11 Dos and Don’ts of Writing Product Descriptions
How to write product descriptions that sell
There’s no formula to the perfect product description. A lot of it depends on your product and the brand you’re representing. What works in one place won’t work in another.
So instead of trying to outline the perfect product description, here are 11 dos and don’ts to inspire you in creating that perfect description.
1. DO: Create a scenario
Despite the name, product descriptions don’t just describe a product.
They sell it.
Perhaps the most effective and powerful way to do that is by creating a scenario. A scenario in which they already have the product; a scenario in which everything they’re lacking now is fulfilled, because of this product. Make it irresistible. Make them stop, forget what they’re doing, close their eyes — and see themselves using the product. And when they open their eyes, they want that story so badly, they’ll pay to have it.
Example of a “Tell” description:
As a gamer, you know how much a cheap chair can hurt your back and leave you soaked in sweat after a long gaming session. Crank up the comfort on your next game with this Gaming Chair. Designed specifically for gamers, the contoured, padded support ensures you’re always comfortable, and the breathable fabric keeps you sweat-free after those long gaming sessions.
Example of a “Show” description:
Close your eyes and remember your last gaming session. Can you feel the action? Hear the soundtrack? Feel the back pain? Now imagine you’re gaming in this Gaming Chair. You slowly sink into contoured, padded support as you turn your game on. You rotate the armrests to fit your gaming style, lean back into the comfort of the included lumbar pillow. Now close your eyes again and picture your next game. Oh, yeaaaaah.
The tell example isn’t necessarily bad. But, by simply describing what the chair does, you leave the choice in their hands as to whether or not this chair is right for them. By weaving a story, however, you make the choice for them. You show them how good it will feel if they buy the chair.
DON’T: Go overboard
Remember, however, that product descriptions are short and snappy, and your storytelling needs to be equally short and snappy. Don’t get lost in long stories that require multiple paragraphs. Ever read John Caple’s legendary ad They Laughed When I sat Down By the Piano, But When I Started to Play!? That’s too long.
Keep it short.
2. DO: Talk about solutions, not features
I said it once and I’m gonna say it again: product descriptions sell. Listing your oh-so-impressive features isn’t selling. Features are about you — how cool your product is, how great its features are. Instead, focus on your customer. What’s their pain point? What problem do they have that your product is going to solve for them? That speaks to them. That engages them.
Example of a feature-focused description:
This LED video light does it all. Raw power? Check. Cutting-edge creativity? Check. A slim, lightweight form factor? Check. As to how it does all that? The answer is in its revolutionary LED technology.
Example of a solutions-focused description
Powered by revolutionary LED technology, this LED video light offers a seemingly impossible combination of raw power and cutting-edge creativity inside a slim, lightweight form factor. No longer do you have to choose between high power, creative features, and portability.
With this light, you can have it all.
Not only is the solutions-focused approach more engaging, by presenting a real problem — frustration with having to choose between different lights instead of having an all-in-one solution — and solving it, the product becomes that much more tantalizing.
DON’T: Forget that specs are important, too
Just because people care about solutions over features doesn’t mean they don’t care about features at all. This is especially true when it comes to technical products, like laptops. To the uninitiated, 8 GB of RAM doesn’t mean anything; saying the laptop allows you to run intensive programs with ease does. But to the tech-savvy, it’s the reverse. They want to know the spec. Your translation of the spec isn’t answering their question.
The best approach, therefore, is to do both. Say something like: “8 GB of memory ensures smooth running of even the most intense programs.” Show how your feature solves their problem.
3. DO: Make it humane and relatable
Copywriting is communication. Your reader might be in a different country, on a different time zone, with questions you’ll never even hear, but that doesn’t mean you’re not communicating with them. And just like in any conversation, you need to talk like a real person. If you start using an arrogant tone, or throwing around complex words, or rambling on and on about nothing in particular, it’s only a matter of time before the customer looses his/her patience and moves on to someone else.
Talk to them as if they’re right there in front of you, asking you questions.
The complex approach:
The secret to a perfectly roasted chicken is a combination of various factors: your skill, your oven, and the moisture of the chicken. Get that wrong, and your chicken will be all but inedible. Fortunately, you don’t have to purchase a new oven, become a master chef, or hose down your chickens to keep them moist. Our Turbo Roaster will do all the work for you. Simply stick it into the chicken and you’ll have the perfectly roasted in no time.
The relatable approach:
Roasting a chicken to perfection is like finding Waldo: seemingly simple, yet practically impossible. The meat always seems to come out too dry or too raw. Yet now, with our Turbo Roaster, you can have a perfectly roasted chicken in half the time. Simply fill the cup with water, insert the end into the chicken, and roast. Hello perfection.
