5 Rules for Killer Product Description: How to Sell [Not Just] a Product but the Message
What Is the Product? Why Does It Need a Description?
It’s hard to say exactly how much impact a good product description has because there are not so many studies on the subject out there. But one thing we know for sure: potentially, 20% of product sales successdepends on a clear message included in the initial product description.
It’s only natural to assume that people look for certain keywords when they are buying something online. So, it’s fair to say that a product description really matters.
Even if a great message seems to not have much effect, removing it away from the product may show that it actually does. A product description example that sells will have certain keywords that the potential buyer is looking for. Also, a good product description example will have a descriptive picture. These simple rules — as well as a few tweaks discussed below — will help make turn any mediocre description into the great one.
Also read: The Best Keyword Optimization Techniques [Guest Post]
Rule # 1: Product Features Are Built for Personas
Before writing down the message to the potential buyer, stop and think: what kind of person will be using this product? The key to description is having an understanding of the customer persona.
Talking about the product details of something as famous as a MacBook, for a target persona, it’s enough for the description to have an image. Besides that, product details can list some technical specs and that’s it.
The product features list of something less famous could have more text as the persona may not be brand or product aware. For example, a grooming beard product, such as oil, could have more description. Beard oil product description words could have such specifics as the use method and the expected effects.
Rule # 2: Selling a Great Product through the Benefits
If you are selling shoes, you want to make sure the customer wants to buy your shoes. But you need to explain why they are better than those of the competitors. Description words will help achieve that through listing the benefits.
It’s good to have a product description template that lists the benefits of the product or service in question. Coming back to the shoe business, it’s important to focus on the key features. For instance, the deerskin shoe lining is both comfortable and long-lasting. This saves both time and money of your customer.
Putting a product in a sentence may not seem easy. However, for a product owner, this task should be manageable. Just make sure that product details are listed from the standpoint of the potential buyer persona. Product features and benefits are the best attractors.
Also read: Tips for Writing Excellent Amazon Product Description
Rule #3: The Brand Must Have a Voice
When looking at the famous product, we can’t stop but notice that it has its “own voice”.
Good describing words for any offering should be based on a certain tone and use a specific vocabulary.
Knowing how to sell a product starts with giving that product a voice. A great example of good words for product description is displayed by the brand of female clothing called Missguided. They really know how to sell a product that’s cute and sexy. Between the lines of their writing descriptions there are “party vibes”.
Another brand that features writing examples that have a perfectly hand-picked tone of voice is Versace. Their $3,000 bags have descriptions mostly using words like “exceptional” and “iconic” which speak directly to the target audience.
Rule # 4: How to Sell a Product with Scannability
People love to skim. They also like brands that value their time. So, bullet points are essential when writing a great product description.
The first step in answering the question “how to write product descriptions?” is getting the main benefits over to the buyer persona. And product features in the form of bullet points will help do precisely that.
Those descriptions that list the benefits directly speak to the heart of the buyer. If they are focused, product description writing will help sell more and to the right personas. The outcome of such qualitative product description writing is more loyal customers and definitely better reviews, as well as recurring conversions.
Also read: Value-Added Content as Lead Magnets: The Mighty Pillar of Online Content Marketing
Rule # 5: Product in a Sentence with Influential Words
Writing product descriptions like Versace may sound easy. However, finding the right influential words for your audience is key. David Ogilvy has discovered that specific effective words actually boost the persuasiveness of business description examples.
Here are the most universal of such words, so it may be a good idea to choose those that will go well with the product in question:
- Suddenly
- Amazing
- Announcing
- Miracle
- Quick
- Now
- Sensational
- Hurry
- Challenge
- Introducing
- Bargain
- Magic
- Revolutionary
Good business description examples don’t just describe the product well. They may also refer to the buyer as an “adventurer” or “daredevil”, if we come back to our example of deerskin-lined shoes.
Having introduced the rules above into your product description, it becomes clear how to write a product description that sells. There are a few key points, to summarize:
- Be clear about which customer struggles the product solves;
- Use effective words and display benefits;
- Care about the target customer persona, not just any website visitor;
- Refer to the customer as bold or adventurous for choosing your product.
Product Description Example
Of course, you can sell your product without a detailed description. The potential buyer would have to rely more on visuals and reviews, and many customers do just that. However, there are easy products to sell, such as basic household items, and there are more elaborate products. For example, a custom cup that sells for above-average price would need a description simply because the potential buyer needs to know why he has to spend more on it. Is it “sensational”? Does its message “challenge” the coffee drinker every morning into thinking about “revolutionary” topics? This approach would create a super strong message — just like the one below.
Here is an Amazon product description for a personalized coffee mug with a custom message of the buyer’s choice:
Our top pick among the buyers — a personalized glass mug — is completely customizable. We create it from the lead-free glass-based material, which is also perfect for shaping and coloring. The groundbreaking technology of glass shaping and natural color additives allow to create the most personalized gift. Just imagine sipping coffee from a SuperMan glass mug and thinking how you will change the world today after getting that coffee boost.
Product Description: Does Your Product Really Need It?
Of course, rules are meant to be broken. But for the most part, product descriptions that are powerful will never hurt the brand.
Even Palace Skateboards realize that some bullet points with short and concise statements next to their top-notch winter jackets make a difference.
Even if you think your product image speaks for itself, stop and think again. Search engines and your customer personas are starting to speak a more similar language, and that is the language of both visuals and text.
