Writing Product Descriptions: 5 Tips to Boost Your Sales

Most copywriters get so involved in writing accurate and wordy product descriptions that they forgot their main purpose: to make an actual sale.

So how can you convince customers to buy from you just by reading your product descriptions? Here are five effective tips for writing product descriptions to get sales:

1. Answer the “Five W’s” and the “How”

Not only are the “Five W’s”  useful in journalism, but you can also apply them to your product copywriting:

Who – relates to the target audience the product is intended for. Knowing your audience can help you describe how your product addresses their needs and interests.

What – includes basic product details: features, dimensions, attributes, and what makes them different from your competitors.

Why – the reason or purpose for buying your product.

How – the mechanics or process involved in your product. It also refers to how your product functions. Is it easy to use or requires reading the manual or watching a video tutorial?

Where – where would your audience use your product: within their home, outside, or another location?

When – refers to the timing or frequency that your customers use your product. For example, do they use it every day, weekly, monthly, or at certain times?

2. Seamless Integration of Features and Benefits

It’s not enough that you have awesome, top-of-the-line product features. What matters more to customers is how the features can improve their lives (save money, save time, improve appearance, etc).

Another effective tip for writing product descriptions is rewriting features as benefits. By doing this, you create the strongest benefits possible. To achieve this transformation, you can simply write how the feature will benefit your customers:

•  The gas mileage on a car is a feature; the amount of money you can save on gas is a benefit.

•  Home delivery is a feature; not having to break your schedule and spend on gas or transportation to go to a retail shop is a benefit.

3. Tone of Voice

Your tone of voice is a distinct characteristic that can help you stand out in the search engine crowd. It’s also an effective tool when engaging with your target audience.

Instead of using a boring and canned sales pitch, start with a conversational tone. Engage your customers in a natural-flowing conversation to identify their needs and gauge how you, as a brand, can be of help or value to them.

For example, Dropbox uses simple yet professional language:

“What is Dropbox?

Dropbox is a home for all your work. You can store and share files, collaborate on projects, and bring your best ideas to life—whether you’re working alone or as part of a team.”

4. Use More Verbs

Unlike adjectives, verbs are direct to the point.

In a world of ads and sales letters stuffed with adjectives, verbs are more specific and harder to ignore.

Verbs can make your copy clear and snappy, enough to boost your product description to sound more attractive to your audience.

5. Use Bullet Points

In an online study by Jakob Nielsen, on average, web users read just 28% of the words on a page. Users tend to scan the pages more than read web copy word-for-word.

To make your product descriptions scannable, use bulleted lists. Bullet lists promote optimal readability. Use them to highlight your product’s main features and benefits.