters. Creativity involves originality and imagination. It’s seeing the world in unique ways and sharing that vision.

Consistency

Consistency maintains a uniform tone, style, and voice.

It means being faithful to the world you’ve created. Characters should act true to their development. This builds trust with readers, making your story immersive and believable.

Is Creative Writing Easy?

Creative writing is both rewarding and challenging.

Crafting stories from your imagination involves more than just words on a page. It requires discipline and a deep understanding of language and narrative structure.

Exploring complex characters and themes is also key.

Refining and revising your work is crucial for developing your voice.

The ease of creative writing varies. Some find the freedom of expression liberating.

Others struggle with writer’s block or plot development challenges. However, practice and feedback make creative writing more fulfilling.

What Does a Creative Writer Do?

A creative writer weaves narratives that entertain, enlighten, and inspire.

Writers explore both the world they create and the emotions they wish to evoke. Their tasks are diverse, involving more than just writing.

Creative writers develop ideas, research, and plan their stories.

They create characters and outline plots with attention to detail. Drafting and revising their work is a significant part of their process. They strive for the 5 Cs of compelling writing.

Writers engage with the literary community, seeking feedback and participating in workshops.

They may navigate the publishing world with agents and editors.

Creative writers are storytellers, craftsmen, and artists. They bring narratives to life, enriching our lives and expanding our imaginations.

How to Get Started With Creative Writing?

Embarking on a creative writing journey can feel like standing at the edge of a vast and mysterious forest.

The path is not always clear, but the adventure is calling.

Here’s how to take your first steps into the world of creative writing:

• Find a time of day when your mind is most alert and creative.
• Create a comfortable writing space free from distractions.
• Use prompts to spark your imagination. They can be as simple as a word, a phrase, or an image.
• Try writing for 15-20 minutes on a prompt without editing yourself. Let the ideas flow freely.
• Reading is fuel for your writing. Explore various genres and styles.
• Pay attention to how your favorite authors construct their sentences, develop characters, and build their worlds.
• Don’t pressure yourself to write a novel right away. Begin with short stories or poems.
• Small projects can help you hone your skills and boost your confidence.
• Look for writing groups in your area or online. These communities offer support, feedback, and motivation.
• Participating in workshops or classes can also provide valuable insights into your writing.
• Understand that your first draft is just the beginning. Revising your work is where the real magic happens.
• Be open to feedback and willing to rework your pieces.
• Carry a notebook or digital recorder to jot down ideas, observations, and snippets of conversations.
• These notes can be gold mines for future writing projects.

Final Thoughts: What Is Creative Writing?

Creative writing is an invitation to explore the unknown, to give voice to the silenced, and to celebrate the human spirit in all its forms.

Check out these creative writing tools (that I highly recommend):

Read This Next:

• What Is a Prompt in Writing? (Ultimate Guide + 200 Examples)
• What Is A Personal Account In Writing? (47 Examples)
• How To Write A Fantasy Short Story (Ultimate Guide + Examples)
• How To Write A Fantasy Romance Novel [21 Tips + Examples)

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Inspire your team with a marketing brief made in Milanote

Follow this step-by-step guide to learn the modern process of writing an effective marketing brief in Milanote, a free tool used by top creatives & marketers.

How to write a marketing brief in 8 easy steps

At the heart of every successful marketing campaign lies a carefully crafted marketing brief. In essence, a marketing brief acts as a blueprint for your campaign, providing a structured framework that outlines your goals and deliverables, identifies your target audience, and maps out the metrics for measuring success.

It offers guidance to help you and your team stay focused, ensuring that every aspect of your campaign is aligned with your mission.

In this guide, we'll walk through the process of writing a marketing brief using Milanote. Remember, the process is non-linear, so it's OK to move back and forth between the steps as you go.

1. Describe the background of the campaign

Before moving into the specifics of the marketing campaign, let's begin by describing the background of the campaign. This step helps sets the context for the campaign, providing the framework from which we'll develop our strategy.

Begin by introducing the brand or organisation behind the campaign and clarify the brand's desired outcomes for the campaign. Finally, outline the scope of the campaign, including the timeline, key milestones, and the key stakeholders involved.

Create a new board for your marketing brief.

Create a new board

Drag a board out from the toolbar. Give it a name, then double click to open it.

Choose the built-in Marketing Brief template.

Choose a template

Each new board gives you the option to start with a beautiful template.

2. Define goals & deliverables

Defining clear goals and deliverables is essential for guiding the campaign to success. To begin, it's important to establish specific and measurable goals that align with the overall business strategy. These goals should be realistic and achievable within the given timeframe, whether they involve driving sales, increasing customer engagement and promoting brand awareness.

Next, outline the key deliverables that will contribute to achieving these goals. This may include launching targeted advertisements, creating engaging content, or implementing social media strategies.

Add a note to describe the deliverables.

Drag a note card onto your board

Start typing then use the formatting tools in the left hand toolbar.

When writing a marketing brief, shift the focus from the product or service itself to the experience it offers. How does it make the customer feel? What problem does it solve in their life?

3. Collect brand assets

Add any additional materials that will help your team get to know the brand personality. Detail the tone of voice, brand values, color scheme, and any other relevant guidelines that will inform the campaign's creative direction and messaging. This gives everyone easy access to important assets throughout the project and saves time hunting through emails and folders.

Add a note to list the personality.

4. Define the target audience

Defining your target audience is essential for creating a campaign that connects with the right individuals. Begin by clearly pinpointing the specific audience that aligns with your campaign goals.

Crafting a customer persona can give you insights into understanding your audience. They usually include the following demographics and behaviours:

• income level
• their interests
• needs, and pain points

Add a note to describe the audience.

Choose a photo to represent your audience.

Use the built-in image library

Search over 3 million beautiful, free photos then drag images straight onto your board. Powered by Pexels.

5. Specify key metrics

Identify the most important key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be used to measure the success of the marketing campaign. These metrics may include sales figures, social channel traffic, conversion rates, engagement metrics etc.

Use a table to define the success metrics.

Create a table

Drag a table out from the toolbar. You can add simple formulas, dates, currencies and more.

6. Organize & refine

Once you have everything you need, it's time to organize your content into logical topics. The goal here is to present the most important points in an inspiring and concise format. Remember, it's called a brief. In its simplest form, writer and illustrator Maira Kalman says a brief consists of "a deadline and a dream".

Create a column for each of the main topics in the brief

Drag a column onto your board

Name it, then drag any relevant notes, images or boards into your column to stay organized.

Save time on your next project with the free Marketing Brief template.

7. Gather feedback

While a campaign brief is typically drafted by a single person, the most effective briefs will be reviewed by stakeholders, clients, or team members before the final approval. This is a great opportunity to ensure that everyone is aware of the direction, goals, and deliverables before embarking on the campaign. Utilize this feedback to make any necessary revisions to the brief before finalizing it.

Invite a team member or client to provide feedback.

Invite editors to your board

Open the "Share" menu from the title bar of your board. Add email addresses of the people you'd like to collaborate with—they'll receive an invitation via email.

Start a comment thread.

Start a comment thread

Drag out a comment from the toolbar on the left and place it on your board. Other editors can reply to your comment.

Mention teammates to get their attention.

Mention teammates to get their attention

Type '@' in any text field to mention someone who has access to your board. They'll receive a notification and be able to respond to your comment.

8. Share the brief with your team

Once you’ve made any final tweaks to the brief, it’s time to share the completed brief with the your team, organize a kickoff meeting and start the project.

Share a link to the brief with your team.

Share a read-only link with others.

Click Share in the top right of your board. You can add a Welcome message for viewers, allow comments, set a password or embed the board in another app or website.

And you're done!

Now that your marketing brief is complete, you have an inspiring starting point for your next campaign. Remember to revisit your brief at each stage of the project. It's a great way to ensure you're still headed in the right direction!

Start your brief

Get started for free with one of Milanote's inspiring brief templates.

Sign up for free with no time limit

English at Lutterworth College

Describing a supermarket.

Just before Christmas, all of our Year 10 students had a go at writing a description inspired by the picture above.

You can find a selection of brilliant descriptive writing in the comments on this post.

If you’d like to add some of your own, feel free.

Other students can then use it for inspiration for future descriptive tasks.

Share this:

48 comments.

