Copy Love: Habito 💸

Less is more, and simple is better.

Hi there copy lover,

How on earth is it two whole weeks since I was last in your inbox? Been up to anything exciting? Besides the usual cut and thrust of client work, I’ve been developing my first ever digital product—diversified income streams and all that 😉.

It’s called The Freelance Copywriter Starter Kit, and it’s a bundle of 10 templates (plus tutorials) to help newbie freelancers start and grow their copywriting business with confidence. The launch date is TBC and you can sign up for updates via the pre-launch page.

And with that announcement out of the way, let’s get down to business.

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May I present to you: Habito

Habito are mortgage brokers on a mission to make mortgages easy.

The love list

We’re back to the old format this time, with three things I love about Habito’s copy and one point for improvement at the end. Up first, the love list:

• Maximal design, minimal copy

• Subtle hints of VoC

• Tactical testimonials

Maximal design, minimal copy

Maximalist design is having a moment in 2021 and Habito’s website fits right in. Trippy graphics, in your face colour palette, retro typography: check, check and check. I’m a big fan of the style, but it only works for websites if it’s paired with bare-bones copy. 

Habito strikes this balance well, with a pleasing absence of jargon which is no surprise given that simplicity is their whole thing.

The sooner other mortgage companies catch on to this the better—it really doesn’t have to be so damn complicated.

Subtle hints of VoC

I’m sure we’ve all attended enough Copyhackers tutorials to know that using Voice of Customer (VoC) in your copy is a Good Thing. But it’s rare to see a decent example of this out in the wild. Enter Habito.

As an Elder Millennial currently in the throes of house buying, I know they’re talking to me here. My parents don’t call it life admin, and who knows what Gen Z are calling it but they aren’t buying houses yet anyway. 

It’s a nice little nod to show I’m in the right place. They understand me. They know what I need and are ready to help. Too much “millennial slang” would be off-putting, but a smatter like this is a great touch. 

Tactical testimonials

I love that Habito have selected testimonials to feature on their homepage that match the tone of their copy while also deftly summarising their USPs.

It maintains that feeling of “being in the right place”—their other customers talk like me too! As well as strengthening my confidence that Habito will be able to solve my problems.

If I didn’t already have a superstar mortgage advisor, I’d be straight on the phone.

Room for improvement?

To be honest, I didn’t *love* Habito’s illustrated erotic novel. While I applaud its subversive spirit, the execution was too male-gaze-centric for my liking. Given that less than 60 years ago a woman still couldn’t open a bank account in her own name, I’d like to have seen something a bit more empowering from a “disruptor” brand.

The final verdict

Fun, frivolous design paired with stripped back copy that perfectly captures VoC without going OTT. File under “less is more, and simple is always better”.

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Up next (23/08/2021): All about “About” pages 🤓