How Todoist stands out in a sea of productivity apps: Features Page
This is the 2nd instalment in a two-part series of how Todoist nails product messaging
What are the things that stand in the way of your users achieving progress? Todoist does a masterful job of naming the enemies that stand in the way of getting things done. In the productivity/project management space, it’s so easy for these products to all look & sound the same. They are after all promising a reality where you can focus and achieve progress, but very few of them are naming the things that get in the way of that.
👉🏽 If you haven’t read the first instalment where I do an analysis of the homepage, you can do so here.
What better way to shape the perception around your solution than painting the picture of what your product looks like in context. When people are able to visualise how your product will help them achieve progress in their lives, they are more likely to buy into your solution. If you don’t believe me, believe Al Ries in the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing,
If marketing is a battle of perception, not product, then the mind takes precedence over the marketplace.
When thinking about your product features, you want to also place your focus on what these features help your users achieve taking into consideration the stage of awareness of the visitor. This helps gives context to your solution. You need to link the what (feature) to the why (benefit).
Think about setting the context in this way:
What problem does it solve?
What pain does it eliminate?
In what instances do they possibly use certain features?
It’s not hard to get this information especially if you’re speaking to your users frequently. It’s a fine balance that can easily tilt either way if you’re not careful so try not to be vague with the benefits to the point the visitor is unsure of your product is.
Get ready to learn a few lessons from Todoist’s playbook which I breakdown below. It helps massively that they have over time, built an intuitive and great product. It allows their marketing to be more honest.
A. I love this headline because they name the current state of things and paint of picture of the new reality that comes when you use their product.
B. This subheading goes on to further explain the HOW of the outcome they have promised. When you understand that at the end of the day, your product is just a tool that guides users towards an outcome, then you remember that your job is to empower them. They do this by explaining how Todoist makes you more confident to do the things you have always been capable of but had obstacles in your way.
C. The call to action is clear and I appreciate that it wasn’t a CTA to signup either but letting the visitor explore even more.
A. For a product that you integrate into your daily life, they do a good job of creating a narrative that helps you visualize how this product fits into your context. They speak to emotions that everyone (regardless of what you do) desires to incorporate into their daily life.
B. This subheading goes on to explain HOW you will achieve the benefit of being calm and in control.
C. Only at this point do they even name the features. They’ve set the context, painted the picture and now present the exact features that help you achieve the promise they make. It helps that when you click on each feature, it switches to the corresponding image that showcases what it looks like in the app.
A. Another great headline. It’s almost like with these headlines, they are teaching you how to be productive so when they position their product as a tool that helps you achieve just that, you’re more inclined to take action.
B. This is the how. By prioritizing tasks, the user is indeed able to focus on the right things.
C. They again name the exact features that will help you do just this. For the avoidance of doubt, they also explain briefly what each feature does. Imagine if part A & B were not included, just having part C would have been pretty bland if you ask me because it will be hard for the prospect to see how the product fits into their life.
A. This is the era of collaboration so it’s important that they mention this. It will be a lot harder for certain products to thrive if this is not built-in. This is also a way of building a community around your product.
B. I love how they show a decent range of tasks with the subheading. The possibility of using Todoist for collaborating on a business venture or in your household makes it a valuable offer you don’t want to pass on or at least try.
A. It’s hard to miss how much effort has gone into using language that is relatable to their target audience. For people seeking a solution such as this, these headlines explain benefits that are important to them.
For the skeptics who prefer using a pen and paper to manage their tasks, this makes a case for why Todoist is a worthy alternative. I tend to use it sometimes because of the feeling I get when I literally cross something off my list. It’s rewarding and feels like I’m making progress. So I appreciate that they use this same language.
B. Here they go explaining how to build a habit of progress by consistently taking those small steps. Language is so powerful because I instantly feel like by using Todoist somehow even my biggest goals are within my reach. The entire language used seems like they are cheering me on which is empowering.
By advising you to set daily & weekly goals, they are also setting some expectations on frequency for best results. When your product consistently delivers value and has increasing usage, it has the potential to become sticky.
A. I like that they address this because collaboration and integrations are 2 very important factors people consider when switching or deciding to try a solution. By addressing a potential objection upfront, they are able to present the prospect with the information they need before they even ask for it.
B. This little detail is my top 3 favourite things about this page. For users of Wunderlist which has morphed into Microsoft To-Do, they may be looking for a new solution and their biggest concern is what happens to all my current data. Todoist simply says, “come on over, we gotcha!”.
A. How delightful. Why does being able to access Todoist from any device matter? So users are able to stay on track at any point in time. It is important to mention this because these are the things they consider when choosing such this type of solution.
B. Templates simplify the process of getting started. Even for a freemium product that doesn’t cost anything to try out, you’d be surprised how much getting started can be an obstacle thereby extending time to value. You want the user to experience value as quickly as possible so they don’t churn.
A. The enemy is chaos. This is one of the things that holds people back from being productive. They not only name the enemy but present the solution that combats it. Fantastic.
B. Notice how it is only at this point the CTA to sign up is mentioned. They have clearly communicated the benefits of their features and you're now more informed to make a decision. I personally find it annoying when I’m on a site and see the signup button at every turn.
You might be thinking, “well, what about those who are well informed & need to take action after the first 2 sections?”. That is a valid point but remember this is the features page and my thinking is the people landing on this page came looking for this information in detail. So I doubt 2 sections is satisfactory enough for the bulk of the visitors landing on this page.
How did they do? HIT!
What did they do right
- The narrative they created about their product 💯 . From reading this page, I understand how Todoist could fit into my daily life and most importantly how it can help me achieve the progress I desire.
- They name a benefit and cluster the features in line with it which made it easier to see how they work together. Imagine having to explain over 10 features one by one, I’d be over it by the 4th one.
- The copy is great and in all honesty, if they had no images, this copy will still driver conversions. Do you know what’s even better? The combination of great copy with top-notch product images. They help to tell the story a lot better. So before you think of using an illustration or stock photo, consider using a product image instead.