On a wooden bench near the door sat a young couple. They devoured each other as the long lines of people waiting to pay stared in disgust. Unaware that the majority of the store was glaring at them, they continued their public displays of affection until they finally realized. They both turned crimson as they sheepishly scurried out of the door.

Outside the imposing, towering supermarket, the trolleys are reminiscent of animal cages- a travelling zoo over the slippery, hazardous shop floor. The sign reading ‘TESCO’ is irradiant and blindening, flashing every colour of the rainbow beckoning customers to flood in through the heavy metal doors, like a river, separating into small streams in the many different bustling aisles.

Finally, the snaking queues started to disappear from the checkouts. Then, a middle-aged Woman began to clean down the left over coffee puddles with her dirty cloth, using a mouldy, muzzled cleaning product. As a young shop assistant stepped into a black cab, with a vivid yellow sign on the roof, as it drove off.

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The mother is trying to stop her four year old son from running rampant in the groceries aisle with a 3 week old baby screeching in her ear. The mother has light brown hair and tired eyes and a little fat accumulating under her chin. She is not especially tall but has a wider than average waste line that usually comes with being a mother. She eventually gives up on trying to catch her 4 year old son and focuses on shutting up her baby. She reaches into her baby bag and pulls out a bottle of milk which the baby then starts grabbing at. She smiles smugly as she defeats one opponent but then has to tackle the other. The baby is now silent as it sucks on the bottle with huge eyes looking around innocently. The mother has now spotted her four year old who is jumping up to grab a Lego car that he desperately wants. Even from that distance she can see the desperation in his eyes as he starts to climb the shelves to get the Lego car. Momentarily the mother forgets her baby but then remembers it and sprints with the baby and the trolley towards her mountaineering 4 year old. Just as he is about to reach it, the mother grabs his legs and pulls him down, bringing 12 Lego sets with him. A huge clatter arises as the toys hit the ground. A shop assistant comes running and helps her pick up the fallen toys.

The shop is often crowded but this time it is full to its capacity. The rush of Christmas shopping has brought people from far and wide to do the yearly big shop. The neon lights of the shop sign flicker dimly compared to the bright, cheerful, flashing Christmas lights that have been draped loosely over the edges of the building. Inside the warm welcoming glow of the store make an appealing sight to the stressed shoppers coming out of the bitter cold evening. A friendly policeman slowly patrols outside.

Next in line is a short lady with an oversized nose. She looks to be a single mother juggling her eighteen month old baby and piling up ready meals. The baby is wailing a deafening scream; the rounded shop manager’s stare changes to her. The lady’s other daughter looks perhaps ten years of age and is blasting out Taylor Swift out of her oversized Phillips headphones. Now that she has laid down her chicken curry for Thursday night the woman looks accomplished and puts her baby back into the empty trolley.

Over by checkout twenty three is a tall, brunet woman trying to unload the contents of her trolley onto the checkout conveyer, while her three pre-school children dance around her feet. She keeps taking her woollen hat on and off, so that she is able to see her children clearly, while attempting to hide her grey roots from those on the top floor. She begins to get more wrestles by the minute and embarrassed for the amount of time she was taking.

Inside, the first thing you can smell is the freshly baked bread just 10 yards away. Its aroma fills the noses of everybody entering the shop, luring them in. A young child begs his father for a bit of the heavenly bread, after a few seconds of his whines; the father gives up and they wheel their way over to the bakery. Once they arrived at their destination, they are purely disappointed. How could a loaf of bread look so unappealing? The boy, clenching the loaf of bread to himself, whilst his father looks uneased, uses his puppy-like eyes to ask for the bread. His father, yet again, gives in and they walk away from the bakery.

The short, stubby dark haired woman is currently getting served. She looks smugly back at the other customers behind her, groaning as she unloads her oversized haulage onto the till. As she attempts to pluck a plastic bag from the holder-she tries and misses multiple times. Now she has realised that her actions are futile. Her fat, greasy fingers can’t grab a bag. Her head raises as she roars a mighty roar.

The automatic doors smoothly slide open as people rush in and out of the store. The cacophony of sound was filled by whining children and tills beeping. Toddlers run around recklessly whilst their mothers stroll down the aisle far behind them, too caught up in conversation to know what is happening. Cashiers stand lazily by their tills staring at the clock, watching the seconds tick by slowly as shop assistants pace around the store cleaning up mess that others have made and calming angry customers who are complaining about the service.

Into the supermarket itself rushing in and out of the aisles is a mother of two looking stressed out and rather panicked. To keep her two twin – 9 year old boys calm, she gives one the shopping list and the other, a trolley. The mother realises her mistake when she notices forged things in large handwriting on the bottom of the list, “CHOCOLATE CAKE, SWEETEZ, FRIZZY DRINKS, AND NO APPLES!” Starting an argument with her children was another big mistake when the twin pushing the trolley tries to run away but clashes into the back of a pram.

A white building, standing proud, looking down on the wide variety of people surrounding it. The glowing ‘TESCO’ sign luring them in like flies to a fly trap. Battles for parking spaces in every row causing that infernal beeping noise of angry drivers. The truant shopping trolleys in random spaces… Welcome to the world of the Supermarket.

Countless aisles stand anonymously, lined in perfect symmetry. Tonnes of fresh produce are crammed onto each shelf. Only nine members of staff occupy the desolate supermarket, awaiting the opening of the shop impatiently. As the automatic doors finally open, a group of excited morning customers flood in like a merciless tsunami, dispersing to different aisles with hurried determinations. In an attempt to escape the tide, the staff group together by the checkout, sharing gossip about other members of the team.

Neat queues form over by the checkouts as staff frantically scan and bag items. Couples and families sit in the cafe drinking steamy cups of coffee. Down at the end of the shop are the dirty toilets, the faulty flickering lights create an eerie feeling. The shelves are looking empty and sparse, waiting to be re-filled the next morning.

An unattractive twig-like boy with jet black, greasy, unwashed hair, scurries past the aisles trying to get to the queue. He sneezes and slowly he cautiously wipes his revolting snot on the back of his pale, dried up hands as he sniffles, followed by a strange loud snort whilst he glances around him observing everyone. He simultaneously swiftly pushes up his poor-quality glasses up his slimy nose, carefully making sure not to draw attention to himself. As the hurried boy scuffles towards the front of the queue he happens to bump into a self-absorbed, obnoxious girl. She has a disgusted look in her eyes as she fiddles around with her blonde straw-like hair; waiting patiently for the boy to pick up her things. She’s wearing her fake Michael Kors bag boastfully and has bulky slugs on her oily eyes. She has drawn-on, uneven, thick eyebrows like as though she used a sharpie. She proudly shows off the fact that she’s as orange as an Oompa Loompa from the cheap fake tan used on her stubby legs.

he stillness of the evening was disrupted by the constant noise of shouting. Pages of newspapers and kit-kat wrappers left unwanted and uncared for. A crucified sign nailed to a brick-wall displayed ‘Morrisons’ creaked as scheduled gusts of wind screamed into it.Broken trolleys squeaked as they were forced into the shop to do their labour and help the excited customers.

Towards the back of the store, a gang of lads suspiciously loitered beside the alcohol aisle. They were disguised in Nike tracksuits and hoodies and portrayed no good impressions to any other customers. Whilst looming around the corner, awaiting their opportunity to pounce on the booze, a formally dressed security guard strides round each aisle as if it were a maze that he knew to perfection. He aimed for the gang but suddenly the boys, which the guard had previously seen on his reliable CCTV cameras, flew towards the exit of the shop at first sight of the guard.

A dark-haired woman with a crusty golden coloured hair grip stands patiently in line, ready to scan her card and awaits the usual message of ‘could not read’. The seeming to be worthless bags create a distinct thought in a man’s mind that his ‘luxury’ mince pies are going to gush out the bottom of the bags with the velocity of a waterfall. A visually unappealing pile of shopping shows no aesthetic appreciation (especially with a bruised pear preparing to take a toll down the shiny, silver side of the counter).

The shop is starting to empty out now. Gradually people leave the supermarket with arms full of shopping. Staff start to close their tills up ready to go home for the night. Items of food are scattered across the floor and carrier bags fly about like birds every time the doors open and the wind comes in. The buzzing of people has gone; you can just hear footsteps and muttering.

