Luxury copywriting entails a unique challenge. Not only does a high-end brand need to convince customers to choose them over their luxury peers, but it must also of convince customers to choose their high-priced delicacies over value-driven, budget-friendly alternatives. Higher price tags understandably tend to incur more vetting. So finding the right words to say is all the more important when introducing your brand to potential customers and beginning to build lasting relationships.
Luxury copywriting requires care. Rushed or off-brand copy can cheapen luxury products. On the other hand, carefully crafted copy can thrill and entice readers—painting elegant images they can feel, smell, and taste. As a copywriter, I find it thrilling to match truly unique, luxurious products and services with words that serve them best. That’s why I’ve put together this guide to finding the right words. Here are my top three luxury copywriting tips:
Highlight what makes your brand truly unique.
No luxury customer purchases an item because it’s mainstream. They’re looking for something high-quality and one-of-a-kind. That’s why leaning into the things that set your brand and your products apart from the crowd is a must.
Start by defining the essence of your brand—the features or values at the core of what attracts customers to your products. Is it your longstanding roots in a local community? Your high-quality materials? Your commitment to sustainable practices and living wages? Your celebration of fine craftsmanship?
Once you’ve defined your essence, dig deep and consider how it factors into your larger story.
One of my favorite luxury jewelry brands, Catbird, does an excellent job of illustrating its unique essence on its socials and website. On Instagram, Catbird often features visits to its small Brooklyn studio, treating its audience to videos of local Catbird artists crafting jewelry in small batches. Its website reads:
The jewelry industry has a poor track record of being accountable for the environmental impact it has and how its workers are treated; we are working to change that standard. We work almost entirely with recycled gold and diamonds and make everything in our Brooklyn studio with a minimum carbon footprint.
Immediately we understand what sets the brand apart: the jewelry industry at large is not accountable for its environmental impact, but Catbird prioritizes accountability. And secondly, every piece of jewelry is made locally in a Brooklyn studio. Readers can easily identify the exclusive elements of these products. Environmental accountability, genuine materials, and jewelry crafted locally in small batches naturally entail a higher price tag than mass-produced, plated accessories.
Use aspirational storytelling.
Luxury customers seek more than just a product or service. They seek the emotions, the status, and the rich experience that comes with owning your product or using your service.
For this reason, luxury copywriting needs to reach beyond basic functionality. Think about it this way: you would never buy a luxury watch to tell the time. If you were simply looking to tell the time, there are many more budget-friendly options out there.
Aspirational storytelling will help you begin to build emotional connections with your customers. Use your language to tap into the hopes and desires of your customers, determining what sort of lifestyle they aspire to and how your product or service may help them reach it.
Here’s an example. I worked with a MarketSmiths client selling 1,000 thread count sheets. To harness the allure of aspirational storytelling, I had to think beyond the beauty, breathability, warmth, softness, and other features these products offered and tap into the emotions that accompany these features:
The comfort and relief elicited when falling into a decadently cozy bed every night. The promise of a quality night of sleep. The pride that comes with looking at something beautiful and rare every day, of knowing you invested in your home and your moments of rest.
By tapping into emotions rather than listing features, I went from describing a product to describing a lifestyle.
Lean into the senses.
Any great marketer will tell you that a key element of luxury branding is displaying enticing, detailed, high-quality images of products. But words can serve to create images as well. Luxury copywriters use words to paint pictures their audiences can taste, touch, and smell.
Bonus tip: use product images to inspire imagery in your writing.
The MarketSmiths team did just that when crafting copy for Ishara, a luxury resort in the heart of Kenya’s wild Masai Mara Reserve, featuring an exhilarating safari experience, a five-star culinary team, and riverside suites and spas.
Inspired by beautiful images of majestic wildlife, striking greenery, and ever-changing skies, the team wrote a video script that showcases the senses. It opens with these words:
Do you hear that? The rustling of trees whistling in the wind, a river bubbling in the distance, the murmuring of life. Do you see that?
The video goes beyond simply describing the accommodations of the resort. It gives the viewer a peek into the full sensory experience that could be theirs—an experience out of the ordinary.
Ready to find the words fit for your luxury products?
From illuminating the intricacies of luxury home smart lighting systems to sinking our teeth into the websites of several fine dining restaurants, MarketSmiths has helped some of today’s most elegant brands build deeper connections with their audiences. With a collaborative team of elite writers, a 35-point quality control process, and a centralized strategic approach, we produce one-of-a-kind copy fit for the highest-quality goods.
MarketSmiths also runs Content Catalyst, a cross-departmental content solution designed to help companies unify their brand voice while maximizing ROI. Contact the MarketSmiths team to get started today.
