And why you shouldn’t neglect this important sales tool!
As a manufacturer, you must stay on top of a lot of information. There are the technical nuts and bolts about your product such as manuals and spec sheets as well as the growing list of required documentation like SDS sheets, Prop 65 labeling, UN 38.3 test summaries, WERCS certification, etc. This sea of materials should also include descriptive information about the product. This means bullet copy, at least 5 high-resolution photos shot from different angles (including lifestyle shots), videos (if possible), and product descriptions. That last can be the hardest to understand. And it’s why we’ve put together this guide, just for you, on how to write great product descriptions.
Just what is a product description?
The term Product Description is also known as Marketing Copy, Marketing Description, Short Description, Description, Product Copy, and even Body Copy, which term is used depends on the retailer. But, essentially, they all mean the same thing—the paragraph about your product.
Sometimes sellers broaden their term to also include bullets and photos, but for the purposes of this blog, we’re identifying it as the paragraph.
Why is the product description important?
The product description on a web page can make or break a purchase. That’s because it is your virtual salesperson.
Here at Petra, we work with hundreds of manufacturers. And when it comes to that crucial marketing paragraph sent by companies, we’ve pretty much seen it all—and don’t get us started on typos.
But, you say, “why should we as a manufacturer even bother? What’s the big deal? Can’t companies like Petra just create something to fill in the blank?” What we could create is no substitute for what you can provide. After all, our goal is to represent you as you—in your voice—as much as possible.
Only YOU:
- Know the voice of your brand
- Understand what makes your product different from competitive ones
- Know your end-user audience, how they think, and what they are looking for
So, when you craft your own marketing copy, you have more control over voice, accuracy, and intent. In essence, you are crafting the approach and sales pitch you want your virtual salesperson to take.
6 tips on how to write great product descriptions
Overview—understand the big picture
Remember, the short paragraph is your virtual salesperson. With so much product research and comparison shopping being done online these days, you need that paragraph to set the mood, generate interest, and answer key questions. It must also use keyword phrases that the search engines will like. This enables a search in Google, Bing, or an online retailers site to pull up your product in the search result pages.
Product descriptions should be on your own website as well as what you send out to your distribution partners—whether they be wholesalers, retailers, or direct-to-consumer sites. On your own site, you can have multiple paragraphs and talk from the corporate viewpoint. For use elsewhere however, avoid the word “our”. After all, other sites are selling products from many manufacturers. For them, “our” means their own website, not your company.
Tip #1: Know your company’s voice and your company’s customers—and use that knowledge to directly engage prospects.
If your company was a person, what kind of personality would it have? If your company already has a corporate attitude or is perceived in a certain way by your customers, be sure to use that persona—don’t use a neutral voice.
No persona yet? Develop one! Is it:
- Geeky?
- Retro?
- Tech-savvy?
- Young adults?
- Offbeat?
- Adventure seekers?
- Stepping to the beat of a different drummer?
Does it have a compelling backstory that prospective customers can relate to or a founder with a particular expertise that’s unique to the product space yet relevant? Or, are your customers of a certain mindset that you need to mimic in order for them to better relate to you?
Are you okay with humor? Depending on the product, humor often breaks down resistance and opens doors.
Your voice distinguishes you from your competitors. Don’t be afraid to use it! You must figure out how to use your voice without talking directly as the company.
The takeaway: You must use your voice in a way to be personable, as well as engage and capture the imagination of those you consider to be your target customer base.
Tip #2: Write in terms of features and benefits, and don’t skimp on important details.
Buyers want to know how their life will be better with your product. What problem will it solve, or which pain points will it ease? If you can’t make that clear, then there’s no reason for them to buy your product.
Furthermore, does your product require something else already be in place in order to work, such as WiFi, a smartphone, or an Amazon Alexa hub? Don’t assume terms like “Smart” or “Alexa compatible” will be self-explanatory. And if your item is on the techie side, prove your expertise by providing enough key info to make an informed purchase decision.
The takeaway: Don’t expect prospective customers to draw their own conclusions on the important stuff—do it for them. Be sure to spell out the benefits.
Tip #3: Write evergreen copy and watch those claims.
Often at Petra, we receive copy stating “New,” “Introducing,” “Latest Generation,” or “Limited Time Offer.” Those are fine on your own website where you are in direct control of copy updates. But when it comes to online retailers, words like that hang around for years, coming back to confuse, haunt, and disgruntle just about everyone.
But that brings up a bigger question: When is something no longer “new”?
Because technology changes so rapidly, subjectively, the glamour surrounding “new” is gone after two or three months. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has advised the term should be dropped after six months from product launch.
But “new” claims can be scrutinized by the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of the Better Business Bureau. It “monitors national advertising in all media, enforcing high standards of truth and accuracy. NAD examines advertising claims made for goods and services as diverse and critical as telecommunications, infant nutrition, over-the-counter medication and dietary supplements and on a wide variety of issues including clinically proven or efficacy claims, environmental, ‘green’ or natural claims, product demonstrations, the use of endorsements or influencer marketing (including their disclosures), consumer reviews or sponsored content. NAD accepts complaints from consumers, competing advertisers and local Better Business Bureaus. NAD’s decisions represent the single largest body of advertising decisions in the United States.”
And, in case it’s not clear, NAD’s influence also extends to online platforms.
Beyond the term “new,” we also see copy that states “Best in Class,” “Revolutionary,” “#1 in…,” “The Preferred Choice,” etc. When working through a distributor or wholesaler, you need to be able to backup those claims. On your own website, you can have asterisks and footnotes.