The queue snakes its way to the checkout but begins to stop as an obese couple is arguing with the cashier. This couple were hoarding a year’s worth of food on the counter beside them. Sweat begins to trickle down the fat man’s face, “5p for a bloody bag!”. Along beside these whales stood their obviously chubby children who were dressed in bright pink, puffy coats, which was causing them to resemble two waddling marshmallows. Soon these had begun to lose interest of their dad’s fury and decided to wonder to the sweet aisle.

Towards the alcohol, the acrid stench of a spilt bottle of wine infiltrates the air. Attempting to clean up the spilt red, which almost resembles trickling blood, with a 2003 billa-bong flip-flop, crouches a lanky, middle aged man, who also smashed a fuchsia ball-ball earlier that day. The gentleman is wearing a fluorescent pink, tight pair of swimming trunks which matches the pink tint of his face. He discreetly turns and staggers towards the exit, slurring an apology to a staff member as he passes them.

Not too long after. The store begins to close blood and butter still covering the floor, in a sloppy brown mess. The lights snap off and loud speaker crackles to silence all the people leave the store, another night. Another day done..

A chubby, round woman made a tremendous entrance to the checkout, while shovelling a huge, sugary donut down her great, munching chops. The crimson jam trickled down her sweaty face, making her even more unattractive. She licked her small, prune lips, smearing the jam all over.

The toy aisle is packed full of excitable young children, nagging their parents for the newest games. One young girl is clinging onto a tacky looking frozen doll, whilst looking hopefully at her mum. The mum, who is distracted by her lengthy shopping list, shakes her head and continues to walk. The girl speeds up with her mum and quietly slips the doll into her mums abandoned handbag on the trolley.

Lighting up the chilling evening sky, the fluorescent ‘Tesco’ sign catches the aggravated customer’s eye. All of them doing their own thing, yet all at the same place at the same time. Out in the car park the beating wind shakes the sign, as several old, rusty cars search for a space in the mayhem filled car park. The engines are blocked out by the squeaky automatic doors that lead into the maze of a supermarket. Each aisle is stacked like a mountain of food awaiting for the customers to come and choose it for their next meal.

However, the man is distracted by the thick slice of chocolate cake he has on his plate. Although he is situated in the nationwide supermarket franchise of Tesco, every little won’t be helping this man. He lunges into the soft, brown goodness and his eyes light up with joy, The gale-force breaths erupt from his crater-sized nostrils, and although he is bringing his imminent heart problems closer to him he does not care. His chubby cheeks have sweaty, red patches and his fat neck ripples as he closes his eyes to savour his last bite. “I need more” you can hear him whisper as he heaves himself up from the plastic sofa, his rolls jiggling like a jellyfish under his now stained white top, which bears a WeightWatchers stacker saying ‘My name is Dave’

In the aisle titled ‘Menswear’, a skinny, gaunt man with extremely sunken eyes and a mere collection of potatoes and broccoli in his basket, is contemplating which white shirt to buy. Out of his pocket hangs an invitation to a funeral, and around his finger is a slightly green mark from where his wedding ring once was. He chooses the slim-fit and shirt over the three-quarter length sleeve and moves on his way to the refrigerated aisle, filled with milk and cream.

From the opposite direction, a bulging man, who must have been in his late fifties, waddles into the shop. Completely dismissing the vast expanse of healthy snacks, he races towards the distant biscuit aisle; he was on a mission. Pushing past a handful of late night shoppers, he grabs for the twin-pack of McVities chocolate digestives. The man paces forcefully in the direction on the self-checkout, practically spilling out of his murky tea-brown workout joggers – which is ironic as he’d clearly never stepped foot in a gym before. Making a speedy get away, he clutches his biscuits in one hand and fumbles for his keys with the other and heads for the exit.

A lanky, skinny and scrawny man is furiously chewing his gum, and making outrageous noises as if his gum was having a party with his saliva. His quickly paced walk is taking him to the end of this aisle where he sees his next item on his organised list. He pushes his glasses up with his index finger, several times, whilst he looks for his item. A glisten of excitement widens his mouth as he presented his yellow jaggered teeth- also known as a smile. He reached down and clasped the aluminium can and perfectly placed it in his wobbly trolley.

Large glass panels flooded the building with light. Or they would have done were it not midwinter. The long line of tills was assembled like buffalo at a watering hole; the customers flies, flitting frantically about to pick up the last of the Christmas gifts.

And there, in the ‘cold meats’ aisle, was the last remaining 10% off-get-it-while-stocks-last-organic-gourmet-turkey. Like a Western showdown, both women stared each other down, One, a pregnant young adult in her mid-twenties, fashioning a Lipsy diamante tracksuit and hooped earrings, hair scraped back into a tight ponytail, the other a fifty year old lady wearing Hunter wellies and a tartan jacket. Disregarding their half full trollies, the two pounced at the remaining lonely turkey.

After a long day of coping with busy shoppers’ drama, the customer service clerk turned on the tannoy before announcing, in the most monotonous voice imaginable, that the store would close shortly. Crowds of exhausted shoppers filed for the exit, hauling bags and pushing trollies overloaded with the necessary and desired items sold within the store. Alas, the staff were abandoned once again. The store gave an almost audible sigh as its last customer left. After shutting off the lights, the staff vacated, leaving the store ready for the drama to be repeated the following day.

To the left of the entrance door, cashiers are positioned on tills lining the front of the supermarket. A petite face, choked by a corpulent figure, is tucked away at the furthest till, receiving little attention from the shoppers. Her eyes recognise the coarse texture of her hands which represent the price of long 12-hour shifts. The bags shoppers exit with resemble those under her eyes. But, predictably, attention on herself is limited, as she spies a gaggle of teenage boys stalking the alcohol section.

At the end of till number two a little girl with ginger hair bounced around trying to get her mother’s, who was packing bags, attention. Her ginger hair was arranged in a pair of pig tails and standing straight as the exact opposite of what her body was doing at the time. She was wearing a pink dress covered in white cup sized polka-dots. This interesting choice of clothing totally contradicting her hair, bright green socks and black polished school shoes. Her mum had very obviously given on telling her what to wear leaving her to run wild with her wardrobe.

Every till is open and all have massive sweeping trails protruding from them and into the lanes of traffic behind. One female worker slumps, utterly dejected, at her till. Her Santa-like belly contributes to her appearance of an overstuffed pig-in-blanket; one man, a loyal fan of Tesco and similarly priced retailers, comments to the guy behind on how it was good of her to be so festive in her physique. She looks up but does not respond; such is the level of noise that, for all she knows, the two men are exchanging charming compliments about her.

The beer rolled to the feet of a rather big-boned man, who struggled to bend over far enough because of his immense belly. In the end, he just kicked it back to the cursing father and hobbled slowly back to his large trolley. While standing in the queue, he stared indulgently at the racks of different chocolate next to the till. He glanced around as quickly as his tree-trunk neck would let him; when he thought it was safe, he scooped up as many pieces of confectionary as he could, dumping them in his already packed trolley. While unloading his cargo, he dropped a Wispa onto the tiled flooring. When he leant down to pick it up, his shirt slid up his back revealing bare backside to the rest of the queue. They screamed in disgust, one women even covering her child’s eyes.

After the family and a few others left, Tesco shut for the night: the illuminated checkout lights dimmed; heaters cooled, aisles fell silent. The workers packed up for the night, and as the exited the building it went into hibernation, with only the refrigerators still whirring and keeping meats and other produce such as ice-cream, crisp and fresh for the next day.

Inside appeared almost like a ‘Santa’s Grotto’, silver tinsel blanketed nearly every checkout, as well as the cashier, who was not getting paid enough to work late on Christmas Even. Her face clearly showing this. Few people rushed about, their footsteps echoing down the empty aisles, Dad’s with teenage children, muttering to themselves how they wouldn’t be this unorganised next year. One particular parent, knocking over a perfectly balanced pyramid of Savers tinned tomatoes, whilst reaching into the depths of the shelves for any remaining mincemeat, probably still their from last year Christmas; pulling a jar out victoriously and continuing on his journey to find the next forgotten item.

Freshly laid fruit stands vibrantly opposite the checkouts, the colours accompanying on another, putting a rainbow to shame, complementing every eye that catches upon the. A few rows down, dozens of crates lay as an elderly woman, who works at Tescos, reprices all reduced items. This catches the eye of two, rather skinny middle aged women. They park their overflowing trolleys and scurry to see what bargains they can set their hands on. In choral movement, both women desperately grab the final reduced waist trainer and squabble among themselves, making inappropriate hand gestures to one another as mothers walk by in disgrace, covering their children’s eyes.

