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How Do You Write Product Descriptions?

These are three fairly horrendous product descriptions I found online after a search for a black scented candle:

  1. “A dark floral blend of jasmine and rose with cinnamon and soft suede wrapped in patchouli, amber and sandalwood.”
  2. “A long-burning, hand-poured wax candle with layered notes of Bergamot, Amber, Cedar & Sandalwood.”
  3. “The spicy sweet aroma of exotic patchouli casts a captivating spell!”

These came from Next, Yankee Candle, and Oliver J Woods – not in that order…or was it…I can’t tell because they all sound the same.  They are sucky product descriptions. 

This one is from Space NK:

“Take a walk in a French perfume house with the gorgeous Black Large Scented Candle. This candle offers the scent of Bulgarian rose and blackcurrant leaves. The long-lasting proprietary blend of waxes and oils ensures that Black Large Scented Candle burns evenly and makes any space more inviting.

The romantic scent of this candle comes from the luxury perfume house of Diptyque, famous for the quality of their products and fragrances since 1961. Hand poured into hand blown casing, the Virebent earthenware pot from the south of France is useful even after the candle has been consumed.”

Now that is a product description.  So how the feck do you write one?  Here are the 5 simple steps

1. Inform then Persuade

This is what we’re taught as copywriters – product descriptions must inform the customer first, then persuade them to buy.

What problem does your product solve?  What will I get from owning this product?  Why is it better than the 75 other black candles I’ve just looked at?

Your product description needs to move your customers further along the sales funnel.  They know they want a product, they’ve found this one, your description has to get them to hit the ‘add to basket’ button.

2. Get down and dirty with the details

Your product description needs to include:

  1. What it is made of and, what it’s not made of – think of vegan friendly or BPA free products.  Materials must be included in your product description.
  2. How the feck do you write product descriptions? – basically how big it is so I don’t order a bed for a dolls house instead of my flat.  In the case of clothing ‘S,M,L’ doesn’t cut it.  We want real measurements.
  3. What’s included – gift box? Nice bag? Thank you chocolate? Is that ring in the photo just to make the picture look better or does it come to?  Make sure everything that is included, and everything that’s not, is listed on the page.

3. Break up the text

Sometimes your customer just wants to know if it takes batteries or needs plugged in; or what the measurements are – will it fit next to the sofa?  For these people, you need to make sure that your copy is readable at a glance.

Use bullet points, selective bolding, subheadings, and scatter images through the copy to break up the text, and help draw their attention to the details they really care about.

4. Assume the person would love the product

This is a strange one, but when you are writing a product description, you can’t write it for everyone, you need to pick someone.  The best way to do this is to assume you are writing for the one person who would adore the product.  Answer their questions, show them the best features, and speak to their emotions – that’s how you write persuasive marketing copy.

5. Don’t forget your brand voice

If the text sounds like it’s been copied and pasted from the manufacturer’s website…well, it probably has.  Make sure the product descriptions sound like they’ve been written by you, about products you believe in.

If you need help writing product descriptions that convert, get in touch!

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