Features vs. Benefits Quiz: Test Your Copywriting Knowledge

You know that it’s important to understand the differences between the benefits and the features of a product or service, but are you always able to differentiate them? Let’s find out!

This post gives you a little sneak peek into our Comprehensive Copywriting Academy. This features vs. benefits quiz is early on in the Foundations modules. Understanding the difference between features and benefits is a key concept of copywriting and one brand-new copywriters need to learn first.

Here’s your chance to take our Features vs. Benefits quiz. Let’s dig in!

On the surface, the concept of “features versus benefits” can seem pretty simple. Sure, “five blades” is a feature and “the most comfortable shave ever” is a benefit. But in practice, it can be a little trickier to discern between the two.

Since the benefit to consumer is the number one thing a copywriter has to keep in mind while writing, let’s make sure you’ve really got it down! Grab a piece of paper, read each of the following lines and mark whether it’s a feature or a benefit. Then, check your answers at the bottom of the quiz.

Features vs Benefits Quiz

Protect your family from intruders at all times
Feature or Benefit?

Each insole is designed just for your feet
Feature or Benefit?

Easily compare prices across multiple sites!
Feature or Benefit?

Double your business in 12 months
Feature or Benefit?

Never have a bad hair day
Feature or Benefit?

Get real-time details about stock trades and quotes
Feature or Benefit?

Take years off your skin
Feature or Benefit?

More Vitamin C than any other juice
Feature or Benefit?

Same products. Lower prices.
Feature or Benefit?

Softens clothes while it dries them!
Feature or Benefit?

THE ANSWERS

Protect your family from intruders at all times
Answer: Benefit!
Protecting oneself and one’s family is one of the most basic human desires and promising that outcome is one of the most powerful benefits to consumer.

Each insole is designed just for your feet
Answer: Feature!
The concept of customization can seem like a benefit but, really, insoles that are designed for your feet are just insoles that are shaped a certain way. (Feature! Feature!) A benefit for these might be that they “decrease foot and back pain.”

Easily compare prices across multiple sites!
Answer: Feature!
Statements that have verbs in the first one or two words can sound like a benefit and with the concept of “prices” in there, it’s easy to get tripped up. But when you think about it a bit, you realize that “comparing prices” isn’t the end benefit; the end benefit is finding the lowest price. With a feature statement like this, often just asking yourself “Why?” will yield the true benefit.

Double your business in 12 months
Answer: Benefit!
This is a straightforward promise with clear usefulness to the target audience: They’ll have twice the amount of clients/revenue/jobs in a year.

Never have a bad hair day
Answer: Benefit!
This is a little tricky since it’s worded negatively, but try rephrasing it in the positive: Always have great hair. It may not be an especially deep or noble benefit, but it certainly speaks to everyone’s desire to be attractive.

Get real-time details about stock trades and quotes
Answer: Feature!
“Real-time details” sure sound impressive, but they’re not an end result. Often feature statements lead you to ask, “So, what would that get me?” A possible benefit for this might be “Make better trade decisions and increase the value of your investment accounts.”

Take years off your skin
Answer: Benefit!
Rewording this, the statement is essentially saying “Look younger”—a benefit sought by pretty much everyone over age 26.

More Vitamin C than any other juice
Answer: Feature!
Sure, Vitamin C is beneficial in and of itself, but that doesn’t make this statement a benefit. (If you’re confused, try substituting other words for “Vitamin C” and “juice”: More legroom than any other car! More blades than any other razor!) The end benefit, presumably, is that this juice is healthier than others.

Same products. Lower prices.
Answer:
Benefit!
It’s a simple statement, but that doesn’t make it any less beneficial. They’ll get you the same products for less, meaning that you’ll save money—a very big and very powerful benefit.

Softens clothes while it dries them!
Answer: Feature!
Just because you can infer a benefit right away (Save time! Save effort!) doesn’t mean it’s not still a feature. Rephrasing this slightly, they’re basically saying that this clothes dryer has an added feature that also softens clothes.

THE RESULTS

Distinguishing benefits from features isn’t easy, but it definitely gets simpler with practice. As you’re looking at ads—or even the covers of magazines—ask yourself if the lines you’re seeing are features or benefits and use some of the techniques above to figure it out!

Your turn! How did you do? Let us know in the comments below!

Last Updated on July 4, 2023