Early morning sunlight gleamed through the large, square, glass panels as staff shuffled through the automatic doors along with a crisp breeze. Already eager customers wandered in, skimming their empty trollies across the unscathed tile floor. Every now and again a faint ‘please place your item in the baggage area’ could be heard as a disgruntled customer furiously slammed down their Heinz tomato soup into the metal compartment while muttering a symphony of curses.

In the depths of the chaos, a desperate single mother of four was still struggling to understand where she went wrong with the upbringings of her undoubtfully misbehaved offspring’s, whilst heaving the trolley of food through each aisle. Whilst two of the children were sat uncomfortably on the damp plastic seats of the trolley, the other two were nowhere to be seen. Only to be found crouching under a counter of chilled meat, giggling at a gentleman towering opposite them whose chins were invisible under his evermore increasing neck fat

Furthermore, one man eyes up the vodka but his excitement comes to a halt as he sees the hefty price tag. He swipes his wallet from the pocket of his grey Nike tracksuit bottoms and quickly begins to count how much he’s got; he’s five pounds short. This major setback forces him in to making a brainless decision made out of pure desperation. He decides to try and steal the vodka by hiding it under his stylish Lonsdale hoodie. It was not going to be an easy task.

Further back in the maze of aisles, an elderly woman ponders over which of the seeded loaves is most fitting to her taste. Her hands are folded over each other, adorned with embossed veins and skin that replicates a mountain range. Her eye sockets are caves, home to speckled brown irises that have witnessed a lifetime of trauma, joy and heartbreak. A gangly employee, about twenty years of age, informs her that the shop is soon to close, so she grasps a loaf and proceeds to leave.

Just discarding one of these trolleys is an extremely fat lady who has just squeezed herself lane two – with great difficulty – and is now making a good natured complaint about the price of ready meals. This is because she has clearly not been put off them, because, clasped in her fat, sausage-like fingers is a trolley piled high with a large assortment of ready meals and Walker’s Crisps. Following her discussion with the checkout lady, she half waddles, half staggered out of the clean sliding automatic, as she does so, she passes a tired-looking lady who is going grey with the stress of her child.

A market place of mayhem had descended on the aisles and flooded the robotic till area. The weekly brawl over the last leg of lamb, was occurring below the crooked beacon of light which proudly read ‘ESCO’. Persistently the ominous ding of the tills, invaded the eardrums of the busied costumers, who each zigzagged across the hectic store in search of a bargain. Rows of high shelves, all stacked precariously high, stared down at the lime green, grime ridden floor. Meanwhile amongst the moulding strawberries, a blond haired woman fought helplessly against the mind of her disobedient trolley.

At the front of the queue, a woman with appallingly dyed hair, an irritating high-pitched voice and a Vauxhall Zafira parked outside makes her point very clear to the fed-up cashier that her coupons, which expired two weeks ago, were still entirely valid and usable. The cashier, in his blue and red slightly sweat-stained uniform turned away from her to buzz the intercom and ask for the manager.

In the next aisle along, a woman stands on tip-toes, struggling to reach the Hovis bread on the top shelf. She loses her balance and, arms flailing, knocks the shelf as a waterfall of bread loaves and baguettes descends upon her. Two feet away, her teenage son is texting his obsessive girlfriend about his ‘lame’ family, and how much he would rather be with her. He witnesses the scene of his mother and rolls his eyes, stalking off to find an attractive girl to hit on. Meanwhile, the woman’s other children, seven-year-old twins, dart about the store, flying French baguette Curtiss H-75 Hawk fighter jets through a slalom course of shopping trolleys and little old ladies, who are tutting and muttering profanities under their breath.

Over tills filled with slowly decreasing piles of food, a mumbling crowd of people queue. A married couple already buying look middle aged and have rough looking faces- the man is wearing a blue V-neck, his eye brows are patchy and crumpled, while his hair is short and buzz cut. He has a stocky build, and from his frustrated and angry facial expressions at the top of his body, comes the action of his black leather boot clapping against the floor as he waits, whilst also releasing a moan from his deep hollow voice impatiently. His other half is left to pack the bags, whilst she occasionally lets out a puff of warm air in an attempt to move the greasy, curled clumps of hair away from her line of sight. Her chubby and bloated freckled arms reach into her bag, the movements causing the rest of her body fat to crease and twist. The lady behind the till struggles not to giggle as the woman drops her Halifax card and lets out a distorted grunt.

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What is creative writing in a marketing and advertising environment?

The correct definition of ‘creative writing’ is “writing which expresses ideas as well as thoughts in a creative way.” Put another way, creative writing is the “art of making things up” or putting a creative splash on history, as is the case with creative non-fiction.

Creative writing is an art form. We say this because you write creatively you need to step out of reality and jump into a new realm which is inspired by your mental meanderings. In the capacity as a creative writer, you’re able to express feelings as well as emotions as opposed to cold, hard facts.

Does creative writing have a place in the advertising industry?

Identify and describe the importance of creativity in advertising within own industry Among their many attributes, creative writers usually show an appetite for linguistic invention. For this reason alone, increasing numbers of marketing companies are hiring professionals with creative writing backgrounds.

An evolving marketing trend that revolves around storytelling has paved the way for digital content that, apart from offering captivating writing, relies heavily on design and web development.

Creative writing is supposed to capture the audience’s attention and guide them through “an interactive and customisable flow of information that conveys your narrative in a way that’s uniquely useful to the individual.” This can be done using both new and existing technologies such as PowerPoint-like presentations, interactive infographics, microsites, and apps.

Creative writers are experts with words. They know how sentences and language features work to take a business as well as the brand to the next level. Still, creative writing isn’t given the importance it should be because of the ‘everyone can write’ mentality.

What do creative writers do in marketing and advertising?

Creative writers help a business stand out from the rest of its competition. No one wants to sound the same as their competitors. Imagine how boring that would be! Creative writers are innovative with words. They can take a topic that has been written about ten thousand times and give it a fresh spin!

Creative writers make sure the business’s messaging is consistent. As well as making sure the messaging is consistent, creative writers make sure the messages are clear. As we’ve moved into the digital age, readers’ attention spans have gotten shorter. No one has the time or patience to read articles and blogs that aren’t clear and to the point. Creative writers make sure the business doesn’t lose customers because of sloppy writing.

Creative writers can take on different voices, depending on what the business wants: Does it want to sound quirky, serious, or casual? Creative writers are experts at doing this. They can wear different language and stylistic hats without breaking a sweat.

Creative writers know how to make sure a business doesn’t disappear in the Internet’s big black hole. This is done through Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). SEO refers to how a website is optimised so people can easily find it on Google. Creative writers can optimise a business’s website SEO by writing SEO content such as blogs and articles.

Creative writers understand how social media works. Social media is one of the big ins of marketing and nowadays you’ll be hard-pressed to find a credible business without a social media presence. Creative writers know how social media works. They know how to write quick, snappy, and engaging content for the business’s followers and potential followers. They know the best strategies to grow a following and increase brand loyalty.

Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing

Want to learn more about how to write for other digital platforms? If you do then you need to do our digital copywriting and content marketing course. For more information, please follow this link .

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What do you want to do?

• Creative Writing for Marketing MSc

Course code

7KFEPCRWMARK

Placement available

Mode of study

1 year full-time

24 months part-time

16 months full-time with placement

2 years full-time with placement

UK   £13,750

International   £23,615

Entry requirements

Our Creative Writing and Marketing MSc degree is the only postgraduate course in the UK to offer a fusion of these two exciting disciplines. It includes a range of specialist modules, specialist dissertation project, as well as the opportunity for tailored workplace experience.

The course is designed to equip students with both a broad range of advanced creative writing skills and contemporary marketing principles and theories that are grounded in academic research and real-world practice. Taught be experts in the field, modules will focus on key areas of Creative Writing for Marketing to prepare students for a career in Marketing and the Creative Industries, including marketing communications, creative copywriting, social media, and creativity and AI. Students will also have the opportunity to develop their core creative writing skills through a module specifically tailored for this programme.

This degree offers students the opportunity to develop key vocational and creative skills, as well as systematic and critical thinking, and expertise that will enable them to generate, implement, and evaluate marketing and branding activities with enhanced creativity, imagination, and flair. The course will appeal to those with a creative writing or marketing background (academic or professional) who are interested in utilising an aptitude, passion or interest in creative writing disciplines in a broader marketing environment.

