When writing product packaging copy there are many things to consider. There are stylistic elements and word choice considerations you must make. You need to think about who you’re writing for and who your audience is. But there are also more technical requirements that should be adhered to. For example, did you know that when translating from English to French the word count will increase? Or do you understand the difference between the type of copy needed for headings versus copy needed for smaller and more descriptive text? Whether your creating copy for custom boxes or pop displays it’s important that you take into consideration all the necessary best practices.
When we talk about technical requirements we are also referring to correct grammatical usage. The last thing you want are grammatical product packaging copy errors. Think this doesn’t happen? Take a look at these errors and see for yourself. To avoid grammatical errors use a tool like Grammerly. It can really help you detect a whole bunch of different types of errors. These type of mistakes are definitely not going to help improve sales. If you’re buying a food product and you see spelling mistakes, how much confidence do you have that the ingredients are safe for consumption? But it’s not just spelling mistakes that might pose a problem. Writing packaging copy is a very specific type of copy. You want to avoid writing copy that could sound like it’s written for a magazine or a brochure. Copy written for retail packaging, or retail displays requires a short burst of words that must capture a customer’s attention in less than three seconds.
Structuring your copy in the correct way is the key to getting your customer’s attention. Let’s take an ordinary cardboard box for example. You will want to use the front panel of the box to highlight your key points about your product. The front panel should explain how your product differs from the competition. However, note that you can also differentiate your product based on personality and tone. You might want to write a short cheeky sentence about your product in large bold letters. This type of copy structure might be more about brand differentiation rather than ingredients differentiation for example. Next, let’s address, the other panels. The other panels of the box must also communicate their own message. You must assume that there is a chance the customer will only see these side panel and not the front panel. For example, you might use one side panel to explain what is contained inside the package. You might use another side panel to explain how to best use the product or ideas on best usage. In other words, side panels must stand on their own but the front panel holds the largest weight in terms of importance.
Good packaging copy can be easily overlooked. But it’s important to put some time and effort into it as this will help improve product sales.
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