The difference here is pretty glaring. The first approach reads like a thesis. Nobody asked me for the mechanics of how to roast a chicken. All they want to know is whether or not this turbo roaster is worth their time. And that’s what the second approach answers.
DON’T: Forget to consider your reader’s knowledge
At the same time, it’s important to know who your reader is. If your readers are knowledgeable, don’t talk to them like they’re a child. Don’t dumb things down or — even worse — write in a condescending tone. Speak to them on their level.
That isn’t to say that knowledgeable readers prefer dry, technical descriptions. People are people, no matter how educated or knowledgeable they are. If a description is boring or too bland, it’s not going to attract anyone. But it does mean that it’s perfectly possible to convey complex ideas in a fun, engaging way that doesn’t assume ignorance on behalf of your reader. And if that’s who your reader is, that’s what you should do.
4. DO: Use humor
Taking your product description seriously doesn’t mean it has to be serious. Make it fun, make it breezy. If done the right way, humor can make a big difference. Not always, sure, but I’m a big fan of erring on the side of humor.
And here’s the big thing: not every reader will become a customer. That’s just a fact. But if you make your copy fun and humorous, they’ll remember it. They’ll have fond feelings toward it. And maybe — just maybe — they’ll come back next time.
Here’s a humorous example:
When life hands you lemons — then lobs them at you like rocks — it helps to have a reliable backpack to put your valuables in. Like your laptop, books, camera, accessories, lunch, wallet, and any other handy stuff you happen to have. You can even turn the backpack into a right or left sling pack to block the lemons with (as well as gain easy access your stuff).
No, no one buying this bag is really using it as a shield to block a lemon assault. But the humorous approach not only makes the description fun to read, it actually conveys the selling point of this bag perfectly: even when everything goes wrong, this bag will hold up.
DON’T: Become a comedian
Humor is one of those things that copywriters frequently go too far with. There’s nothing wrong (usually) with being funny. But don’t go overboard. Don’t start telling jokes. And don’t forget that you’re a copywriter, not a comedian.
I hear this complaint over and over again from people whose work I edit: “It’s funny! My job is to entertain!” But that’s the thing: it’s not. Your job is to make a sale. That’s it. If humor helps with that, awesome. If it doesn’t, also awesome. But even when it does, don’t sacrifice on your message for the sake of humor.
5. DO: Organize your information into intuitive paragraphs
Product descriptions — especially ones that are longer than a paragraph — are frequently skimmed. Readers often skip information they don’t care about to find the few specs that interest them.
It’s important, therefore, to organize your information intuitively. Every single point should be divided into its own paragraph and sorted in a fashion that even the laziest, most impatient reader should instinctively be able to find it. Don’t lump everything together into one long paragraph. Split it up.
DON’T: Forget that the best approach is the multi-tiered one
Here’s the thing. There’s no perfect way to organize your information. Some people like long paragraphs. Some people like small paragraphs. Some people like bullet points. Often, it depends on the product and how much they know about it.
So don’t box yourself into choosing one approach over the other. Do them all. Give an overview of the product, a bullet-point list of its features, and an individualized breakdown of each feature.
6. DO: Be careful with meaningless buzzwords
A “beautiful” necklace. A “flattering” dress. A “handsome” shirt. Those buzzwords don’t mean anything. There’s no quantifiable way to define beauty. A dress can be flattering on one person and shapeless on another. Using those words, therefore, doesn’t describe your product at all. They add nothing to the description.
I’m not saying to avoid them altogether. If you cut out all buzzwords from your dictionary, it’s gonna be very hard to describe your product. But use them sparingly, and use them smartly.
DON’T: Forget that not all buzzwords are meaningless
Beautiful is a largely meaningless buzzword. There’s no way to define what makes it beauty. And to be honest, most jewelry could be described as beautiful anyway.
But not all buzzwords are meaningless. Sleek. Rugged. Strong. Fast. They’re all buzzwords you can back up with facts. An all-metal construction can make a product rugged. An improved design can make it sleek. An advanced processor can make it fast.
Buzzwords become very powerful when you can prove them.
7. DO: Remember to be short and concise
Product descriptions are short. You want to make your description as short as it can possibly be while still retaining the important information. Sure, it’s important to give it personality, to make it engageable, to do all the things we’ve already talked about. But don’t write filler. Don’t go rambling on about nothing. You’re here to describe your product, sell your product, and that’s it.
DON’T: Forget that some products need more
Some products are so simple, there really isn’t that much to write about them. Others are not. Some are very, very complex. A product description shouldn’t necessarily explain every single feature of a product (I say “necessarily” because it’s hard to give a hard-and-fast rule for this. It depends on the product, it depends on the company — it depends on a whole bunch of factors. Each product has to be judged on its own). But you do need to do your due diligence with it.
