Copywriting for products is a delicate balance of providing information, appealing to the emotions of the reader, and keeping it brief. At the same time, different industries come with different expectations for product descriptions. If you’re using business-to-business (B2B) copywriting tools and strategies to sell a new product, you need to include different information than a business-to-consumer (B2C) copywriter.
B2B product buyers need to get buy-in from multiple stakeholders and prove that buying will grow revenue or cut costs. B2C shoppers are also concerned about a return on their investment but from a different perspective.
We want to provide some basic tips to help you create compelling product sales copy for any type of customer—and tell you about the tool that helps writing come easier.
What Is Product Description?
Product description is the craft of writing marketing copy to explain what a product is and why it is worth buying. At a basic level, this gives consumers insight into the features, benefits, and ideal uses of the product. With more expansive, high-quality product description examples, there are also emotional appeals and imagery that inspire the reader to want the product. A great product description addresses the buyer’s concerns and gives them confidence to make a purchase.
What Do You Write in a Product Description?
There are a few basic elements which should be included in any persuasive copywriting examples:
Details and Description
We know—of course a description must include a description, right? But we start with this because we know it is top-of-mind, and it’s also often the easiest place to begin writing. What does the product do? How does the product work? What are the benefits for the user, and how do those benefits go above and beyond the competition?
For example, imagine you are selling high-quality running shoes. Which short description example do you think does a better job?
- Running shoes available in sizes 5-12. Leather upper. Memory foam sole. Impact cushioning for long-distance runs.
- Our Hermes Sneaker is available in sizes 5-12. The leather upper provides long-lasting durability while a memory foam sole and impact cushioning help you stay supported on even the longest runs.
The second example isn’t much longer than the first, but it does a far better job of helping the shopper imagine themselves running in the shoe. It also underscores other benefits like durability, and mentions the name of the product. That means a better chance that shoppers will remember the name if they don’t make a purchase today but come back later.
Recommended Uses
Part of the purpose of the product description is also to inform consumers who won’t be satisfied with your product. Listing the recommended uses of the product helps protect your reputation as a seller and helps shoppers compare and contrast between your different offerings.
Continuing our example of a sneaker retailer, the company probably offers a whole line of shoes, not just one style. In the product descriptions, they differentiate which ones are recommended for indoor sports, outdoor sports, hiking, running, walking, or urban exploration. By defining these categories, they empower consumers to shop for what they need and make a more confident purchase.
Materials and Dimensions
Lastly, a product description should always include what the product is made of and dimensions like its length, width, height, or weight. There are a rising number of conscientious consumers in the market who are concerned with artificial materials. In other cases, not sharing the dimensions of the product can drive higher return rates or cost you repeat customers.
With the sneaker retailer, one important dimension to include is the weight of the sneaker. This will help athletes and other prospects decide whether a shoe will work for them. They may want a light shoe for long days of working on their feet or running great distances. Others who want traction and durability may prefer a heavier shoe. The same goes for the materials—some may want leather, others want mesh for breathability, and still others would prefer canvas as a natural material.
Have these three guidelines started your wheels of inspiration turning about your own products? Now that we’ve covered what to include in your product description, we’d like to tell you about the best place to write it distraction-free.
Try for the Best Sales Copy Ever Written With Slice
Slice is the next evolution of the word processor, created for and tailored to the needs of an online copywriter. Tools like Microsoft Word and Google Docs have not evolved to keep pace with the new demands of content creation. Switching between tabs to look at your product specs, brand standards, competitors’ content, and website introduces new opportunities for distraction at every turn—or rather, click.
Slice lets you gather all the relevant information from your different sources and centralize it in the same space in which you are working on the product description. No need to copy-paste and keep track of what is your new content and what you pulled from other sources to avoid plagiarism, either. Our integrated web clipper lets you easily capture content from any webpage and move it into Slice, while also providing a clean slate for you to create your masterpieces. Writers across the web are using Slice to create everything from LinkedIn posts to full-length books! Sign up for your free 30-day trial today and transform your writing workflow.
