Are you a family brand struggling to reach your audience?
When marketing to parents and kids, the right words will make you sound warm, familiar and genuinely exciting. Get them wrong and you’ll make parents feel like you don’t understand them and leave children utterly uninterested.
That’s where a family-friendly copywriter comes in.
Why do you need a family-friendly writer?
Parents are busy, and kids are easily distracted, so your copy needs to be:
✔️ Engaging: So parents stop scrolling and actually read your content
✔️ Relatable: Because neither parents nor kids want to read boring drivel
✔️ Fun: Because boring brands are forgettable brands
Marketing to families isn’t about throwing in a few emojis and calling it a day. A skilled family-friendly copywriter knows how to write in a way that isn’t condescending to kids but doesn’t treat adults like children.
It’s a tricky balance, but get it right and your content will appeal to the whole family.
So, now you know why you need one, let’s jump into the big question…
What can a family-friendly copywriter do for your brand?
If you want to know how to connect with family audiences, keep reading:
One. Write product descriptions that make people buy your stuff
When you’re selling toys, games and other family-related products, descriptions need to do more than list a few features.
Your products need to come to life, like Woody and Buzz, so they need to:
- Capture the excitement of a child opening the box
- Speak to parents looking for quality and value
- Tell a story, not just rattle off specifications
Listing features is all well and good and there is a place for that in a PD, but you’ve got to create a story that builds the excitement.
Want to see how it’s done?
Then check out the product descriptions I wrote for ToyMonster’s line of Jurassic World toys.
Two. Create website copy that feels welcoming
If you’re selling toys, gadgets, sweets, etc., chances are they’ll be Googled specifically and lead the visitor straight to the shop page.
But don’t neglect the rest of your site.
It needs to be as family-focused as the products and:
- Feel warm and inviting, not corporate and stuffy
- Speak directly to the target audience (whether it’s parents, kids or both)
- Be easy to read and navigate because neither parents nor kids have time to hunt for information
Other pages tend to get neglected when you have an eCommerce site, so a writer will help keep them on brand.
Three. Write engaging social media copy
You post something on socials, blink, and it’s buried under a hundred others. Get the hook right, however, and it’ll hold its own, like a poo floating on sewage water, refusing to sink and join its other little poo friends.
The trick to writing crackin’ family-friendly social media copy is creating posts that are:
- Short and snappy that hooks the reader
- Playful and interactive posts, like polls and quizzes (people always want to know if their answer wins!)
- Strong when it comes to storytelling because a good story keeps everyone reading
Whether it’s a quick Instagram post, a full Facebook campaign, a LinkedIn announcement or a video/TikTok script, your social copy needs to be punchy, fun and dead shareable.
The three-part LinkedIn series I did for Beano is a great example.
Four. Post informative and entertaining articles
A well-written blog builds trust, pushes traffic to your website and keeps your audience up to date. They’re great places to go in-depth about your products or events.
Social posts are great, but a blog is where you really get people to follow you down a rabbit hole.
From parenting tips to toy industry trends, a strong family-focused copywriter knows how to create blogs that keep readers coming back.
Five. Write emails that get opened
Do ’em right and emails are goldmines for engagement.
A great campaign will include:
- Fun, engaging subject lines that people are intrigued enough to read and open
- Exciting product announcements that make people want to buy your stuff
- Relatable storytelling that connects with parents
Newsletters and launch emails are as important to your brand, products, events or customers as everything else, but they’re often neglected. They’re so important because even an email to remind them they’ve abandoned a full basket on your website can tip people on the fence into splashing their cash.
Six. Create a memorable slogan or tagline
A good tagline stays with people long after they’ve scrolled past it. Whether it’s for a toy company or a family fun day, a strong slogan should be:
- Short and snappy
- Instantly memorable
- Packed with personality
Explain why they need it/need to attend/need to buy in just a few words
If it can be turned into a catchy jingle, even better.
Speaking of which…
Seven. Write an earworm of a jingle
A belting jingle gets remembered forever.
I could list a few, but I bet you could name your own (and it’s best not to show my age by throwing out jingle references like Shake ‘N’ Vac, Mr Soft or the Scotch VHS ‘Re-record not Fade Away’ singing skeleton jingles).
Want to hear some of mine?
Then check these out on LinkedIn or TikTok:
Or watch some videos for my stuff where I make up my own jingles:
Kids especially love a jingle.
Get them young enough and they’ll still be humming your ditty in twenty years (like you probably do with your favourite childhood jingles).
Jingles are so underused when marketing to parents and children, but they’re so powerful!
Eight. Write bloomin’ brilliant ad copy
Whether it’s a Facebook, Google or Meta ad, great ad copy is one of the most persuasive ways to make parents buy your stuff or attend your event.
Great hooks and copy:
- Stop people doomscrolling
- Highlight selling points in just a few words
- Speak to both parents and kids in a non-condescending way
Ads are everywhere and parents and kids need to see them and want to click them.
Nine. Turn your event into a must-attend
If you’re running a family event, one thing it needs to sound is exciting.
You’re asking people to not only spend money but also leave their house and travel to your venue. Before they do that, they need to know it’s worth it.
A family-friendly copywriter can create:
- Event names and slogans that make people want to find out more
- Earworm jingles for video, TV and radio marketing that people can’t stop singing
- Website copy that makes people want to attend
- Social media buzz, not only for the announcement but in the lead-up to the big day itself
- Emails that keep people informed so they don’t forget they’re going
- Ads that make people curious enough to click online
- Press releases that catch media attention
From local fairs to large-scale events in conference centres, your event should sound like the most exciting ticket in town.
Read more about this by checking out my article, How to market an event to families.
Need family-friendly copywriting?
Yes, you can pick any ol’ freelance copywriter, but working with one who has worked LEGO and specialises in writing product descriptions, website copy, social media content, event promotions, blogs, slogans, ads or emails and loads more?
They’ll give you a better chance of getting in front of families without sounding condescending or causing offence.
If you want a specialist in copywriting for family brands, pop me an email and let’s chat.
Until next time
Matt
PS. If you’re not ready to work with a family-friendly copywriter but want to know more about marketing to families, check out my article, How to market to parents: 7 playful yet powerful strategies.
