9 Tips for Writing a Great Product Description

With more than 80% of global consumers shopping online, ecommerce has become a more than trillion dollar industry. And, with the recent boom in ecommerce stores, competition is steeper than it ever has been. There are absolutely zero signs of that slowing down so whether you’re building a new ecommerce store or you’re getting ready to optimize, you need to know how to write a product description that sells.

What does a good product description do for you?

Your product description pages are where people make the decision to buy your product or not.

It is all too common that brands spend time in their marketing, on social media engaging, driving traffic and interest to their products – and then the products don’t sell.

Why is that? (hint: it’s probably not your price)

Most of the time, it’s because of one of these two things:

1. You don’t have all the information someone needs to make a purchase. The images or description of your product just doesn’t cut it.
2. There’s a disconnect between the messaging and care taken within the marketing and on the product pages themselves. Branding doesn’t end with your marketing. It’s important that you take steps to infuse your product pages with your brand voice and vision along painting a picture of how your products can help solve your customer’s problem.

If you really want to know how to write a product description that sells, here’s a secret: always keep in mind that the people coming to your website have no idea who you are, what your product is, or whether they can trust you. It’s always possible for your traffic to find something cheaper.

Getting sales is an indication of someone’s willingness to trust you and take a chance that you can help them with their needs. So make sure that your page has all the elements and that your description is interesting enough for your ideal customer to press the “buy” button.

The Elements of a Good Product Description

You’re not Amazon. And since sustainable brands don’t cheat to lower their overhead costs, you’re wares aren’t going to be cheap either. That means you cannot skimp on building out product description pages that convert.

These 9 things are the elements of a good product description page.

1 – Keywords

This is actually an SEO technique but I’m listing it first because you need to know what keyword you want to be upfront before you start building your page. If your product is anti-aging, you want the whole page and your product description built with a focus on rejuvenation and anti-aging. Keep the flavor all the way through and you’re much more likely to end up with a great product description.

2 – How to write a product description page? SHARE YOUR BENEFITS!

Do not leave out the benefits of your product. This is easily the number one thing that your customer cares about! What’s in it for them? Your customer is selfish and picky and has a lot of options out there – so why choose your product?

Don’t think that placing these in your story or in a paragraph of text is good enough – for most products, it isn’t. Great product descriptions list the top 3-5 key benefits for the ideal customer very clearly. This means knowing exactly what your customer is looking for.

3 – A Product Story

Your product has a story. Period. Whether you’re making it with your bare hands, doing the research to bring the information to your audience, or just finding the perfect suppliers for your business—you have a story. Share it.

Try to write your story in a way that your audience can see themselves using your product for the same reasons that you created it.

Ideally this is under your “add to cart” button and the price but depending on your theme and the length of the story, you may need to put this below your actual product description.

4 – Headings

Even some “good product descriptions” still don’t have these—I really think that’s a mistake. People scan internet pages, they don’t read word for word anymore. Make sections dedicated to things like, benefits, the story, and ingredients so people can find them super quickly.

5 – Ingredients if Applicable

If your product is consumable, put the ingredients, ALL of them, front and center. This is especially true if your brand is proud of being eco-friendly.

If you have specific ingredients that you love in the product pull them out to highlight them sure. Just make sure that it’s very easy to find all of the ingredients in your product.

6 – A Title that Makes Sense

Your title should make sense to someone who doesn’t know you or your brand. Make sure that you have an indicator of what it is you’re selling, not just your super cute branded name. And if the size if relevant to your brand, use that too.

When I build a product description page, I usually make the title something like this:

 [adjective] [product title] – [size]

Example: Moon Sparkle Fizzy Bath Bomb – 3 grams

Notice that it has a strong enough name that it would draw my ideal customer’s attention, but it’s also clear what it is and how big it is.

Also notice that the adjective is a keyword that describes a selling point. You want to add this type of information to your Search Engine Listing Preview too.

7 – Sizing Options/Scale

There are a million stories out there where people bought a product expecting one thing and they received something way smaller or very, very large.

Don’t be that brand.

Offer sizing options, something to show scale in your photos, and put it in your title if it makes sense. If you build this into it as you write your product description page, you’ll never hear customer complaints about size or scale.

8 – Photos

Everyone knows that you need product photos – but most people’s knowledge ends there. What you actually need for building trust in your product is a series of photos.

Front and back – typically this is on a white background.

Lifestyle photos – these show size and someone using the product. Typically these photos are warm and inviting, and they include the ideal customer. Note here that stock photos don’t make great product photos.

Diagrams – If this is applicable, well-made “how to use” diagrams and infographics are extremely helpful for building trust.

Use Video – If you’ve created any video about this product, or you have the budget to do it – put it on your product page. People love videos and it’s GREAT to see someone actually using your product.

9 – Reviews

If you have these, put reviews on your product description pages. User generated content is a fantastic seller because people like social proof. Most ecommerce setups like Shopify and Woocommerce have built in reviews, which are usually good enough, but there are lots out there!

How to Write a Product Description That Sells

Understanding all of the elements for the page doesn’t necessarily make a good product description. When you’re writing your description, the most important thing is to make sure that you’re connecting with your ideal customer. (I know, I know, as if you didn’t have enough to think about already.) In addition to the 9 elements of writing a product description that sells here’s a few more less technical things to consider:

1. Your page should be easy to use and your customer should never have that, “never mind” moment.
2. Ask yourself: Does my customer see themselves using my product?
3. Don’t over-utilize adjectives. Stay clear and focused with your language.
4. Don’t assume that people know exactly what you’re talking about. You’re an expert on your products—potentially the only expert.
5. Don’t over explain or add tons description because again, people don’t read. Just focus on putting the most important information into the product description. Everything else that you WANT to say but it’s too much for the page, put it in a spotlight article.

Now, get to making those great product description pages! If you need help, or just want another pair of eyes, get on the phone with us. 

References:
Statista’s 2020 online shopping statistics