Tips to Write Product Descriptions that Convert

Know Your Audience

When it comes to writing product descriptions, one of the most important things to consider is your ideal customer. Understanding who your target audience is, and what they are looking for in a product, is crucial in creating effective and persuasive product descriptions that boost your product marketing campaign. 

Here are some ways knowing your audience can help you write better product descriptions: 

• Tailoring your language and addressing pain points

By documenting your ideal customer, you can tailor your product descriptions to their specific needs and pain points. This ensures that your product descriptions are relevant and appealing to your target audience. 

For example, if your ideal customer is a busy working mom, you’ll want to highlight how your product can save them time and make their life easier.

• Highlight the right features

Different people will be interested in different aspects of a product. By knowing your audience, you can focus on the features and benefits that will matter most to them.

• Increase conversions

When you know your audience, you can create product descriptions that speak directly to them. This can help increase conversions and drive sales.

• Create more effective templates

Having a customer persona can help you create more effective product description templates.

• Use more accurate examples

Knowing your audience can be essential to finding more accurate product description examples that speak to your target market.

Do Detailed Competitor Research

In the competitive world of e-commerce, conducting a detailed competitive analysis is essential when writing product descriptions. This research helps you understand what your competitors are offering and how you can differentiate your product in the market.

When writing product descriptions, it’s important to know what language and messaging your competitors are using. This allows you to identify any gaps in their descriptions and fill those gaps with your own unique selling points.      

For example, if your competitors are not emphasising a certain feature or benefit of their product, you can highlight that feature in your product description to make it stand out.

Competitive analysis also helps you understand the pricing and positioning of your competitors’ products. This information can help you decide on the same for your own product, and communicate the value of your product in a way that resonates with your target audience.

Find Your Transactional Keywords

Transactional keywords are the words and phrases that customers use when searching for products online. By including these keywords in your product descriptions, you can increase your visibility in search results and make it easier for customers to find your products. 

Finding your transactional keywords starts with understanding the language your customers use when searching for products like yours. This can be achieved by researching your target audience, analysing search data, and monitoring customer feedback and reviews.

Once you have identified your transactional keywords, you can use them strategically in your product descriptions. This can mean including them naturally in the title, the first sentence, and throughout the description.  

These keywords can be used in different ways, whether you are writing product descriptions from scratch or using product description templates and examples.

Rank the Features and Benefits of Your Products

When writing product descriptions, ranking the features and benefits of your products is essential for effectively communicating the value of your product to potential customers. Here are some ways in which it can be useful while writing product descriptions:

• Highlighting important information

By ranking the most important features and benefits, you can ensure that the most significant information is highlighted in the description and that it resonates with your target audience. For example, if you’re selling a camera, you might want to rank image quality as the most important feature, followed by zoom capabilities and ease of use.

• Show the value of your product

When you rank your product’s features and benefits, you can highlight its value to customers.

• Appeal to specific audiences

Ranking the features and benefits of your product can help you appeal to specific audiences. 

• Make use of templates and examples

When you rank your product’s features and benefits, you can more effectively use product description templates and examples. You can pick the most important features and benefits and tailor the descriptions accordingly.

• Identify missing features

Ranking the features and benefits helps you identify any missing features that your customers are looking for and address them in the product description. This can help build trust and credibility with your customers and position your product as a solution to their problems.

Features vs Benefits: What Comes First?

When writing product descriptions, the decision of whether to focus on features or benefits first depends on the product and the target audience.

For example, if you are selling a new skincare product, you may want to lead with benefits such as “Say goodbye to dry skin” or “Get a youthful glow in just one week” instead of listing the product’s ingredients first. This way, you can grab the customer’s attention and create a sense of urgency to make a purchase.

On the other hand, if you are selling a new camera, it may be more appropriate to lead with features such as a “20-megapixel sensor” or “4K video recording” to provide customers with a clear understanding of what the product does and its technical capabilities.

A good approach could be to start with the benefits and then follow up with the features. For example, “Get a youthful glow in just one week with our new skincare product containing nourishing ingredients such as vitamin C and hyaluronic acid.” 

Another way to decide whether to focus on features or benefits first is to consider the stage of your target customer’s buying cycle. If the customer is in the early stages of the buying cycle and is not familiar with the product yet, it may be more appropriate to lead with the features. If the customer is in the later stages and is already familiar with the product, it may be more appropriate to lead with the benefits.

Consider the 4Cs of Copywriting

When writing product descriptions for e-commerce and product marketing, it’s important to consider the 4Cs of copywriting: Clarity, Credibility, Consistency, and a powerful call to action.

• Clarity

Clarity refers to the ability of the product description to convey the features and benefits of the product clearly and accurately. It’s important to use simple, easy-to-understand language and to avoid jargon or technical terms that may confuse the customer.

• Credibility 

Credibility refers to the ability of the product description to build trust and credibility with the customer. This can be achieved by providing detailed information about the product and by addressing any potential concerns or objections the customer may have.

• Consistency 

Consistency refers to the ability of the product description to be consistent with the company’s overall brand and messaging. This can help create a sense of trust and familiarity with the customer and improve the chances of a successful sale.

• Call-to-action

Lastly, a powerful call to action is a must in any product description. The call to action should be clear, specific, and urgent. It should give the customer a clear next step and encourage them to take action.

By considering the 4Cs of copywriting when writing product descriptions, you can ensure that they are clear, credible, consistent, and persuasive. This can help improve the chances of successful product marketing and increase the chances of customers making a purchase.

Include Creative Taglines

When writing product descriptions, adding creative taglines wherever possible can be a powerful tool for product marketing and persuasion. Taglines are short, catchy phrases that summarise the product’s key benefit or unique selling point. They can help grab the customer’s attention, create a memorable impression, and pique their interest further.

When adding taglines to your product descriptions, it’s important to focus on the product’s key benefit or unique selling point. This will help ensure that the tagline is relevant and persuasive. 

For example, if you are selling a new energy drink, a tagline such as “Unleash your energy” can be an effective way to grab the customer’s attention and communicate the key benefits of the product. If you are selling a new brand of organic and natural skincare, a tagline such as “Nature’s beauty, in a bottle” can be an effective way to communicate the unique selling point of the product (organic and natural) and make it more memorable.

It’s a good idea to place the tagline prominently in the product description, such as the title or the first sentence. This will help ensure that the customer sees it and that it makes a lasting impression. You can also use taglines in other marketing materials, such as social media, email campaigns, and packaging, to increase the chances of it being remembered.