Now that we’ve discussed the basics of copywriting in some detail and you’ve learned many tips, strategies, and formulas that you can use to improve your writing, let’s look at some great examples. The best way to learn any skill is from the masters. Here are five companies that that have outstanding copywriting.

Eat24.com

Food delivery service Eat24.com’s website is filled with excellent copywriting that’s clear and clever at the same time. Its copywriting is humorous and speaks the language of its users, with clever phrases like “The #1 way to tell hunger to STFU” and “20,000 reasons not to cook,” which both addresses the pain (of cooking) and the benefits of its service in just five words. It refers to its Hunger App as “Like a food truck in your pants.”

Another clever headline reads: “You know, the thing. From the place. With the stuff,” mirroring the thoughts that are running through a user’s mind when they’re considering what to get for lunch.

Eat24’s copywriters are masters at short-form. What’s great about its copy is that it’s not only clever, but also extremely clear. There’s no mistaking what its short, funny headlines mean.

If you look at Eat24.com’s website, you’ll see that they have this style of snappy and concise copy everywhere, including their About page, their job descriptions and the text on their email subscription call-to-action.

Dropbox

Another company that does great things with extremely short copy is Dropbox. One of its bylines is “Your stuff, anywhere.” These three words tell you everything the service is about. They emphasize the huge benefit to you – that you can access whatever you need anywhere you are.

A look at Dropbox’s About page shows that the company’s copywriters strip down their copy until there’s nothing but the bare essentials. It reads,

“Put your stuff in Dropbox and get to it from your computers, phones, or tablets. Edit docs, automatically add photos, and show off videos from anywhere.”

They don’t even bother to write out the whole word “documents.”

Dropbox won quite a bit of acclaim for its landing page. It ran for three years and is no longer online, but there’s a screenshot of it here. Here is Dropbox. Any questions?

Of course, the strength of the video, which simply and clearly explained the benefits of the service, was a huge reason for the landing page’s success. But notice how the page is designed for one thing and one thing only – to get you to download Dropbox.

Huckberry

Huckberry is an online retailer that sells a wide variety of goods including clothing, accessories, interior goods, grooming products, bags, and household goods, but aims to be like the online version of a funky old general store. Its target audience is very narrow. Its website’s “About” page describes it thus:

“We’re a team of writers, designers, and above all else doers. We live and work in the heart of San Francisco, but try to get out of the city as much as possible to hit the surf at Ocean Beach, ski the Sierras, and hike the Marin Headlands.

The products on our site are culled from all over the world to suit the diverse interests of our team, and can often be found in the bed of our trucks, keeping us warm and dry on our bike ride to the office, and on our not-so-tidy desks.”

The product descriptions are written in rustic tone (the description of its “whisky stones” advises the reader to add to their next “dram”) that emphasize the uniqueness of its products.

The brand clearly knows that its uniqueness and narrow targeting is its strength, so the copy on its email newsletter sign-up form reads: “We endeavor to be the most interesting email in your inbox each week.”

Jack Daniel’s

The copywriting behind whiskey maker Jack Daniel’s ads teaches an important lesson in language and tone. Jack’s copy goes against the grain in copywriting, giving up the stripped-down, attention-grabbing style we’re taught to use and instead taking up a slow, languid, Southern-inflected tone and long text.

One ad shows an old man with a guitar and says, “When folks joke that William Grogan should keep his day job, he doesn’t mind (His day job is making whiskey).” You can almost hear the Southern accent as you read it.

One ad has the line, “The source of more than a few good stories,” which emphasizes the fact that drinking whiskey together produces good times and good memories.

The legal note at the bottom of some its ads says, “Please drink responsibly. Much obliged.” What other brand would use the antiquated phrase, “Much obliged”?

What Jack Daniel’s is doing is speaking directly to its audience. It’s also harkening to an image of a time and place that’s indelibly associated with the taste of its products. It’s also a brand that masterfully creates a story with each ad and its copy.

The Economist

The Economist is always lauded by copywriters for its unique ads that very narrowly target its highly intelligent readership. The ads flatter the reader and tell the reader what they already think about themselves:

“A poster should contain no more than eight words, which is the maximum the average reader can take at a single glance. This, however, is for Economist readers.”

“63% – Percentage of business magazine readers who had lemonade stands as children. 80% – Percentage of Economist readers who opened adjacent ice cube stands.”

“Not all mind expanding substances are illegal.”

Like Jack Daniels’ ads, these are not quick and to-the-point. They make you think a little, which goes against the common knowledge of copywriting, which says you should beat the customer over the head.

But this is because the Economist knows its audience. It’s okay with talking over most people’s heads, because the people for whom its ads are confusing are not its readers.

Hopefully these five examples have shown you that there’s a great deal of variety in the world of copywriting. There are actually no hard and fast rules because it all depends on your audience.

From now on, when you look at advertisements or other promotional copy, pay attention to how it’s written. Who is it targeting and how does it do that? How does it emphasize the benefits of its offer? Soon, you’ll start to see copywriting everywhere.