Writing product packaging copy may not be difficult but writing packaging copy that sells can be a challenge. Before even starting there are many things to consider. What product are you selling, at what price point and to who? Are you selling products in a retail environment or are you selling shipping your products in the form of custom cardboard boxes to other businesses? Staying focused on your customers is the key to understanding how to write your copy. The way to do that is by telling your customers what they really want to know, and as fast and straight to the point as possible.
The first thing to keep in mind when organizing your copy is that every side of a box, or package container, must stand alone. The reason for this is that packaging gets moved around and nudged. Customers might pick up a product, read the information, and place it back on the shelf at a different angle. So the tricky part is figuring out how to make every side look appealing while also working together with the other panels in a coherent way. Not every panel has to necessarily have unique content that sells but you must understand that each panel is important nonetheless.
Depending on your product, one of the ways to start thinking about writing good custom packaging copy is by experimenting with a story. A story will tell the customer who you are and what your product can do for them. When writing a story you are trying to develop a stronger connection with your customer. You are explaining to them why they should care. What is it about your product that will make the customer part with their money.
One of the ways a story can really come through is when you are making use of a POP displays or cardboard displays. The advantage of using these corrugated cardboard displays is that there is more room and space to tell your story. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you want to overload the customer with a full paragraph. But it does allow you to create larger font and perhaps more imagery next to or behind that font, which can help accent your copy even more.
Another important and overlooked consideration when designing your copy is to make sure you don’t include jargon or buzzwords. Buzzwords may sound clever but they can leave the customer thinking that this sounds like an interesting product but i don’t understand the actual benefits.
In our next post we’ll dive into more specifics and technical requirements related to product packaging copy.
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