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour .

Course content

This course can be studied 1 year full-time, 24 months part-time, 16 months full-time with placement or 2 years full-time with placement, starting in September.

This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available .

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel

Careers and your future

The blending of creative writing practice with innovative marketing principles will ensure students will graduate as uniquely skilled marketeers with a specialist skill set that sets them apart in the competitive job market. Creative writing skills are fundamental to producing exceptional marketing content: with this degree, graduates will become experts at producing creative content for a variety of businesses, adding significant value to their brands. Students completing the course will be particularly well equipped to enter the fast-growing creative industries but will also develop a skillset which will prepare them for the demands of a marketing career more broadly.

UK entry requirements

• A 2:1 or above UK Honours degree (or equivalent internationally recognised qualification) in Creative Writing or Marketing is preferred. 
• An interview may be required as part of the admissions process

EU and International entry requirements

If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by  UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list . This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our  English Language Requirements  page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our  Brunel Language Centre .

Please check our Admissions  pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

Fees and funding

2024/5 entry.

£13,750 full-time

£6,875 part-time

£1,385 placement year

International

£23,615 full-time

£11,805 part-time

More information on any additional course-related costs .

Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase. 

See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.

Scholarships and bursaries

• Brunel Graduate Discount
• Postgraduate Academic Excellence Scholarship

Teaching and Learning

A range of active teaching strategies will be utilised to promote collaborative learning – for example, through the peer workshop central to the Creative Writing discipline, case studies and activities, practice-based seminars, incorporation of industry speakers, the use of learning technologies, blended teaching where appropriate and the role of personal tutors to help assess individual needs.

An integrated approach to teaching will be adopted as scholarship highlights that differentiated instruction with balanced mix of different teaching styles supports the learning of a diverse cohort of students. This will include some lecturing to provide context, knowledge and theoretical perspectives; a diverse reading list; practical writing exercises; peer and tutor feedback; reflective writing exercises and the integration of technology where appropriate.

Practice-based elements will be integral and inspired by Gibbs’s “Learning by Doing” reflective learning cycle which models how learners can link theory and practice through engagement in activities that promote deeper learning.

Assessment and feedback

Students will complete a range of diverse assessments across the programme, including portfolios, academic essays, creative work, reports, critical commentaries, research proposals, presentations (including group presentations), and a dissertation or professional project.

Read our guide on  how to avoid plagiarism  in your assessments at Brunel.

We are nationally accredited and a Washington State OSPI approved online provider.

Market Square Education

Innovating Education. Creating Solutions. Changing Lives.

Creative Writing

Creative writing regular (re).

Cost: $349 per semester Prerequisites : English 10 Length : One semester (18 weeks)

Course outline

Required Course Materials : None

Course Description : Market Square Education’s online Creative Writing course is an English elective course that focuses on the exploration of short fiction and poetry, culminating in a written portfolio that includes one revised short story and three to five polished poems. Students draft, revise, and polish fiction and poetry through writing exercises, developing familiarity with literary terms and facility with the writing process as they study elements of creative writing.

Elements of fiction writing explored in this course include attention to specific detail, observation, character development, setting, plot, and point of view. In the poetry units, students learn about the use of sensory details and imagery, figurative language, and sound devices including rhyme, rhythm and alliteration. They also explore poetic forms ranging from found poems and slam poetry to traditional sonnets and villanelles.

In addition to applying literary craft elements in guided creative writing exercises, students engage in critical reading activities designed to emphasize the writing craft of a diverse group of authors. Students study short stories by authors such as Bharati Mukherjee and Edgar Allan Poe, learning how to create believable characters and develop setting and plot. Likewise, students read poetry by canonical greats such as W. B. Yeats and Emily Dickinson as well as contemporary writers such as Pablo Neruda, Sherman Alexie, and Alice Notley. Studying the writing technique of a range of authors provides students with models and inspiration as they develop their own voices and refine their understanding of the literary craft.

By taking a Creative Writing course, students find new approaches to reading and writing that can affect them on a personal level, as the skills they gain in each lesson directly benefit their own creative goals. Students who are already actively engaged writers and readers learn additional tools and insight into the craft of writing to help them further hone their skills and encourage their creative as well as academic growth.

This course is built to the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) standards.

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2.6: Descriptive Imagery Worksheets

• Last updated
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• Page ID 40378

• Heather Ringo & Athena Kashyap
• City College of San Francisco via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative

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When writing a personal narrative, setting the scene is one of the most important parts of the essay. This worksheet is designed to help you more deeply describe your scene from the previous exercise using all six senses.

First, find a picture, object, action, or scene. You might even go out on a mini field trip to a nearby location to practice describing setting before applying what you have learned to your own story. Use the following descriptive imagery worksheet to practice immersing readers using all 6 senses. Consider using a mixture of adjectives, nouns, and metaphors to describe your chosen object or setting.

Descriptive Imagery Worksheet

Student Descriptive Imagery Worksheet Model

Contributors and Attributions

• The above descriptive imagery worksheet was created by Shane Abrams of Portland State University as originally published in EmpoWord (2017) licensed CC BY-NC 4.0

How to Use AI for Writing Product Descriptions?

• May 23, 2024 Updated

Struggling to write eye-catching product descriptions ? You’re not alone. Did you know 87% of consumers consider product descriptions crucial when buying online? A well-crafted description can significantly boost conversion rates, but creating them is time-consuming and challenging.

That’s where the best AI writing tools  come in. When I learned how to use AI for writing product descriptions, I was amazed at how quickly I could create engaging content . These AI tools save you time , letting you focus on other tasks.

Ready to begin using an AI description generator ? Keep reading to find out how!

How to Use AI for Writing Product Descriptions- Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: choose your ai tool, step 2: enter product name, step 3: enter product description, step 4: select your target audience, step 5: select the tone of voice.

Step 6: Click on Generate

Choose an AI writing platform with an “ E-commerce Product Descriptions ” function (these understand product lingo!).

Example: Go to HIX.AI and choose the “Ecommerce Product Descriptions” tool. or you can choose any of the best AI writing tools for Product Descriptions .

Start off by entering your exact product name . Remember to avoid typos !

Example: Reflex Cat Food

Fill out the product description. Make sure you include all clear and concise information about the product in brief bullet points . Try to highlight benefits that solve customer problems or improve their lives.

• Dry cat food
• Chicken Flavor
• Healthy and weight-gaining

There are a number of options you can choose from here. Select the most relevant target audience option. It’s best to narrow down your audience for a more audience-specific product description.

However, if your product is used by everyone, you can choose “ Everyone ” to avoid over-narrowing of audience.

Example: Choose “Pet Owners” for Reflex cat food.

Choose a tone that matches your website’s tone and language.

Example:  Choose “Engaging” for Pet Owners to make them feel more involved and supported while choosing their pet’s food item.

Step 6: Click on Generate & Scan Through the Generated Product Description

Once you’ve filled in the details and selected your options, click the “ Generate ” button or similar function within the AI tool.

The tool will then process your information and provide you with a product description based on your input . Carefully review the generated description.

See if it captures the key points you provided and aligns with your brand voice.

Step 7: Bypass AI Detection

Click on “Bypass AI detection” to humanize your product description . You can skip this step if your chosen tool generates natural-sounding descriptions.

What Are AI Product Description Generators and How Do They Work?

AI product description generators are tools that use artificial intelligence to automatically create product descriptions . These tools use advanced technology to write clear and persuasive descriptions. Here’s an easy-to-understand guide on how they work:

• Info Gathering: The AI assistant sucks in all the details about your product, like features, specs, and what makes it great.
• Language Breakdown: It then uses a special skill called Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand what all that info means, just like you understand words.
• Description Time: With its knowledge of your product and language, the AI can now cook up a description in a few ways:
• Fill-in-the-Blanks: It might have templates like “This amazing [product type] boasts [feature] and [feature], perfect for [benefit].” It then fills in the blanks with your specific details.
• Follow the Rules: Like a choose-your-own-adventure book, the AI follows a set of rules based on your product’s info to build a description step-by-step.
• Super AI Writer (for some): In some advanced tools, the AI is like a super student who has read tons of product descriptions. It uses this knowledge to write a unique description just for your product.
• Human Checkup (optional): Even though the AI is smart, sometimes a human needs to fact-check the AI-generated content and give the description a final thumbs up to make sure it sounds good and is accurate.

