Last updated on February 26th, 2025 at 11:19 pm
Copywriting is a critical part of selling stuff online.
But an often overlooked part of copywriting is how it can (and should) be used as a branding tool; to solidify market positioning, to build empathy with a specific audience, and to create a consistent image online.
How do you do that?
Whether you’re a new or experienced copywriter, we’ve put this guide together to teach you how to leverage the power of branding in your sales copy.
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The Importance of Branding Through Copywriting
Before we explain how you can create a brand image through copywriting, let’s take a brief moment to explain why that’s important in the first place.
Imagine that you’re exceedingly wealthy.
And you also have a deep love for coffee.
So you’ve gone and hired an expert barista — let’s call them Andrew — to make your coffee for you every morning. This becomes a wonderful part of your routine. It even gets to the point where you don’t want coffee from anyone other than Andrew.
You travel a lot. And you always bring Andrew along with you.
Now I’m going to make a leap.
For many people around the world, this is the same experience they have with Starbucks.
It’s just a brand instead of an individual person — that brand still has a personality and quality standard just as Andrew does, no matter which chain you visit.
And in the same way that you might form a bond with an expert barista who makes your coffee every morning, good branding allows people to form a bond with companies.
That’s why branding — i.e. having a consistent “feel” across channels — is so important.
Here are some stats to mull over…
- 88 percent of consumers say that authenticity is a key factor when deciding what brands they like and support.
- 46 percent of consumers say that they would pay more to purchase from brands they can trust.
- Using a signature color can increase brand recognition by 80 percent.
Clearly, people form bonds with brands.
The most successful businesses understand this and create brand personalities that resonate with their target market.
Let’s talk about how to do that with copywriting.
Step 1: Determine Your Attractive Character
The reason people can’t form bonds with most businesses is that those businesses don’t have a clear personality.
People forms bonds with people.
And all people have distinct personalities.
If you want to brand your business appropriately — and if you want to write copy that falls in line with those branding efforts — then you need to identify your brand’s personality.
We call this your attractive character (<– check out our full guide at that link).
Here’s how Russell Brunson explains it…
“An Attractive Character is not someone who is extraordinarily good looking, although they might be. What I’m talking about here is a persona that attracts clients or customers and helps you build your following to eventually make sales. An Attractive Character allows you to build a platform anywhere you want, whether on email, Facebook, or YouTube. It doesn’t matter where you show up; your AC will draw people to you.”
There are four common types of attractive characters. We’ll take a look at each. Then you need to decide which type your brand wants to embrace.
The Leader
Leaders are attractive characters who lead their audience confidently and unapologetically from point A to point B.
They know how to inspire their followers and they tell compelling stories that influence their followers to take action.
The leader has a similar backstory to their followers (which makes them relatable) and so they also understand the pitfalls and challenges that their audience will face along the way.
But the leader has already achieved the result that the audience wants to achieve.
They provide the guidance, empathy, and clarity needed to help their followers do the same.
One example of this is how Gary Vee uses his platforms to help entrepreneurs achieve the success they crave.
The Adventurer or Crusader
The adventurer or crusader persona is much more scrappy than the leader.
They don’t have all the answers… and they don’t pretend to.
But their journey — and their determination to get the answers — is compelling to people who want the results this attractive character is trying to achieve.
This persona gives his audience a lot of attention and provides new valuable information and insights as he comes by it.
Rachel Pedersen is a wonderful example of this.
She’s constantly trying new things in the marketing world and creating free and paid resources for other marketers and entrepreneurs based on her own success.
It’s sort of like a “Look what I did! Here’s how I did it!” type of attractive character strategy.
The Reporter or Evangelist
If you can’t think of someone to be your attractive character who can provide your audience with the answers and stories they need, then the reporter or evangelist is a great option.
This persona puts on the hat of a reporter or researcher and sets out to find the answers they don’t already have.
Maybe they interview hundreds of people. Maybe they write a book. Or maybe they document their research via a newsletter.
Whatever the case, as they’re growing and learning, they’re taking their audience along with them.
Russell writes, “Becoming a reporter is a great way to start a business in a niche you don’t know much about.”
One example of this would be Joe Rogan. He knows he doesn’t know a lot… but he tries to get to the bottom of serious and fascinating problems by publicly interviewing expert guests.
