The surfing industry is growing exponentially, but not in the way it once did.

In years gone by, the surfing landscape was dominated by a handful of well-known brands – think Quiksilver, Ripcurl, Billabong and Roxy – who led the charge.

They were the flagship names that we all knew and recognised, and in combination with their many sub brands and partners, they had all the influence. But as Bob Dylan crooned in his signature strained voice on the 1964 album of the same name, the times they are a-changin.

Instead of a cluster of dominant surf brands growing bigger, more and more small-to-medium surf brands are sprouting up, with hundreds of new players joining the market each year.

Now, perhaps more than ever in the history of surf culture, it’s vital to have stand-out copy that grabs your audience by the collar and looks them dead in the eye.

Why is it important to differentiate yourself?

Take a 30-minute scroll through your social media feeds.

How many new, young and exciting brands have popped up in the last 10 years? 5 years? Since those heady post-pandemic years?

Niche markets, such as wax scrapers, foldable surfboards and retro surf hats, are now being serviced by small businesses that are innovating and launching new products and services.

This has led to a boom in brands catering to surfers and the surfing lifestyle.

It’s also brought an increase in the amount of competition in the market.

Now, competition is inherently a good thing.

With roughly 20-30 million surfers around the world, there’s plenty of room for new and emerging brands to carve out their own space in the market.

What I’ve found though is that so many of these brands hit a ceiling after the first 1 or 2 years, doomed to fade out and become another statistic in the sea of failed businesses.

Admittedly, there are many things you can do to avoid this fate (sponsored posts, paid advertising, hiring an agency), but they cost precious capital that you’re better off pumping into your core offering or property.

Besides, wouldn’t you rather build a brand with a deep, unshakeable foundation that attracts people who like you for you?

How come most surf brands all sound similar?

The number one reason most brands sound the same isn’t because they have the same products, offerings or unique selling points.

Even two surf schools in the same country working the same stretch of beach are vastly different entities.

No, the reason is that writing for a business is bloody difficult.

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve created a one-of-a-kind product or launched an innovative new surf brand. When it comes time to sit down and write, there’s a tendency to resort to familiar, formulaic messaging that’s been used since the days before wetsuits and legropes.

This is natural, but it’s also notoriously tricky to get away from.

You’ve read and consumed so much surf business content over the years.

From blog articles to social media posts, advertisements and website copy, this maelstrom of phrases, words and cliches swirls around in the back of your head and finds its way into your sub-conscious, waiting to be recycled and repurposed for your own brand when the time comes.

The problem here is that you don’t want to spew up messaging that you’ve seen somewhere else.

You want website, print or social copy that’s 100% original; text that you can proudly claim as yours and yours alone.

The benefits of instantly recognisable messaging that’s all you

Once you have copy that’s instantly recognisable as yours, it becomes far more than just a string of words on a page. It reinforces and strengthens your brand identity. It’s the purest link to the deepest and most sincere essence of your brand. And it brings a range of tangible and intangible benefits with it.

There’s only one YOU

As mentioned earlier, standing out in a cluttered market is crucial for success. Having unique and original messaging helps you been seen amongst the crowd. It proves that you’re not just another cookie-cutter brand trying to fit in; you have something unique and valuable to offer.

No trust, no business

By having consistent messaging that reflects your brand’s values and personality, you can establish trust with your audience. This is vital to being seen as a legitimate contender in the surf biz industry. Without trust, people won’t be willing to stay at your surf retreat, buy your latest surfboard model or sign up to your coaching course.

New brand? Discover how to build credibility quickly.

Anti-forgettable

In today’s fast-paced world of information overload, it can be hard for brands to make a lasting impression on customers. We’re constantly bombarded with marketing messages, making it easy for our minds to gloss over and forget about them. Concise, original and memorable messaging keeps your brand relevant, making it anti-forgettable in the process.

They like you for you

When you have messaging that’s uniquely yours, you create a sense of community and connection with your audience. People come to you because of your reputation, not because of the discounts or deals you offer. This not only leads to brand loyalty but also fosters a community of like-minded individuals who share your values.

Your tribe = your vibe

Last but not least, having clear and distinct messaging does the heavy lifting when it comes to finding new customers or guests. No longer do you need to worry about appealing to the wrong crowd. Your messaging, if done correctly, will attract the right kind of people who resonate with your brand.

6 copywriting techniques that guarantee your brand is never forgotten

I hope we’re on the same page by now. Tired or repeated messaging is never a good look for your brand.

The good news is that swapping dull for downright earth-shaking is possible… even if you’ve never written copy before. This leads us to the next part of the journey, which is how to actually set about creating unforgettable copy that sticks in your customer or guest’s mind.

Here are 6 tried and tested techniques that I’ve developed over 10 years of copywriting and working for surf brands across the world.

Technique #1: Don’t rely on AI to accurately represent your brand

Think you can plug a few commands into ChatGPT and get copy that truly represents your brand’s core philosophy?

Think again.

AI is great for many things. Giving you recipe ideas, answering obscure questions or acting like a personal assistant are right up its alley.

When it comes to crafting messaging that truly encapsulates your brand, AI still has a long way to go. You’re better off using it for inspiration than relying on it for the final product.