What are the Benefits of Using AI for Writing Product Description?

There are uncountable benefits you can count on your fingertips after you have learned how to use AI for writing product descriptions. Have a look at them below:

• Save time & money: AI quickly generates descriptions for many products, reducing manual writing.
• Increased consistency & accuracy: AI analyzes product data to create descriptions, minimizing errors.
• Reduced costs: No need for expensive copywriters, allowing resources for other areas.
• Improved SEO: AI optimizes descriptions for search engines, boosting product visibility.
• Enhanced efficiency: AI streamlines description creation, saving time and effort.
• Consistent brand voice: AI ensures descriptions match your website’s tone and language.
• Improved customer engagement: Clear descriptions lead to better product understanding and potentially higher sales.
• Scalability: AI allows for the rapid generation of descriptions for a large product inventory.
• Reduced errors: AI minimizes human error in product information.
• Customization: Descriptions can still be customized and personalized.

What Are the Best Practices for Using AI for Writing Product Descriptions?

AI can streamline product description creation, but for optimal results, consider these best practices:

• Know Your Audience & Brand Voice: Craft buyer personas to understand your ideal customer. Tailor product descriptions to resonate with their language and needs.
• Focus on Features & Benefits: Outline all the key features your product offers and the benefits they provide to customers. Be specific – “moisture-wicking fabric” for activewear or “long-lasting battery” for electronics.
• Master Keyword Research: While AI can be helpful, conduct your own keyword research to ensure descriptions target the most relevant search terms for your product. Stay updated on trending SEO practices.
• Maintain Consistency in Formatting: Establish a clear format for your descriptions, whether it’s bullet points, paragraphs, or a combination. Consistency improves brand recognition and user experience.
• Provide Rich Product Details: The more accurate and detailed information you provide about your product, the better AI can generate descriptions that showcase its value to potential buyers.
• Refine Your Process: Experiment and tweak your approach to find the workflow that delivers the most efficient and impactful results for your specific business needs.

What are the Disadvantages of AI-Generated Product Descriptions?

AI-generated descriptions offer efficiency and speed, but they’re not without limitations. Here’s a look at some potential drawbacks to consider when learning how to use AI for writing product descriptions:

• Accuracy Concerns: AI may misinterpret data, leading to descriptions with misleading information about a product’s features or benefits. This can cause customer frustration and damage the brand’s reputation.
• Lack of Personalization: AI descriptions might lack the unique touch of human-written content, making it harder for brands to stand out or connect with customers on an emotional level.
• Potential for Oversimplification: AI-generated descriptions may be generic or lack the depth of information customers seek, leading to less engaging descriptions and potentially lower sales.
• Ethical Considerations: Some AI descriptions might be designed to manipulate customers, potentially harming brand trust in the long run.

How Can You Incorporate AI-generated Product Descriptions into your E-Commerce Strategy?

Here’s how you can incorporate this powerful tool into your e-commerce strategy:

• Set your goals: Decide what you want to achieve (e.g., more sales, better SEO).
• Pick the right tool: Research AI writing platforms to find one that fits your needs.
• Guide the AI: Provide clear instructions for the AI to follow, including the desired tone and style.
• Monitor and improve: Track the descriptions’ performance and make adjustments as needed.
• Combine with human touch: Use AI for basic products, and human writing for complex ones.
• Test and analyze: Regularly test different descriptions and analyze results for improvement.

What are Some Real-World Examples of Businesses Successfully Using AI for Product Descriptions?

Here are some real-world examples of businesses successfully using AI to streamline this process and improve their marketing efforts:

1. Walmart: Automating Descriptions with AI-powered Robots

• Walmart utilizes robots equipped with AI to scan shelves and automatically generate product descriptions for their vast online store.

• This approach ensures their online inventory has consistent , accurate , and informative descriptions quickly, leading to a better customer experience and increased sales .

2. Amazon: Combining AI and Human Expertise for Scalability

• Amazon leverages a unique blend of AI and human oversight for product descriptions. Their AI system, A9, analyzes customer search queries and generates descriptions based on that data.
• Human editors then review these descriptions to guarantee quality and accuracy . This allows Amazon to efficiently write descriptions for its enormous inventory while maintaining high standards.

3. Travel Industry: AI Tailoring Hotel Descriptions

• AI-generated descriptions are making their mark in the travel industry as well. Some travel brands use AI to craft hotel descriptions that highlight key features or amenities specific to each property.
• This improves the customer experience by providing accurate information and can lead to more bookings.

How can I Edit and Refine AI-generated Descriptions for my Brand Voice and Target Audience?

There are several steps involved in editing and refining AI-generated output to match your brand voice and target audience. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you achieve this:

• Define Your Brand Voice: Know your core values, tone, style, and audience preferences.
• Know Your Target Audience: Understand their demographics ( age, gender, location, occupation. ) and psychographics ( interests, values, attitudes, lifestyles. ).
• Review AI-Generated Content: Ensure relevance, matching tone, and clarity.
• Edit for Tone and Style: Adjust descriptions to fit your brand’s voice.
• Simplify and Clarify: Make descriptions straightforward to understand.
• Highlight Key Features and Benefits: Use bullet points for important features and benefits.
• Add a Call-to-Action (CTA): Include clear, action-oriented CTAs.
• Use Audience-Specific Language: Use terms familiar to your target audience.
• Proofread for Grammar and Spelling: Ensure the content is error-free. This helps maintain professionalism and credibility.
• A/B Test and Gather Feedback: Test different versions and use audience feedback to refine.

What Are the Future Trends in AI for Product Descriptions?

The future of AI-powered product descriptions is brimming with exciting possibilities. Here’s what awaits you if you learn how to use AI for writing product descriptions:

• Intriguing & Context-Specific Content: AI will generate more engaging descriptions , tailored to specific audiences and contexts.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) Advancements: AI will leverage NLP to better understand user intent and search queries, resulting in highly relevant product descriptions.
• Generative AI & Creativity: The future holds a powerful combination of AI’s efficiency and human creativity, leading to faster content creation with high-quality descriptions.
• Seamless Integration of AI Tools: Expect a future where various AI tools work together seamlessly, making product description generation a smooth and automated process.

Get More Inspiration: Explore these How-to Guides Too:

For additional inspiration and practical advice, explore our how-to guides below:

• How to Use AI in the Classroom
• How to Use AI Tools for Writing Captivating Book Reviews
• How to Craft Professional Emails Quickly with AI Writing Tools
• How to Write Digital Marketing Content With AI Writing Tools

Should You Use AI to Write Product Descriptions?

Yes , AI can efficiently generate product descriptions, saving time and effort . However, human oversight is crucial to ensure quality and relevance.

Can AI completely replace human creativity in writing product descriptions?

No , AI can assist but lacks the nuanced creativity and emotional connection that humans provide. It is best used as a supplementary tool.

How do AI-generated product descriptions impact SEO?

AI can optimize descriptions with relevant keywords , enhancing SEO . However, it’s important to regularly review and update to maintain SEO effectiveness.

Do AI product descriptions work in multiple languages?

Yes , many AI tools support multiple languages, but the accuracy and cultural relevance may vary . Human review is recommended for best results.

How accurate are AI-generated product descriptions?

AI-generated descriptions are generally accurate but can sometimes miss context or nuance . Fact-checking and human editing ensure higher accuracy.

Should I fact-check information in AI-generated descriptions?

While AI is a powerful tool for generating product descriptions , it’s important to remember that learning how to use AI for writing product descriptions is just the starting point , not the finish line.

Always review the AI-written descriptions for accuracy , tone , and brand voice . You can also use them as inspiration to craft your own unique descriptions.

Ultimately, the best product descriptions combine the strengths of AI and human creativity . By leveraging AI’s efficiency and your own creative touch, you can create descriptions that effectively sell your products and stand out from the competition.

Digital marketing enthusiast by day, nature wanderer by dusk. Dave Andre blends two decades of AI and SaaS expertise into impactful strategies for SMEs. His weekends? Lost in books on tech trends and rejuvenating on scenic trails.

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How to Write a Powerful Business Description?

