Know-How Exchange : Copywriting

显然你已经花了很多心思这合同ent, and I must say, many who drop by on this forum do not. So, thank you for coming here so prepared!

May I suggest these thoughts as you finalize your approach?

1. A point-of-purchase display needs to sell literally at a glance. This is why so many point-of-purchase cartons or displays use an image, graphic, or single word to convey the message. While your product name, Justin Dulge, is very clever, it's also male -- so I would recommend you find a female image that can immediately tell your target market that this product is for them.

Search through a stock image house such aswww.istockphoto.comfor affordable, professional photography and illustrations.

2. Your package should comply with federal and state labeling standards in terms of listing ingredients in the order of their quantity, etc. Start by checking online atwww.fda.govand search for "Cosmetics Labeling Manual." Look for similar guidelines on your state's website.

3. On your package, keep the ingredients on a separate panel from the product claim. For the product claim -- and this will be hardest for you -- you need to get comfortable with the idea that you cannot say everything, and you need to edit down your claim to a few words. Take just one of your sentences, for example:
"This luxurious all natural hydrating lip balm delivers deep superior moisture and nourishes the delicate skin of the lips keeping them soft and supple." and edit it down to something quite short, like this:
All natural
Moisturizes & Nourishes

You really can't say much more than this on a little package if you want any part of your message to have impact. Remember, the point of the package is to sell, not to explain. What does your market want? If it's moisture, then "moisturizing" goes on the box. Don't overlook the obvious words, "Lip Balm," which should be prominent on your package.

4. Since you have a lot to say about your product, consider creating a small folded insert to go inside the package (like so many cosmetics manufacturers do) to tell the longer story and build respect for your brand. But to tell a longer story effectively, you'll need to break it into consumable parts and showcase it on your website or your brand's Facebook page.

5. Avoid thinking that packaging is principally about words. Packaging is a visual communication, and its design both targets your audience and communicates your brand. It also aids with in-store display. Burt's Bees is a fine example of "yellow" doing a lot of work for the brand, long before the customer even reads a word.

6. "Luxury" is both an overused and a misunderstood word that you may want to avoid. It is regularly used to market to affluents, so it could send your lip-balm customers, who will generally tend to be younger and not wealthy, a mixed signal. Stay with terms such as indulgent and feel-good that do not connote an income level. If your market is largely single, consider terms such as kissable, pretty, or even irresistible. (Who is your audience and what do they want? That dictates package design and language.)

I realize the last thing you want is to be sent back to the drawing board after you've invested so much care and time, but if you are willing go there, you'll be a lot more successful at marketing and selling your balm in a retail environment. Good luck to you!