A product description must stand on its own, without outside references. Besides, another company can come along and one-up you. Then you’re scrambling trying to clean up everything, everywhere—or you’re hoping no one will notice. So, it’s best to avoid provisional claims.
The takeaway: Don’t date yourself. And don’t use specific claims that are moving targets.
Tip #4: The marketing copy should be vivid and lively, and not repeat your bullets.
Where a product description is actually positioned can vary from website to website. Sometimes it is above the bullets. Sometimes it is next to them or underneath. No matter where it’s located, you don’t want the paragraph to be your bullets in sentence form. The paragraph should function as your persuasive salesperson.
It should:
- Talk about the big picture to draw people in, often by telling a story
- Pump up excitement and fire the reader’s imagination
- Explain how your product is THE only one to solve his or her problem or pain point
The bullets’ job is to handle the nitty gritty.
Shopify.com shares an interesting insight to the psychology behind selling online:
Scientific research has proven that if people hold a product in their hands, their desire to own it increases. You’re selling online, so your web visitors can’t hold your products. Large, crystal clear pictures or videos can help, but there’s also a copywriting trick to increase desire: let your reader imagine what it would be like to own your product…Dazzle your readers with vivid product descriptions. Think about words like velvety, smooth, crisp, and bright.”
As for length, the paragraph should be concise, but not too short. Most websites require a minimum of 3 sentences and/or 150 characters. Some have a max of 1,500 characters. Your company name and item name must be included. A good rule of thumb is 150 to 200 words for simple products and 350 to 400 words for more complex items.
The takeaway: Tell a story. Let the marketing copy be the sizzle and seasoning that grabs the online visitor’s attention. But watch your word count.
Tip #5: Use keywords in your product descriptions.
If you have not become familiar with the terms, “keywords” and “SEO friendly,” do so now. Embrace them. They are important because search engines scour all text that’s online. When someone types in a search inquiry, the search engine is going to return results based on the closest text matches to that inquiry. The good news is there are resources to find keywords relative to your products. You can read more about this in one of our previous blogs about SEO.
Another free resource is called sonar.
It researches the term you type in and pings it against what’s on Amazon. Bars to the side of each listing gives you an idea how popular the search term is. Photos of relevant products pop up as well. Clicking on a photo of a product similar to yours will show all the search terms that company put in as keywords. This will help get you going.
Be aware that lots of keywords are associated with a product without actually appearing in the marketing copy, item name, or bullets. Don’t worry about that right now. You’re just trying to find those magic terms people use to find the kinds of products you manufacture. Once you know what your prime keywords need to be, work them into the product paragraph naturally.
Here at Petra, when you submit products, we also provide a separate spot for you to list keywords. So, all those goodies you found to be relevant can drop in there, whether you used them in the product description or not. We’ll then do additional research to make sure there are other keywords that haven’t been overlooked.
The takeaway: Your product descriptions must entice people as well as web crawler bots and search-engine algorithms
Tip #6: Watch your spelling and grammar.
Good spelling and grammar tend to be invisible because most of us take them for granted. That’s why typos and poor grammar stand out—in a bad way. They reflect poorly on a consumer’s perception of the company.
Use Grammarly or Grammar Check to double-check your copy. You don’t want to look bad on your own website, much less anyone else’s!
The takeaway: You may have the next big thing, but poor grammar can sabotage the results.
OK. We’ve followed your tips on how to write great product descriptions. So, why do my descriptions get changed up or are completely rewritten for certain online shopping sites?
We get it. You’ve worked hard on those marketing descriptions. You’ve polished them till they’ve shone. So, we understand your disappointment when something different appears on a retailer’s website.
Certain online sellers require product copy that’s unique—different from your manufacturer’s site and different from other resellers’ sites. They may also impose additional marketing copy requirements or want the bullets rearranged or phrased differently in order to match a format of their own design. Some even dictate how a product must be named.
It turns out there’s logic behind this strategy.
Some search engines penalize a product listing on a site if it is duplicated across multiple sites. Plus, look at it from that reseller’s perspective. If a potential customer sees the same identical material across many sites, why would he or she choose to buy from a particular site? Every reseller is looking for an edge. Unique product descriptions give them a significant one.
The value of working with a distribution partner
Product distributors like Petra are in constant contact with manufacturers and retailers. We understand the needs of both. And we constantly do a careful balancing act in our role as facilitator.
To accomplish that, we have an entire marketing department. The Content Team handles the text side of things, carefully editing copy for style and grammar, item names, and bullets while honoring what is perceived as the manufacturer’s intent. The Media Team ensures photo and video requirements are met. And the Product Information Team gathers all the required technical nuts, bolts, and documentation.
Our teams also know what each major reseller requires. When necessary, we adapt what you provide to fit their requirements. If we see we’re missing something crucial or there are contradictions, we ask you to provide more information.
After you supply us information, it appears first on our own website—with slight modifications when necessary to fit our own style guide as well as to eliminate the various typos or grammar errors that might show up. Then, as needed, we adapt your material for use on websites that have their own requirements. If you’ve provided us with good, solid content—content that reflects your voice—those adaptations will still retain what’s special and unique about you and your products.
If you’re a manufacturer looking for a distribution partner that brings a lot to the table, consider Petra. Find out more about the various services and channels of distribution we offer. We hope to do business with you soon!
