Copywriting for product descriptions
Copywriting is a highly valuable skill to learn, especially for ecommerce beginners.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it simply refers to words used to persuade the reader to take a specific action. And no, it doesn’t have anything to do with copyrights or legal stuff.
In the case of product descriptions, copywriting helps convince customers to buy the product by telling them the benefits of the product and allay any concerns the customer may have. However, writing copy isn’t as easy as it sounds.
There are specific rules, formulas, and tactics grounded in psychology that help us sell more products with words.
Some useful resources to help you learn more about copywriting:
-
-
-
Speak in your target customers’ language and use the words they use.
-
Focus on the benefits of the product and how it will transform the life of your customer.
-
Think of the types of concerns a customer may have about the product and strive to answer them in the copy.
-
Use social proof, such as quotes from existing customers or sales data, to demonstrate a product’s effectiveness or popularity.
-
Keep words, sentences, and paragraphs short and simple. Make it so clear that anybody can understand.
-
Be transparent! Rather than hide any flaws about a product, be upfront and even coy about them.
-
Once you’ve got the basics down, it’s time to get creative.
Consider your brand values: Is your business laidback or serious? Entertaining or knowledgeable? Are you passionate about protecting the environment?
These values should reflect the values of your target customer. Keep them in mind while writing product descriptions, as customers are more likely to buy from a business they can relate to and trust.
6 quick copywriting tips for product descriptions:
-
-
-
Speak in your target customers’ language and use the words they use.
-
Focus on the benefits of the product and how it will transform the life of your customer.
-
Think of the types of concerns a customer may have about the product and strive to answer them in the copy.
-
Use social proof, such as quotes from existing customers or sales data, to demonstrate a product’s effectiveness or popularity.
-
Keep words, sentences, and paragraphs short and simple. Make it so clear that anybody can understand.
-
Be transparent! Rather than hide any flaws about a product, be upfront and even coy about them.
-
-
Product photography and media
How you display your products has an enormous impact on how likely someone is to buy them.
The primary product photo needs to be eye-catching and conform with the rest of your store. If you’re selling hoodies, for example, they should take up the same amount of space in each photo and be photographed from the same angle, against the same background.
Additional photos can save you time answering customer questions and help move them closer to a purchasing decision.
Try to put yourself in the shoes of the customer. Consider what would you need to see or know before buying the product.
Would you want to know how it looks when it’s being used or worn? Would you want to make sure the stitching has been done carefully? Is the reverse side or inside of the product just as important as the outside?
In some cases, you may need to film a product video to properly communicate the value of your product. If you’re unsure what media to include, check out the product listings of your most successful competitors and take notes on how they present their alternatives.
Here are some helpful tools for editing product photos and videos:
Some of these tools are expensive, and I’d recommend finding a free or cheap alternative until your business has become profitable to justify using them.
Pro tip: Recycle your product photos and videos across different marketing channels. They can be reused to create social posts, advertisements, sales emails, and more.
Reporting and CRO
A conversion happens when a customer takes an action on your website that you intended them to take; for example, adding an item to their cart or completing a purchase.
Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is the process of continually testing and updating your website in an effort to maximise the number of conversions that take place.
By testing and monitoring the changes you make to your product pages, you can learn how they improve or damage your conversion rate. This information can then inform whether you try a different tact or double down on what worked.
Some product page elements you can test when focussing on CRO:
-
-
-
Product description copy
-
Product images
-
Button text
-
Button colour
-
Content blocks
-
Product name
-
-