Published On May 25, 2024

A compelling business description is crucial for attracting customers, investors, and partners. It concisely highlights your company’s unique value and differentiates it from competitors. This article explores how to write a business description to set your brand apart. We share the best practices for introducing your business.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn essential components of a powerful business description
• Discover best practices for writing a concise, engaging company overview
• Get tips for adapting your description across various platforms
• Find out how to showcase your passion and brand story

Understanding the Purpose of a Business Description

A business description provides a clear overview of your company. It explains how your business creates value for customers. A compelling description attracts potential investors, partners, and clients.

Your business description sets the tone for your brand identity. It communicates your company’s mission, values, and unique selling proposition. A well-crafted description helps you stand out from competitors.

Include your business description in pitches, proposals, and marketing materials. Use it to introduce your company at networking events. Your description is a powerful tool for building brand awareness.

Essential Elements of an Effective Business Description

Your business description should include:

• Official name and location
• Overview of products or services
• Target market and customer pain points
• Unique selling proposition (USP)
• Company mission and values
• Brief history and team background

Keep it concise yet informative. Focus on what sets you apart.

Highlight the benefits you provide to customers. Use clear, straightforward language.

Adapt your business description for different platforms and audiences. Tailor length and tone accordingly.

Regularly review and update as your business evolves. Ensure it reflects your current offerings and goals.

Crafting a Concise and Engaging Narrative

Use clear, succinct language and strong verbs. Write in an active voice and avoid jargon. Focus on benefits rather than features.

Incorporate storytelling elements to create an emotional connection. Highlight your passion and the “why” behind your business. Use keywords relevant to your industry and desired audience.

Keep sentences short and punchy (13 words max). Use straightforward vocabulary that 8th graders can understand (Use the Hemingway App to check your score). Cut adverbs and adjectives.

Write in a conversational yet professional tone . Use markdown for formatting – paragraphs, lists, tables, bold text.

Essential information should be presented concisely. A well-written business description is key to attracting customers and investors.

Adapting Your Business Description Across Platforms

Your business description should be tailored to each platform. This ensures your message resonates with the target group.

Website and Online Directories

• Use a clear, brief description that captures your USP
• Incorporate relevant keywords to improve search engine visibility
• Include a call-to-action and contact information for lead generation

Social Media Profiles

• Keep descriptions brief and engaging, using platform-specific features
• Use hashtags and mentions to increase reach and engagement
• Incorporate visuals and multimedia to grab attention and showcase personality

Elevator Pitches and Networking Events

• Craft a crisp and authoritative 30-second pitch that highlights your USP
• Focus on the benefits and value you provide to customers
• Practice your delivery to make your company stand out

Business Plans and Investor Presentations

• Provide a more detailed overview of your business model and financials
• Emphasize your competitive advantages and growth potential
• Use visuals and data to support your claims and build credibility

Press Releases and Media Kits

• Highlight newsworthy aspects of your business, such as launches or milestones
• Include quotes from leadership and relevant statistics or data
• Provide high-quality images and logos for media use

Tips for Each Platform

• Adapt your tone and language to suit the platform and audience
• Use visuals strategically to enhance your message and engage readers
• Ensure consistency in branding and messaging across all platforms
• Include clear calls-to-action and make it easy to contact you

Best Practices for Writing a Good Business Description

• Know your intended audience. Speak directly to their needs.
• Differentiate yourself from competitors. Convey what makes you unique.
• Use customer testimonials and success stories to build trust.
• Keep it short. Avoid going into too much detail.
• Regularly review and update as your business grows.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using generic or vague language that doesn’t stand out
• Focusing too heavily on features instead of benefits
• Neglecting to proofread and edit for clarity and grammar
• Failing to adapt your description across platforms and audiences

Tips for Creating an Effective Business Description:

• Use clear, straightforward language with strong action verbs
• Highlight your unique selling proposition and key benefits
• Incorporate storytelling to create an emotional connection with readers
• Use relevant keywords to help you create SEO-friendly content
• Keep sentences short and punchy (13 words or less)
• Tailor tone and length to specific mediums and audiences
• Ensure consistency in messaging and branding across all platforms
• Include calls-to-action and contact info where appropriate
• Let your passion and the “why” behind your business shine through

Real-World Examples of Business Descriptions

Case study 1: small business.

ABC Bakery is a family-owned neighborhood bakery in Seattle, Washington. They specialize in artisanal bread, pastries, and custom cakes using organic ingredients. Their passion for quality and community shines through in their description:

“At ABC Bakery, we believe that breaking bread brings people together. Our skilled bakers handcraft each loaf and pastry with love, using only locally sourced ingredients. Every bite celebrates our community’s rich culinary traditions. From our famous sourdough to our decadent cakes. Come visit us and taste the difference that passion makes.”

Case Study 2: Startup

XYZ Tech is an innovative startup revolutionizing how businesses manage their social media. Their description highlights their unique value proposition and target market:

“XYZ Tech empowers small businesses to succeed on social media without the stress. Our AI-powered platform creates and curates engaging content, freeing up time for entrepreneurs. With XYZ Tech, you can grow your brand, connect with customers, and drive sales – all on autopilot. Join the thousands of businesses unlocking their social media potential with XYZ Tech.”

Case Study 3: Established Company

Global Enterprises is a multinational corporation providing IT solutions for Fortune 500 companies. Their description emphasizes their expertise and track record of success:

“Global Enterprises has been a trusted IT partner for the world’s leading companies for over 25 years. Our certified experts deliver cutting-edge solutions that drive digital transformation and business growth. From cloud migration to cybersecurity, we help our clients stay ahead of the curve. With a 98% customer satisfaction rate and a portfolio of successful projects, we are the clear choice for enterprise IT needs.”

Check out more examples:

• The SEO Moz Blog
• Dan Newlin Injury Lawyers
• Best Roofing Companies in Chicago, IL
• Best Roofing Company in Houston
• Best Personal Injury Lawyers in the United States

A compelling business description is crucial for attracting potential investors and partners. It should be short, engaging, and highlight your unique value proposition. Let your passion shine through your description to create an emotional connection. Adapt your message across platforms while maintaining consistency in branding. Regularly review and refine your description as your business evolves. By following these best practices, you can craft a powerful narrative that resonates with your target audience.

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Data Management

21 best practices for writing excellent product descriptions.

Table of Contents

Tip 1: generate unique content, tip 2: highlight user benefits, tip 3: address the right audience, tip 4: select the appropriate tonality, tip 5: pay attention to the length of the product description, tip 6: ensure readability, tip 7: answer all conceivable questions, tip 8: awaken emotions, tip 9: advise customers, tip 10: use pictures and videos, tip 11: show models and alternatives, tip 12: build trust, tip 13: don’t use superlatives, tip 14: avoid technical terms, tip 15: pay attention to spelling and grammar.

• Tip 16: Don’t use "empty" phrases

Tip 17: Present a special offer

Tip 18: storytelling.

• Tip 19: Create product descriptions that are "different

Tip 20: Generate automatic product descriptions

Tip 21: perform search engine optimization (seo).

When talking about e-commerce, the creation of good product descriptions should not be underestimated. In this article, we'll give you 21 ultimate tips on how to create good product descriptions that are attractive, unique, informative, and thus promotional.

A good product description is more than a list of completed product features. That the products are only described automatically, without taking into account the interests of the customers, is not uncommon. However, the primary goal of every product text is to motivate customers to make a purchase decision, as quickly as possible. It cannot be overlooked that an effective product description generates a wide range of positive emotions among customers that lead them to a purchase.

The waiver of manufacturer's texts can be an important measure to distinguish your own online store. It is desirable to create separate product descriptions for all products. But if you have too many products, it can be quite time consuming. Therefore, you could take the manufacturer's texts as a basis and expand and improve them, but do not just copy. A unique and qualitative product description is indispensable for higher conversion rates.

Bare copies of the manufacturer's texts are perceived by customers as banal and boring, because these appear in most online stores. Review the product descriptions, at least some at random, to see if they are truly unique if you have outsourced this task.

Customers do not buy products, but the benefits they expect from a product. Therefore, make clear the benefits of a product in its description. Very often, potential buyers may not always be able to "read" product attributes correctly, not everyone understands, what for example does 3600 mAh mean for an external battery or 16GB for a memory card. The benefits of these products are not visible and unclear. If you try to emphasize and describe the benefit so that the customers understand it correctly, then the product will be definitely bought.

