Writing is writing, isn’t it? Not exactly. Writing product descriptions for an e-Commerce site is a different animal altogether from writing social media posts or creating a new blog article. While most forms of writing for digital marketing are focused on educating or entertaining, product descriptions have a different goal that calls for a different approach. The sole purpose of product description text is to sell. Nothing more, nothing less.

Tips for Writing Absolutely Awesome Product Descriptions

Writing effective product descriptions won’t get you on the New York Times Bestseller List, but your efforts can help you become a bestselling e-Commerce marketer. When combined with enticing photography, carefully crafted product descriptions can persuade even the most skeptical customers to make a purchase.

As promised, here’s our list of the most effective strategies for creating sales-crunching, descriptive text that will literally propel eager-to-buy customers to your checkout page.

1. Match your text to your typical customer.This calls for detailed knowledge of your primary customer group. Are they typically male or female – or evenly divided? How old are they? What style of speech do they prefer: proper English or slang? Do they appreciate a sense of humor? Are they basically conservative or more liberal in their attitude? What do they expect to gain by purchasing your product?

Imagine yourself in a face-to-face sales situation with your ideal customer, and think about the tone that you would use to communicate with them. Incorporate that language into your product description to create a more personalized message that truly resonates with your customer. If you try to write for everyone, you’ll end up reaching no one.

2. Sell the sizzle, not the steak. Your customers are more interested in learning about what your product can do for them than they are in reading a dull list of product features. What you need to do is create an enticing descriptive highlight of the benefits of each feature. Examine the product features and consider how can they improve your customer’s life, answer questions, or help solve problems. You’re not selling a product, you’re selling a life-altering experience.

3. Avoid flowery generic phrases that mean nothing to the customer. Be as specific as you can when describing the benefit/features of your product. Don’t blow an opportunity to make a sale by writing a lame phrase like “finest quality material” when you could be writing about “crafted of the highest grade tungsten steel for a lifetime of maintenance-free use.” Precise details about your products will persuade customers and generate sales.

4. Use storytelling to describe and persuade.A mini-story is an effective technique because it disarms prospects, causing them to forget that they’re being sold to. Describe who makes the product, what inspired them, what obstacles had to be overcome. Here’s a great example from The White Company Website website:

5. Include social proof. When customers are on the fence about making a purchase, they frequently look to social proof to cement their decision to buy. Many consumers are attracted to the idea of buying a product that’s popular, and highlighting products that are customer favorites is an effective way to provide the social proof that these customers are looking for. Posting a positive review of your product within the body of the description text is a clever and effective way to boost sales. If possible, include a photo to increase the credibility of the quote.

Well written product descriptions are an essential component of any e-Commerce website and an integral part of a company’s internet marketing strategy. Don’t overlook the importance of writing unique and compelling product descriptions to help boost conversions and improve SEO.