Understanding Your Audience: The Key to Effective Descriptions
Seems like people forget the main point of product descriptions. Itâs not about what youâre selling, itâs about who youâre selling to. Donât get me wrong, I love a good technical breakdown as much as the next person but if the description doesnât connect with the reader, you might as well be speaking gibberish.
If you write for everyone, you write for no one. It might sound harsh but sometimes tough love is important. The right product description is one that creates a link between what your audience wants and how your products can help them get it. Yes, it needs to inform them about the product itself but also why it should matter to them.
If your audience is made up of business professionals who value luxury pieces, they want to know how itâs going to make their lives better and easier. But if your audience is looking for daily wear for regular use, they want something affordable thatâll last more than a week. People online donât have time to read through walls of text (even I donât). In todayâs world, people want instant gratification and convenience.
Make sure that every word of your product description counts and adds value to the readerâs understanding of the product. Use short paragraphs or bullet points where necessary so people can find answers quickly. It also helps to think about who your target audience is evidently in terms of gender, age, income levels, and lifestyle choices.
If you write descriptions tailored to a specific set of people, it will help increase conversions and boost revenue down the line. More or less. It can rarely also help you build brand loyalty by connecting with people who believe in or relate with your mission statement. Understanding who youâre writing for is essential if you want to sell online efficiently.
You might think that writing product descriptions are only about what you say but when in reality itâs all about how what you say relates back to your audience.
Crafting Compelling Headlines: Grab Attention Instantly
Headlines are the new seduction techniques of copywriting. Reminds Me Of you either win your audienceâs attention in the first second or lose them for life. This means that crafting compelling headlines for product descriptions isnât about what you want to say, but what they want to read. While weâve all been guilty of spending five hours writing a 10-word headline, the results are worth it.
Your consumers today are so inundated by content at every point in their lives, that headlines are the only real way to make an impact in those 3 seconds they do see your content. It seems like and letâs face it, once we move past this one line, our audience is moving on to something else. So itâs important to strike a balance between catchy and salesy when it comes to headlines.
The best way to understand if your product description headlines are working is by asking yourself, âWould I read that headline. â The key lies in understanding why you should buy your own product and why it matters so much. Thereâs no shame in getting inspired by some of the greatest work out there - just donât copy.
Utilizing Sensory Language: Engage the Senses
Strikes Me As i realise now, far too late, that my sense of what i like in clothes is typically tied almost completely to the way they feel. Thereâs something about the mix of textures in a silk cotton blend that gets me in a way that I canât quite describe. And yet, I would give my left foot to have words that could capture that feeling for an online audience. More or less.
Perhaps if it were to be a list of things you should do when it comes to writing about products, using evocative language would be right at the very top. If youâre wondering what that means - think about the thing you like most about your favourite item and how youâd describe it to someone who canât see or touch it. Or if you want to get technical with it, using language thatâs evocative doesnât just mean describing what something looks or feels like, but rather delves deep into describing the way something smells and sounds as well.
Wouldnât reading âbuttery soft leatherâ or âcrisp linen shirtâ make you want to shop for those pieces more than simply stating âleatherâ or âshirtâ. The answer is yes. Itâs quite fun to play around with sensory words because they let people into the experience of an item without them having ever interacted with them.
What does their inclusion mean for your brand. A deeper connection with shoppers who might not just pick up your pieces out of necessity but perhaps go back over and over again because they know exactly what to expect every time. And while every product description could really go without being able to describe what sound a particular pair of jeans makes when someone puts them on (unless maybe yours are usually designed specifically not to creak - which does seem like a treat), thereâs definitely merit in making sure that each person who reads about your products knows exactly how much thought has gone into their creation.
Highlighting Unique Selling Points: Stand Out from the Competition
There are several kinds of beauty in the world. For a select few, beauty comes from effortlessness. For a good number of others, it's all about emphasising their unique strengths.
Brands fall under the latter category - which is why when it comes to brand identity, it's important to make sure product descriptions reflect this. It seems like identifying unique selling points is a great way to set your brand apart from the competition and communicate what you have to offer that they don't. It also helps your customers understand why they should choose you over them. Think about what your ideal customer wants and highlight exactly that as a part of your product offering.
Make sure you let them know you're thinking of them while producing and curating these collections - their wants and needs are at the centre of it all. If you're stuck on how to do this, look for opportunities to connect with your customers through shared values and philosophies.
And besides, everybody likes feeling like they're a part of something bigger than themselves sometimes.
Incorporating Storytelling Techniques: Create Emotional Connections
No one needs another stiff, bullet-pointed product description that sounds like it belongs in an instruction manual. Itâs not memorable - and people skim right past without feeling anything. I think the real trick with writing copy that sticks is to tell a story that makes people care.
And no, it doesnât have to be an epic saga or something out of Shakespeare. If you want your product descriptions to cut through, they need to be more than specs and features.
Instead, give the reader something to visualise. Whatâs life like when they use your product. Let them feel what itâs like when theyâre in the driverâs seat of your story - and yes, this goes for fashion products as well as gadgets and home decor. The key is to appeal to both the rational and emotional side of human behaviour.
People want proof, but they also want hope. Storytelling allows you to hit on these emotional touchpoints that make a product meaningful - whatever that means for your audience. More or less. You have a better chance at turning sceptics into believers by showing them what their lives could look like with your product in them - instead of asking them to buy something based on merit alone.
Of course, not every purchase comes from an emotional place (Iâm thinking toothpaste and dental floss here) but people are buying from brands - not faceless companies. The better job you do at infusing life into every piece of content you put out there, the easier it will be for people to connect with you.
Optimizing for SEO: Boost Visibility and Reach
Seems like thereâs a bit of a stand-off between creative writing and SEO. But it can be worked out, I think.
As far as reinvention goes, product descriptions must now serve as part of the search engine infrastructure as well. Or at least appease the algorithm gods enough to get your copy featured on those highly coveted first couple of pages. Of course, thereâs always the risk of overdoing it and ending up sounding like a machine yourself. Finding that sweet spot is key - product descriptions with just the right amount of personality and the right amount of âkeyword placementâ.
The best way to do this is by carefully integrating these keywords into your existing writing. Take a look at some sample product descriptions in your own vertical to see whatâs working for others (not to copy, but for inspiration). You can also use helpful tools such as Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush.
These are extremely effective when it comes to identifying trending keywords that people are actively searching for online. These tools also give you an idea about which terms will likely perform better so youâre not left guessing what would work best for your content.
It can sometimes feel like gaming the system but the idea here is to add value for potential customers looking for information about relevant products or services. And if you have a good copywriter on hand who understands SEO - you can rest assured knowing theyâll create compelling, impactful product descriptions optimised with select keywords that read well. I know it sounds simple enough but finding writers who intuitively understand how SEO works isnât always easy. More or less.
Most stick to either creative or technical writing - and donât quite marry both methods equally well in one piece. While this might not seem like too much of a red flag, writing solely for SEO could impact your brand and product perception overall by making it appear cold or off putting even if you didnât intend for that to happen.