Besides, it goes against our earlier point of having original and unique messaging if you’re using a program to write it.

Technique #2: Uncover your core USPs by answering a detailed questionnaire

What do you do better than your competitors? How do you want people to feel after buying your product or staying with you? Do you as an individual have a life philosophy that seeps across into your brand?

Questionnaires are incredibly useful for drawing out the most pertinent ideas and insights about your brand. The ones I use are generally 30-40 questions long and include a follow-up phone call to discuss the answers.

Surprisingly, 99% of brand or business owners I work with say answering this questionnaire is the first time they’ve had to think critically and introspectively about what they do.

The results are nothing short of astonishing, and I can honestly say that when done right, questionnaires will give you better USP ammunition than simply “thinking about it” ever could.

Technique #3: Stay away from cliches and overused tropes

I initially considered giving you examples of copy taken from various surf coaches who all use the exact same phrases on their websites, but it would be to easy to find them online and I didn’t want to name and shame.

Instead, I’ll deliver this technique as clearly and coherently as possible: never, never, NEVER use cliches or overused surfing tropes in your messaging.

It’s lazy, for one, but cliches also have zero emotional impact (or any impact at all, really) and no ability to differentiate your brand from others.

Readers glance over them.

Guests recognise them for what they are.

Potential customers instantly think that if no effort was put into crafting original and sincere messaging, how much effort could have been put into the products or services?

Make the effort. Dig a little deeper. Don’t be afraid to write a few extra words. I guarantee you’ll come up with something more impactful and memorable, for example:

Instead of using these boring phrases:

1. “Become the best surfer you can be”
2. “We’re more than just a surf school”
3. “Our surf camp is like a family”
4. “Product X will take your surfing to the next level”
5. “We’re passionate about teaching you to surf”

Use something like this instead:

1. “Surf longer, faster and smarter by mastering the fundamentals”
2. “Our surf school makes you a better human by making you a better surfer”
3. “Staying with us is like being surrounded by people who care for you. Because we do”
4. “Hit a progressional brick wall? Our product is a cheat code for your surfing”
5. “Surfing is our life, and we can’t wait to share it with you”

Technique #4: Look at your top 5 competitors… and make sure you don’t sound anything like them

No brand exists in a vacuum, which is to say that there will always be competitors who offer similar products or services.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

If you’re at the stage where you’re looking to differentiate your brand, it’s worth doing a little reconnaissance work and seeing how your top 5 closest competitors are presenting themselves.

Take notes on their messaging, tone of voice and any USPs they’re pushing forward.

It might sound contradictory to what I’ve been saying about avoiding cliches, but it won’t hurt to see what tropes others in your field have used so that you don’t use them yourself.

Are their key points all the same? Are they using similar phrases? Does their website content feel similar or difficult to differentiate?

Write down the impressions that you have, and make sure that your messaging doesn’t fall into the same trap.

Technique #5: Storytelling is king

If you don’t know how to tell a story, you don’t know how to sell your surf biz.

It’s a simple fact, but it’s true.

Stories give colour to our world, and as humans, we’re wired to remember them better than facts or data.

Just think about any new surfboard you purchased.

Were you attracted to the numbers on the stringer and the technical details of its construction? Or did the seductive shape of its nose, powerful outline or vibrant colours inspire a story in your mind that this is the board that’ll transform you into the surfer that other surfers admire?

If you can spin an honest, character revealing and captivating story about your brand, you’ll have people wanting to be a part of it.

They’ll share it with others, and your brand will gain a personality that’s more than just a logo or product.

It’ll become a universe unto itself.

Technique #6: Pull common themes from past testimonials or reviews

This one comes straight out of the surfing copywriter toolbox.

Look at any past reviews, testimonials or feedback you’ve received from customers.

What words or phrases do they keep using to describe your brand? What emotions are they expressing? Is there a small detail or feature that keeps getting mentioned?

This information is pure gold for crafting messaging that resonates with your audience.

It’s essentially a crowdsourced review of what makes your brand unique and special… and you didn’t even have to do any hard work.

Go to TripAdvisor, Trust Pilot, Facebook or wherever. So long as you have had customers leave feedback about their experience with your brand or products, this technique is the ultimate shortcut to finding the (sometimes unexpected) unique selling points that can and should be used in your messaging.

Which surf businesses can benefit from stand-out messaging?

• Surf coaches/instructors
• Surf schools and camps
• Surf and yoga retreats
• Surfboard shapers
• Surf hostels and houses
• Wetsuit brands
• Surf shop owners
• Surf gear hire shops
• Surf accessories retailers
• Online surf gear marketplaces
• Surf apparel brands
• Surf technology companies

Final thoughts

I hope I’ve inspired you to look past the easy and opt for the difficult when it comes to surf biz copywriting.

Writing your own messaging is hard work, but the rewards are endless when you find that perfect combination of words that truly captures what makes your brand stand out.

It’s satisfying to read those same words back, but it’s even more satisfying when someone else mentions them.

Ultimately, having messaging that’s distinctive and instantly recognisable as your own is a fundamental aspect of any successful, long-lasting business.

Ready to become a legacy brand that thrives for years to come?

Reach out. I’ll show you the way.