I’ve mentioned several times that product descriptions are about describing and selling a product. But they’re also about answering and calming your customer’s concerns. And that’s important. Those concerns stop your customers from buying your product. Yes, it’s important to be concise, but it’s more important to assuage your customer’s concerns than it is to stick to some arbitrary length.
8. DO: Ditch the passive tone
Firstly: talk to your reader, not at them. Use “you” to make the reader feel engaged. Don’t write as if you’re issuing a proclamation to a faceless public.
Secondly, to make your product description land with a little more punch, look at it as a long call to action. Replace sentences like “This omnidirectional lavalier microphone is designed to capture speech and vocals,” with, “Capture speech and vocals with ease with this omnidirectional lavalier microphone.” Turn, “This bracelet dazzles with shimmering diamonds,” into “Dazzle with this shimmering diamond bracelet.”
I’m not saying that your description should always start with a call to action. It’s an okay tactic, but there are better ones. And you definitely can’t start every sentence that way. Otherwise it’ll read more like an edict than a description. But I am saying that passive, uncommunicative sentences don’t really have a place in product descriptions.
DON’T: Forget that some brands have styles you need to stick to
In the end of the day, though, the choice isn’t always yours. Some brands are very specific in the tone they want you to use. Sometimes they’ll want you to use a passive tone. (I interviewed one such company once, and they explained that they see it as their job to educate their customers in what products do without trying to persuade them to buy that product.)
It doesn’t really matter if they’re right or wrong. In the end of the day, if that’s what they want from you, that’s what you’ll need to deliver.
9. DO: Know as much as you can before you start writing
Who are your customers? What do they best react to? What problem do they have that your product solves for them? If you want to write product descriptions that land with a punch and seduce your reader into buying your product, you need to know who your reader is.
And that’s not the only advantage of buyer personas. They can also help with overcoming writer’s block — a huge deal when it comes to product descriptions, which are usually written on a strict deadline. See, people usually define their writer’s block as them not knowing the best way to convey their message, but I’ve found that it’s usually due to them not knowing clearly what their message even is. But the more you know about your customer, the easier it’ll be to figure out what your message should be — and the best way to write it.
DON’T: Get caught up in information you don’t have
Yes, detailed, fleshed-out buyer personas are invaluable to writing product descriptions. But you won’t always have those. A lot of brands don’t have that level of information available, and won’t afford you the time to do your own research to find out. When that happens, you have to learn how to make do with what you have.
Learning how to deeply and accurately research your customers is a valuable copywriting skill. Learning how to write good copy even when your research is incomplete is an equally valuable skill.
10. DO: Get into the mind of your reader
Maybe you have a buyer persona. Maybe you don’t. Even if you don’t, you need to, at the very least, understand your reader’s perspective. Why would they buy this? What’s driving them, what’s attracting them, what do they need?
How do you do that if you don’t have a buyer persona? If you’ve been given, say, ten minutes to write a product description and you don’t really have the time to do any research into your customer? (And no, that’s not an extreme example. A lot of copywriters writing product descriptions have to work under such restrictions.)
If you don’t have research to guide you, let the product itself guide you. Understanding your product, what it does, and what it’s used for will shed light on who’d want to buy such a thing.
DON’T: Forget that ultimately, there’s no such thing as normal
This is an extension to the above. Every so often, you’ll find yourself writing about a product you just don’t get. “Nobody in their normal mind would want this!” you think to yourself.
I once wrote a product description for a rigid phone mount that permanently attaches to your phone without being able to collapse. To this day, I cannot fathom a situation in which someone would buy something like that.
But that’s the thing. In marketing, there really isn’t such a thing as normal. Some people like weird stuff.
11. DO: Give every product description your best
When you’re writing multiple product descriptions, day in, day out, it can get difficult to stay motivated. The descriptions start to blur. Each one looks the same. You find yourself learning how to skate on by with minimal effort.
Find a way to resist that urge. Give every product description your best. Write as if it’s the only description you were hired to write. Subpar work only ever gets subpar results. If you want your descriptions to be effective, you need to give it your best.
DON’T: Forget that there comes a time when you just have to move on
In an ideal world, we’d be given all the time we need to write the perfect description for every product. But we don’t live in an ideal world. If you have the time, go for it. But chances are you won’t have the time. When I was writing product descriptions, I had a quota to keep to. I couldn’t push things off to perfect every description.
So pour all you’ve got into it. Give it your best. But for a limited time. And when that time’s up, move on. Not every description will be unique. Not every description will go on your portfolio.
Sometimes it just has to be good enough.