The Reluctant Hero
This is the person that Russell Brunson has selected and maintained in his role as the attractive character for ClickFunnels.
As he defines it, “This is the humble hero who doesn’t really want the spotlight or any fuss made over his discoveries. But he knows the information or the secrets he has are so important that he must overcome his shyness and share them with the world.”
You can see this in the way Russell talks and presents himself. He’s just a normal guy who’s discovered some amazing secrets. And he feels compelled to share those secrets with his audience.
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Step 2. Discover Core Stories & Beliefs
What makes you… you?
Your stories.
The things you’ve done. The things that have happened to you. Your response to those things.
Our stories define us.
The same is true for your brand.
Ask yourself: what are a few stories that define your brand, it’s products, and it’s core beliefs?
These could be stories about your target market and the challenges they face. Or they could be personal stories about your or your attractive character.
Whatever the case, it’s important to figure out the core stories and beliefs that define your brand’s personality.
My favorite example of this is Dollar Shave Club.
Check out this video they made and notice how the entire thing is jam-packed with storytelling. On-point humor aside, they talk about who they are, why they sell their products and the challenges that their target market faces…
They also do a great job of illustrating their core beliefs in that video.
But they didn’t stop there.
They also send out a small comic newspaper to their list called, The Bathroom Minutes…
Seem silly?
Remember: branding is all about building a meaningful and authentic relationship with your target market.
Dollar Shave Club is a case study in just how profitable doing that can be.
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Step 3. Discover Tone of Voice
If you’ve ever got into an argument with someone you love over the way someone said something… then you already know how important tone of voice is for communication.
Some estimates state that tone of voice accounts for 38% of verbal communication.
How you say something matters.
And that’s true whether what you say is written or spoken.
Let me give you an example.
I was given the opportunity to write as an interesting individual in the real estate investing niche: Tyler Austin.
He’s interesting because… well, he sort of comes off like a jerk with some of his social media posts.
He’s straightforward to a degree that many people might shy away from.
But for real estate investors… it works really well. They prefer people who are straightforward and honest, even if a little harsh.
So I made sure to embrace that side of Tyler when writing his copy.
Here’s an example of an email we sent… and you see it’s dripping with a specific tone of voice…
- Want to waste tens of thousands of dollars?
- Easy.
- Buy into hype.
- Believe everything you hear.
- Listen to people who promise they know what they’re talking about.
- And keep wondering how it’s possible to spend so much money on courses, coaches, and curriculums…. And STILL be stuck.
- The real estate investing world is full of bull shit — losers and wannabes who claim to know exactly how to build a real estate investing business (but actually have NO IDEA).
- So let’s ditch the hype… and start with some facts.
- I’m self-made. I’ve been a real estate investor for years. I’ve made millions of dollars.
- Real estate investors happily pay me tens of thousands of dollars to show them how to build successful and sustainable businesses.
- Here’s my offer:
- For less than the cost of a plane ticket, in our 30-Day Data To Dollars Challenge, I’ll show you exactly how to build the real estate investing business you’ve wanted to build all along.
- Scalable. Sustainable. Profitable.
- My systems are simple.
- And they work every time.
- But they require hard work on your part — if you’re willing to put in the work, these systems will make you great wealth.
- The ROI on this is so big it’s laughable.
- You invest a few hundred dollars. You learn exactly how to make millions.
- Join here.
- Tyler
- P.S. That pitch too boring for you? then you might be addicted to hype. Stop getting high on that fake sh*t and get yourself some good ol’ fashion endorphins from the success that comes with sweat and toil. Let’s tackle your business together.
But how do you find your tone of voice?
By far the best way I’ve found is by speaking to the target market. How do they talk? What phrases do they use? What’s their sense of humor like? What type of personality do they respect and enjoy being around?
You want to appeal to them.
So you might as well try to talk like them.
Final Thoughts
On its surface, it might seem like a business is just a business — devoid of personality or attitude.
But the best marketers and copywriters know that’s not true.
Even if there’s not a single hero for the brand, the brand itself should have an image and a “vibe” that spans time and distance.
No matter where people interact with the brand, it always feels like the personality they know and love.
You can use the above steps to write copy that contains not just personality… but the right personality.