User-type soft articles are also called product soft articles. This type of soft article mainly aims to increase the influence and popularity of a single product or service, so that consumers and potential users can better understand the product and ultimately guide them to make consumption decisions.
Due to the different characteristics of each product, the writing techniques of user-type soft articles are quite flexible, mainly including the following types.
1. Resource and intelligence type
Before users decide to buy a product, they will learn about the relevant product knowledge through the Internet, magazines or WeChat Moments. They especially focus on referring to the resources and information shared by those “experts” in consumption. For example, from the perspective of senior mobile phone players, they publish knowledge about different models of mobile phones and new usage methods on professional mobile phone forums: as a handmade DIY expert, they introduce channels for purchasing raw materials and assembling works to people in the circle; or from the perspective of health experts, they share with everyone which foods to buy to prevent diseases… These articles seem approachable and just share resources and information, but they can covertly implant product information, making readers feel natural.
When writing this type of soft article, you should first find the information related to the product, then organize it into the main points of the outline, and then publish it to the media that gathers the most user types after forming the article.
2. Create controversy
Many people pay more attention to new events, whether they are reading online or browsing information on their mobile phones, and use the thinking and debate on controversial topics to kill fragmented time. If you want to write user-type soft articles that are conducive to promotion, you can find controversial topics from the perspectives of the product’s use process and results, borrow the thoughts of different people in the article, and lead readers to “follow the trend” to discuss. In this way, the article will play a long-term role because of the controversy.
For example, in order to promote its brand, a fruit store published a soft article on its WeChat public account to discuss when it is most beneficial to health to eat fruit. Such discussions have attracted more and more netizens to join because of their complexity, making them more and more aware of the store.
3. Introduce connotation from questions
If you want to write user-oriented soft articles that will always linger in the minds of readers as soon as possible, you can use the gene of curiosity and exploration in human nature to prepare necessary questions for them, and then give them the power to answer.
For example, copywriters can release questions in the article at the beginning, such as “Why is Japan the country with the highest average life expectancy in the world?” “Why can elderly female stars always keep their skin tender?” etc. You can also create suspenseful topics when introducing the product in the article to trigger readers’ thinking and let questions naturally hover in their minds, such as “How to maintain the product?” “How to make full use of the product’s functions?” etc. When the connotation behind the question is paid attention to by readers, their thinking will also be affected by the article.