Each target group is interested in a particular product according to their particular needs. The following criteria must be taken into account when choosing the target group: age, gender, marital status, place of residence, income, purchasing behavior, needs, etc. First, determine your target group and create your product descriptions in terms of their preferences and special features. Speak your language. Try to put yourself in the perspective of your potential buyers. This way, your customers will feel personally addressed. Focus on the problems, tasks and needs of these customers. Use successful and appropriate expressions that motivate to buy.

When creating your product descriptions, choose the right tonality that best suits your audience and product. It depends on whether you have to be serious and objective, or informal and funny. Think about whether you can win customers with humor. For some products humor is often the best door opener to the human heart, for others it will be not accepted.

A good product description provides relevant, qualitative and detailed product information. The length of product texts should meet these most important requirements. This should mainly depend on the product type and the target group. If you sell articles that require a lot of explanation, such as TVs or washing machines, the product description will be quite long.

If you sell screws, the description will be much shorter. But also for screws you can create product descriptions that sell. Do not try to make a text unnecessarily long by describing the contained information several times or with other words, no one will like it definitely. The product texts must therefore be long enough to describe the product informatively, qualitatively and in detail, no longer. For everything else, the potential buyer will not have time.

Structure your product descriptions in such a way that you can "fly over" them with pleasure. Your customers should quickly and easy find all relevant information about the product.

The following tips will help you to make your product descriptions readable:

• Create informative and promotional H1, H2, H3 headings;
• Use lists with bullet points;
• Choose a correct font size (which should not be small);
• Use tables if it helps;
• Make small blocks of text with paragraphs;
• Use boldface to highlight some passages in the text.

Optimize the structure of your product texts, e.g. so:

• Start the product description with an emotional introduction.
• Describe in a continuous text the most important unique selling points and special features of your product.
• Describe the benefits that the customers get by using the product.
• Convince the customer that he makes the right decision when making the purchase.
• Structure the texts so that the paragraphs contain no repetitive information and each paragraph contains at least one important message for the client.

You have to foresee all the questions a potential customer might come up with. You must not forget that an online storeis not a retail store and here customers can ask their questions to anyone. If questions remain unanswered, it is often not bought! According to research by the Nilsen Norman Group, 20% of online store visitors do not buy when the product information is incomplete or unclear. Make sure your product information provides answers to all typical questions.

A really good product description evokes positive feelings and emotions from users. The positive emotions and attitudes are the best motivators for a purchase. Make sure your customers are not bored! Awaken them to positive emotions, so that they feel how great it would be to own your product.

Activity verbs (such as: swimming, driving, learning, building, etc.) and sensations expressed through adjectives (funny, confident, strong, satisfied, surprising, etc.) help make product descriptions more vivid, attractive, seductive, and emotional. But do not use too many adjectives, because otherwise it will lead to a conflicting effect. Find the golden mean!

Customers feel safer when making a purchase decision if they are well advised. Advise your customers in your product descriptions. Also refer to other products that are better for a certain audience or for a use. Help your buyers to choose the right and appropriate product. Offer similar products or accessories to the chosen product. The advice should be short and conspicuous with a positive text. This leads to better customer perception of the advice.

"Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times," is an Asian proverb. By visualizing something, you reach the communication goal most effectively. The huge increase of interest in Pinterest or Instagram is the best proof of this. According to a 3M study, information that can also be perceived visually is discerned by a human about 60,000 times faster than a pure text.

A good product description helps the users to understand the product as well as possible. High quality images from all sides, short videos, 360º animations and virtual fitting take over the visualization function very well.

The following advice will help you with graphical representation of your products:

• The picture should present a product in the best possible way.
• Create product images that have a high resolution and allow the customer to qualitatively evaluate the product from all sides.
• Create many product images to present the product in multiple perspectives.
• For some products, short videos, 360º animations are also helpful to quickly show the product from all sides or even see it in motion.
• If applicable, offer a virtual try-on, for example for glasses.

The presentation of models of a product (product variants) helps your customers with the purchase decision. If there is a product in a different color or size, present it to your potential customers - also informative, well emphasized enough. If there are also accessories, cross-selling or up-selling for this product, you can also offer it to your customers.

Products that are bought and are popular by others, are more likely to be bought. 95% of all people are imitators and often follow the opinion of others. Refer to celebrities who already use the product or trust its brand. You should also use other information that is trustworthy for the customers - experience of the manufacturer in the product production, comparisons with similar products, awards, etc. Product descriptions should first inspire confidence and then sell.

A large number of superlatives, such as “super offer”, “super price”, etc., do not make your product "super" in customer's eyes. Very quickly, such words arouse mistrust among users. Good product descriptions prove to the customers that a product brings benefits in the first place.

When creating product texts, you should avoid using too many technical terms because not all customers are well-informed about them and therefore can not fully understand the product information.

However, if technical terms are unavoidable, explain them as possible to non-specialists, e.g. in brackets. Product descriptions should be understandable for all customers. If a customer does not receive sufficient product information, he will search further.

Ensure linguistic quality of your product descriptions. Make it a rule to check spelling and grammar of your product texts. Grammatical errors like missing commas fall into the eye. An online store with such errors is perceived as dubious and unreliable.

Tip 16: Don’t use "empty" phrases

Avoid common phrases and those which tell nothing about the product, are known by everyone and can be found in lots of product descriptions. For example:

• "We are convinced that our offer arouses your interest
• "Exclusive offer
• "You will find everything you need
• "We know what you need All text passages that do not tell the potential customer anything about your product or its benefits can easily be removed. Some customers will thank you with an order.

Convince the customer that he is lucky when shopping in your online store. If the number of products is limited or special promotions apply to the product, make it clear - even in your product description.

Convince the potential customers that

• it's a one-time offer
• it's a worthwhile deal
• this offer is valid while stocks last,
• the offer will save you money in the long run,
• this offer is an exclusive offer,
• the customer is lucky to find the offer, etc.

The human brain is much better prepared to process human relationships and data in the form of stories. Storytelling in the product description can influence the potential customers much more effective than numbers, tables, graphics, etc. The following types of stories can be presented in the product description and combined with the product:

• History of origin - it is about the tradition and history of the company (or the product); you trust the durability and quality.
• Story about benefits - taking into account the benefits of the product on a factual or emotional level.
• Story about real experience - a story that tells of the experience with the product / service with the simple formula "problem - solution - happy customer".
• Differentiation history - comparing the product with other products, tell you what differentiates your product from others.
• Story about brand - this is, so to say, a "mother of all stories" because it tells of the origin, the tradition, the utility, the particularity and the experience. Thus, it is the generalization of all stories and ideally it is considered as true emotion. If you sell products from strong brands, this kind of storytelling is right for you.

Use visualization together with storytelling to evoke an even stronger effect. This will certainly motivate more customers to make a positive purchase decision.

Tip 19: Create product descriptions that are "different

It is desirable to make product descriptions somehow special and conspicuous. Define your unique selling points and try to differentiate yourself from the competition. Find your own style or presentation type for your products, so that customers later remember your online store and your products.

If you can not manually create product descriptions for each product, they can be created automatically. There are several solutions on the market that can automatically create a quick product description. Thanks to such technologies, it is possible to create a large number of uniform texts. It is striking that such technologies not only consider the content, but also the semantics and the actual meaning. Of course, the quality of automatically creating texts is incomparable with those created manually. But it is much better than having no or very short product descriptions.

Only when you created a high quality and informative product description, make sure that this text is also search engine optimized.

Write your texts from the start for real buyers, not for bots. Enrich the texts with important keywords only after they have been completely written. An early SEO activity will rather harm your text. A qualitative text is provided for SEO and is the basis, not the consequence.

A good product description is an important factor in e-commerce success. A good product description should be informative, as short and detailed as possible and be adapted to the right target group. Such a product description should also advise and arouse positive emotions, so that the customer makes a purchase decision. The great art is to tell in the product description of the product benefit for the customer, because customers buy benefits, not products. Only such product descriptions will really sell.

The product description should be unique, well thought out, well structured and readable. No question should be left open for customers. Verbs of action and adjectives of sensations make product texts emotional and vivid to round off the right storytelling.

Pay attention to spelling and grammar. Very important is also the visual feeling, so better make a few product images more rather than too little.

And only if your product description is qualitative, informative and detailed, do it also SEO-friendly.

If you cannot manage the process of creating qualitative product descriptions for your online store on your own, you can also use a PIM system . Other systems and tools can also be helpful and save your working time, e.g. for translations.

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Product Data Enrichment - Solutions and Techniques