Writing compelling product descriptions is what gets the casual shopper to click the buy button and purchase your product.

But writing product descriptions is more than just writing what the product is. It goes beyond just describing what the product entails. If you remain at this basic level, you will not get the results you want, which is to convert to sales. 

Product Descriptions Defined

A product description answers essentially two questions: what the product is and why it’s worth buying. The idea behind a well-written product description is that it provides essential information about the product, namely its features and benefits, in order to compel the customer to buy it. 

An effective product description moves the customer from a casual shopper to a buyer. But before this can happen, the product description must answer these essential questions:

1. What pain point does your product resolve?

2. What benefits will your customers gain?

3. What differentiates it from the rest?

Ideally, the product description should answer these questions in a playful and winsome way. 

How To Write Product Descriptions That Convert

Where online merchants fail is that they begin by listing a long catalog of features for the product. Instead, they should also mention how this product will benefit the customer, now and in the future. If these benefits are not included within the product description, it is highly unlikely that they will buy the product. No customer will want to buy a product if there is no benefit to be had. 

Here’s the right way to write your product description:

• Target your ideal buyer: As in any type of marketing copy, the more personal your message, the more likely you are to appeal to all. Write as if you are having a conversation with them, asking and answering any questions they may have. 

Use the same language or phrases that are characteristic of your target audience. What kind of humor would they appreciate and relate to? What words would turn them away? Write by using the word “You” as you are addressing them. 

• Barrage them with benefits: As owners of the companies, merchants are so heavily invested in the creation, iteration, and testing of the product, so much so that they lose touch with what their customers actually want from these products. Customers could really care less about all the bells and whistles that business owners have so meticulously placed on the product. 

What they want is for you to answer that million-dollar marketing question, “What’s in it for me?” An effective strategy is to follow each feature with an easily compelling benefit right after. Soon they will stop saying “who cares?” and start saying “I need that!” Ask yourself if your product delivers on making your customers happier or more successful.

• Avoid generic phrases: Far too often, especially when a merchant has little to no copywriting experience, they tend to use overly done, generic, and cliche. Instead, focus on providing important details about your product followed by the benefit of each of these details. 

When you include more details, you are increasing the validity of the product. Always be specific. It is more likely to sell than those products that have a poorly written and vague description.  

• Invoke the imagination: It has been proven that a customer is more likely to purchase a product if they can actually touch, inspect, and feel it. Unfortunately, that experience is simply impossible to replicate online. And therefore, something else needs to be done to convert them to buying. Sure you can use high-quality and colorful pictures, videos, and the like. But there is something just as effective, and that is using copywriting to invoke the imagination. 

When you ask your audience to imagine something, it puts them in the driver’s seat to conjure up images in their mind of owning and holding the actual product in their hand. Then the copywriter must end the experience by telling the customer how they will actually “feel” after using the product. 

• Use sensory words: When it comes to sensory words, don’t just focus on words that appeal to one of the five basic senses that humans have. Try to encompass as many as possible within your product description. It’s about having the reader experience the product as they are reading the description. For example, if you are selling chocolate, don’t just focus on the taste, but also on the texture. You can feature words such as “crunchy” or “smooth”. 

The Benefits Of A Compelling Product Description

In order for any business or content to be found on Google, you need to ensure that you are using the right, specific keywords. By using this optimization on your product description, you increase the chances to rank high enough on the Google search engine. 

Product descriptions fill in any gaps of information where pictures and videos have failed. By answering the questions that most customers would have, you are mitigating any obstacles that are keeping the customer from buying your product. Knowing everything upfront also will lessen the likelihood that they will return your product for a refund down the line. 

Your product description can also build brand loyalty. They can see you as a personable brand, not some massive, distant corporate entity ready to simply take their money. That connection is what keeps them coming back for more. Best of all, if you have resolved their most painful or stickiest problem, then you could have a customer for life. 

Get Writing

In business, nothing is ever guaranteed, you simply need to get that product description out there, test it, get feedback, and improve. That is how you know if you are striking a chord and people are connecting with your products. It will take a little patience and a lot of experimentation, but when you get there, you will know.