What's In It For Me?

What's the difference between what customers get out of a class and what you give them in a class?  Is it only semantics?

Think about it this way:  A description telling people that during a fitness class they'll do crunches, cardio, and work with free weights is a list of what you're giving them.  A description that tells them that they'll lose weight, be stronger and have more stamina and energy for playing with their kids promotes what they'll get out of the class.  Having more energy and being stronger are the benefits they'll get by participating in the fitness class.  This answers the "What's in it for me?" question.

Consider these examples of an introductory-level fencing program for youth:

Description #1 focuses more on describing what fencing requires than listing either features or benefits.

Description #2 tells me that I can "acquire quick reflexes, strategic abilities, and concentration".  If these are things I need work on, this sounds good- these are benefits of the class.

Description #3 lets me know of direct benefits (great workout), but also translates the  benefits (concentration, reflexes, etc) into other areas of my life, making the benefits even wider-reaching.

Take it to the next level:
1. Check out the pages below for some quick reads on Features-vs-Benefits.  While some of these are focused on writing product descriptions, the core concepts work for class and activity descriptions, too.
2. Homework:  Open your most recent brochure.  Randomly pick and read 3 class descriptions. Are benefits clearly stated, or does your description sound more like an ingredients list (30 minutes of cardio, 20 minutes of free weights, and a dash of crunches)?  Do they answer the "What's in it for me?" questions?