Here’s no secret — I’m a huge Apple fanboy.

 

• • I love their Macs.

• • I love their iPhones.

• • I love their $19 cloths.

• • I love their $999 stands.

But if there is one thing I go even more kookoos for, it’s Apple’s flawless microcopy.

Oh. So. Godly.

In fact, it’s like the goddess of marketing took the bite out of that sweet-sweet Apple logo and forever blessed the world with microcopy from above.

I took on a 30-day micro-stalking mission.

Every time I caught myself wasting time on YouTube, I had to visit Apple’s website to learn the secrets of the marketing goddess herself.

The lessons are in. It’s time to take a bite of the golden apples.

Cut the friction

Show the benefit, not the commitment.

Friction is where most brands lose customers.

Instead of thinking like the customer, most brands think like brands.

 

• • Brands want people to buy their products.

• • Brands want people to sign up for their newsletters.

So their microcopy looks like this:

 

• • “Buy it now.”

• • “Sign up for our newsletter.”

Both of these are two hard asks. They ask for big commitments.

People are simple creatures. They want pleasure without feeling committed.

Apple gets this all too well.

So, instead of highlighting the commitment, they highlight the benefit of the commitment.

Saving on the newest iPhone sounds a whole lot easier than buying the newest iPhone. Everyone wants to save, but not everyone wants to buy.

It’s a subtle difference in the framing, but it removes a lot of friction.

Another masterful way Apple cuts friction is by obliterating customer objections.

The simpler you make things for your customer, the less friction your customer will have.

A customer might worry about shipping fees, or not being home, but Apple’s copy expertly comforts them with options. A customer might worry about the return costs if the product doesn’t work, but Apple ensures the customer that it will be easy.

Apple understands that the ultimate friction killer is talking to a real person and uses it as a touchpoint to learn more about their customer’s problems, likely to improve the clarity of their copy.

Master the rhyme every time

Learn the fine line that defines fine rhyme.

A poet uses rhyme to make things pretty.

A copywriter uses rhyme to make things memorable.

Apple’s copywriters have mastered the art of corporate rhyme.

They use two techniques:

1. Perfect rhyme

This is where rhyming sounds sound exactly the same:

2. Imperfect rhyme

This is where rhyming sounds sound slightly different:

Apple puts message before rhyme.

Apple never forces a rhyme where it doesn’t fit with the message.

It usually fits so seamlessly that it gives the copy a slightly accidental feel.

Add alliteration

Alliteration always amazes and amuses.

Alliteration is the repetition of initial sounds in words that are close together.

Alliteration is often used in poetry and children’s stories to create a rhyming effect or to make the text more fun to read — and Apple embraces it in its copy like no other brand I’ve seen.

For example, in the sentence “Sam saw seven swans swimming,” the initial “s” sound is repeated five times. This creates a rhythmic effect that is pleasing to the ear.

If it is overused in microcopy, it’s like pouring catchup all over a meal prepared by a Michelin-star chef.

In the copywriting world, alliteration is used to create a more memorable phrase. It is subtler than rhyme, and most people would not even pick up on it — it simply resonates.

I love how Apple effectively combines the delicate art of alliteration with the contrast between the words “wonders” (which sounds difficult) and “ease”.

Weirdly enough, assonance — repeating words starting with vowels — doesn’t seem to be Apple’s thing.

You ≠ Hero, Customer = Hero

Your brand should be the trusty sidekick, not the hero.

Your customer should be the hero in your copywriting because they are the ones who are going to be using your product or service. You want them to feel like they are the ones who are going to be able to achieve their goals with your help.

I love how Apple makes it, not about what the machine can do, but about what you can do with the machine in this microcopy.

It’s just divine to see how they simply position their tools as sidekicks to help work your magic below.

This one takes the cake:

Write like you talk

Conversational copy draws people in.

Great microcopy feels like you’re talking to a friend sharing a stick of gum.

This helps to build rapport and trust with your audience.

Apple does this brilliantly by adding natural connecting words like “so” and by using common conversational phrases like “But that’s not all.”.

Master the snowclone

The mother of all microcopy techniques.

A snowclone is an advanced form of formulaic writing that uses an existing phrase or sentence to create a new one. The new phrase or sentence typically uses the same structure as the original, but with different words.

It’s usually a well know saying like:

To be or not to be.

That’s the converted into a formula like

To ___ or not to ___.

And then clever copywriters fill in the blanks with words that match their cause. An example would be:

To click or not to click.

Apple brilliantly converts the cliche saying of “survival of the fittest” into “arrival of the fittest”.

It’s refreshing and surprises the reader by breaking the expected pattern.