product description writing

Fact: Product description writing can determine whether a customer clicks “add to cart” – or whether they abandon the product page entirely. Great copy in your product descriptions is necessary to an enjoyable, memorable online shopping experience. Why? Because buyers can’t use four of their senses when shopping online to determine whether the product is what they want and/or need. That’s how many senses they miss out on when they shop online — but does it stop them? Heck no. In fact, e-commerce and online shopping is an industry that will include 2.14 billion people worldwide by 2021 (up from 1.66 billion global digital buyers in 2016). Whoa! So, we don’t care that we’re missing four of our senses when we buy online. But, your buyer does have to read and depend on the information you give them to decide if they’re ready to buy. It’s a delicate balance many online shops get wrong. For instance, here are a few common e-commerce product description errors: Provide too little information, and the buyer won’t know if the product is right for their particular problem. Describe the product too blandly, and the casual browser won’t become a buyer. Exclude the essential facts from your e-commerce product description, and the buyer will look to other sellers who answer their product questions fully. On the other hand, when you get it right, you’ll earn more buyers, more sales, and more happy customers. (A desirable trifecta, to say the least ) Ready to learn how to hone your product description writing services and get it “write” every time? Let’s get to it. Your Product Description Writing Guide: Table of Contents The Anatomy of a Product Description: 4 Essential Elements Focus on Product Benefits Address Look, Feel, Smell, Touch, and/or Taste in Your Product Description Copywriting Remember to Answer Buyer Questions Add Special Product Notes, As Needed 3 Rules on How In-Depth to Go with Product Description Writing Analyze the Product, Including What Your Buyer Already Knows About It Analyze What the Buyer Needs from Your Product Description Writing Go Brief or In-Depth Depending on Your Conclusions 6 Rules to Make Your Ecommerce Descriptions Irresistible (with Examples) Stay Buyer-Focused Describe the Problems the Product Solves (Benefits, Benefits, Benefits) Use Compelling Words and Phrases Optimize Correctly Keep Your Product Description Writing Easy to Read Stay Honest Product Description Writing is a Learned Skill You Can Master [bctt tweet=”Your customers may not feel, hear, smell, or taste your product online, but the right words can tickle their senses. Get your customers to click that ‘add to cart’ button with this #copywriting guide.” username=”ExpWriters”] The Anatomy of a Product Description: 4 Essential Elements of Product Description Writing You Must Include A product description (PD) is the copy that appears on a product page describing that product to the buyer. Ultimately, the product description helps the buyer decide whether or not to pull the trigger and purchase. So, how do you describe a product to a new customer? The best product description copy includes a basic foundation of elements that make it effective: Product benefits Descriptive words that appeal to the senses Answers to buyer questions about the product Anything unusual about the product that will affect the buyer’s experience: longer-than-usual production times, special shipping needs, etc. Let’s discuss them in detail: 1. Focus on Product Benefits The most important aspect of product description writing is including how the product benefits the buyer. Above all, the buyer wants to know how their lives will improve if they purchase. Beware: Many people confuse features with benefits. They aren’t the same thing at all. Features tell what the product can do. Benefits sell by relating how the product features help the buyer. Here’s a great example of the difference from Help Scout: So, the question is not “What are the cool features of this product we can describe?” but rather “How will the product features benefit the buyer?” Focus on answering this question in your product description writing, and you’ll have the beginnings of a great product page. [bctt tweet=”Features tell what the product can do. Benefits sell by relating how the product features help the buyer. More on #productdescription #copywriting ” username=”ExpWriters”] 2. Address Look, Feel, Smell, Touch, and/or Taste in Your Product Description Copywriting You may think your beautiful product photos will do all the work of showing off the look and feel of that particular item. The truth is, it’s often not enough. The buyer still can’t experience that product. They can’t truly tell what it’s like to use it: what it feels like, how it smells, and in some cases, what it tastes like. That’s why any good, creative product description writing takes the buyer and puts them right inside the experience of using the product. Your descriptive words should evoke at least one or two of the five senses. [bctt tweet=”Good product description writing takes the buyer and puts them right inside the experience of using the product with descriptive words that evoke at least one or two of the five senses. #productdescriptionwriting” username=”ExpWriters”] For example, if you sell hot sauce, describe the fiery zing it adds to even the blandest of foods. If you sell vacuums, describe how lightweight the model is and how smoothly it helps you go from cleaning carpet to hardwood floors. This PD from Truff Hot Sauce is a good description of the experience the buyer will get when they taste it (“heat experience,” “ripe chili peppers,” “black truffle,” “savory spices” “unprecedented flavor profile”): “Our sauce is a curated blend of ripe chili peppers, organic agave nectar, black truffle, and savory spices. This combination of ingredients delivers a flavor profile unprecedented to hot sauce.” 3. Remember to Answer Buyer Questions Before any customer commits to a purchase, they have questions that need answering. For example, when I want to buy a t-shirt, I need a few important details ironed out: Does this t-shirt come in my size? Does it come in a color I … Read more