How to Write Product Descriptions that Sell

I mean, you have to say something about your products, right? Now take a look at this product: Do you know what it is just by looking at it? So it’s a good product description. There are, of course, a lot of different people who buy Apple MacBooks for different reasons. When writing descriptions that include features and benefits, keep in mind the following: You don’t have to list benefits of every feature. You’re probably familiar with product descriptions that look like this: Those simple bullet points are a good start, especially if the product doesn’t need a lot of descriptive text. But if you feel like you could create better product descriptions by using creative text than by listing keywords, then give that a try. As a whole, though, including keywords in your titles and using your product descriptions to sell customers is certainly a good approach. Here’s an example of a product description that uses video of the product: It has a short but detailed description, bulleted lists with SEO keywords, a fun but professional tone, a clear image, and a great product video. If basic bullet points work for you and your customers, then that’s great.

How much do product descriptions impact sales?

There aren’t that many case studies out there about product descriptions, so it’s hard to say definitively.

One e-commerce study found that 20% of purchase failures are potentially a result of missing or unclear product information.

But some products seem to sell just fine with a title and a picture. So does it really matter?

Yeah, it kind of does.

I mean, you have to say something about your products, right?

People do tend to gravitate toward certain words when shopping online.

So yeah, a bad product description can potentially turn someone away from a sale. But if you currently have poor product descriptions, it’s not too late.

You can easily turn a bad description of a product into one that sells with a few minor tweaks.

The difference between a good and bad product description

What exactly makes a product description “bad?”

It doesn’t really have as much to do with the length of text or the verbiage that you use. At least, those aspects aren’t as important as you might think.

The main goal is simply to explain what the product does and why someone should buy it.

When a product is self-explanatory, for example, you don’t need to be fancy.

Take this example of a basic, white t-shirt:

It’s fairly obvious what this product is and who it’s for.

The product description doesn’t have to go into too much detail.

Sure, it explains that it’s a “soft, lightweight crew” and that it’s “made from a blend of Pima Cotton and Lyocell.” But that’s just bonus information for the shopper.

In fact, most people probably won’t do much more than skim it.

The selling factor for this shirt revolves more around things like image quality (it looks good on the model), size, availability, color range, and price.

All of those things are there, so the text is less important.

Even though it doesn’t include much detail, it’s a good product description.

Now take a look at this product:

Do you know what it is just by looking at it?

You could probably guess it’s a mask of some kind.

And if you’ve ever used a snorkel before, you might recognize the design.

Here’s the product description:

Because this product is somewhat unique, it requires a bit more information.

This company does a good job of outlining what the product does, why it’s better than a traditional snorkel, and how it can improve the diving/swimming experience.

It’s a great product description for a somewhat confusing product.

Both of these examples have descriptions that:

Clearly explain what the product does or its intended use.
Offer added value or benefits.
Include all relevant information.

Now take this example from Nalgene:

It not only has a description, but it also has tabs of technical specs and extended details on the product. Yes, all of that is for a water bottle.

Is it necessary? For their customers, it is. So it’s a good product description.

All of the examples above accomplish the same goal. They give the shopper what they need to know – nothing more, nothing less.

A bad product description, on the other hand, does the opposite of that.

Think of it this way: If you read a product description and you still have questions about it, then it didn’t do its job.

But I don’t want you to write bad product descriptions.

So here are a few tips for making sure that your customers get all of the details they need.

1. Define your buyer personas before writing your descriptions

A good product description starts with a solid buyer persona.

If you don’t know who is going to be buying your product, you don’t know what information to include or leave out in your description.

Take this example of a beard oil kit from Mountaineer Brand:

Above the fold, there’s nothing but a title — “Complete Beard Care Kit” — and a star rating.

But if you scroll down, you’ll find a block of information:

While a beard oil kit isn’t the most “out there” product I’ve ever seen, it is something that might be new to some people.

If you’ve never used beard oil before, would you know how to use it properly?

This company does a great job of not only describing what you get in the kit but also giving pertinent details about how to use it and why each product is beneficial.

Sure, it’s long.

The description is for buyers who might actually need all of this information.

Their buyer persona is probably, “A person with a beard who may or may not know how to groom it and who may or may not know that this product exists.”

Here’s an example of the reverse situation:

The only description that it includes about the Apple MacBook is the technical specs.

But there are two reasons why this still works.

First, Apple is a huge, international brand. If I say “Apple MacBook,” you probably already know what it is, what it looks like, and what it can do.

Second, Apple has an entire (long, scrollable) page dedicated to explaining the benefits of their product:

It even has product videos and a more robust product description:

So when it comes to the actual shopping page itself, there’s not much more information you need.

There are, of course, a lot of different people who buy Apple MacBooks for different reasons. But it’s safe to say that the bulk of them are probably computer-savvy.

Their product descriptions tend to include a lot of technical details because their buyers are technical people (usually).

It works for them.

When you look at a third-party retailer for the product, you see a similar approach:

Small description with a technical focus.

When you’re selling your products, you want to keep your buyers in mind.

Are they the end consumer — customers who are buying for themselves or others — or are they wholesale accounts?

What are their demographics, ages, and interests?

If you’re selling a jacket to a teenage girl, you’re probably going to use different kinds of descriptions than if you were selling a jacket to an older man, right?

But then again, you might not.

The North Face markets a lot of their gear the same way. Here’s the product description for their women’s Apex jacket, for instance:

And here’s their description of their men’s Apex jacket:

There are some differences, of course.

They highlight the women’s jackets as “soft” compared to “dry” with a focus on layering versus coverage. But overall, the basic descriptions do the same thing.

Their buyer personas tend to fall into the “active, outdoorsy” category, which includes both men and women of various age groups.

Keep in mind things like: