The Secret Formula to Writing eCommerce Product Descriptions (as told by the Spongebob fam)

You've warmed up the leads, got your biggest fans back on your webpage, and now everyone's shopping on your online store. They're right there, with their finger lingering over the "Add to Cart" button.

There's just one last thing they want to read before pulling the trigger: your product description.

The product description's job is to explain what a product is (duh!) and supply the reader with enough information to want to buy. While more complex, more expensive items ($99+) may justify the use of a sales page, only product descriptions are typically needed for everyday eCom items such as cosmetics, small household items, good eats, and the like.

You'll likely need to add features somewhere alongside your product description, but today we'll focus on the benefits--AKA--the copywriting-heavy portion of nailing these descriptions. Here are my favorite tips on writing product descriptions for eCommerce stores that fly off the proverbial shelf faster than a dozen pretty patties.

#1 Be super concise (by using verbs and the present tense)

Every word is prime real estate when all you have are a few lines to capture attention, explain accurately, and sell. There are a few simple grammar tricks to make things sound smoother to the reader, look more concise to the eye, and get their eye on your shiny new *thing*.

Action words: Many effective product descriptions are loaded with verbs, in essence, one big Call to Action. Begin sentences with words like “get” “look” “grab” or, if using a call to action “buy” and “shop.”

Present tense: A tell-tale sign of a rookie writer is using “will” when it isn’t necessary. The present tense such as “helps” “feels” and “tastes” when describing what the product does instead of “this will help” or “it will feel.”

Ex: “This anti-wrinkle and anti-blemish corrector evens your skin tone and sets to a soft matte finish."

#2 Eliminate the words “which” and “that” as much as possible

These words tend to be superfluous. Almost as much as the word superfluous. 

Now you may think: how in the world do I explain the “how” behind the pieces in my product without using the word “which” or “that?”

It’s no secret that that can be removed ← it often gets doubled up or isn’t totally necessary. Run through your final product description and see if you can eliminate them.

If you can’t, no worries. If you can, great! More room for action-packed words that paint a vivid picture like:

To get rid of “which,” you can often use a gerund to your advantage. 

From: “This gentle toner balances your skin’s pH which reduces redness and inflammation and provides hydration in one easy swipe.”

To: “This gentle toner balances your skin’s pH, reducing redness and inflammation and providing hydration in one easy swipe.”

This simple switch also helps the reader quickly differentiate between the action (i.e. “balances”) and the result (“reducing redness;” “providing hydration”) so the description doesn’t get muddled.

#3 Now add sensory words

Sensory words describe how we experience the world: through taste, touch, scent, and sound.

Brain and Language published a study in 2012 where psychologists found that a certain part of our brain is “activated” when we read sensory words.

What’s not to love about lighting up your ideal buyer’s brain when reading about your product?

Now, we can do a little better than that.

Hubspot has a grab bag of sensory words to use or you can steal every writer's exclusive trick that you won't believe: the thesaurus.

I use it all the time to get inspired by captivating words that make each description utterly unique and tempting. But be careful not to go overboard here--each word needs to be easily digested and understood.

#4 Get specific by tackling the “how” and the benefits 

Buyers are sophisticated and knowledgeable. They want to know about your product, what it was made with, and how it will affect them.

That’s why it’s no longer enough to just include an ingredient or a certain material, for example, but how those items will help you in your daily life.

Here's a longer description I wrote for Conciousitems.com:

"Enjoy the healing and grounding energy of this 20-bead bangle, complete with the harmonious trio of Tiger Eye, Black Obsidian and Hematite crystals. Tiger Eye, a stunning gemstone, gives you the mental clarity to manifest your ideal life and the protection against everything that doesn’t serve you. Hematite absorbs and neutralizes negative energy, while Black Obsidian stone shields against disharmony. This 10MM bracelet was thoughtfully curated to bring you abundant balance, peace and vigor to navigate an often hectic world."

Here, we've managed to include some features (20-bead bangle, 10MM) as well as materials (Tiger Eye, Black Obsidian and Hematite crystals) but it's riddled with detailing how each crystal works to benefit the reader.

#5 Vary the sentence structure

Writing sentences with the same length gets boring. The reader won’t be intrigued to keep reading. If they don’t read the whole description, they won’t buy. 

Ugh. That was boring. Thank goodness I just broke it up with some two short sentences and now here’s an extra long one to get your attention back!

When writing product descriptions, you may only have 3-4 sentences to work with. Make sure every single line is of a different length and you’ll easily have the intrigue factor.

Here’s a formula to help you write your own product description:

[A quick fact or question to grab attention.] [Optional sentence stating a simple yet important fact.] [Longer sentence explaining the main benefits of the product / the main ingredients used and why that would matter to them.] [A medium-length sentence with a call to action/when to use it.]

With these tips and the master formula in mind, you’ll have product descriptions that keep them interested all the way to the check-out page. 

If you need to outsource some help, get in touch with me directly at contact@kaleenastroud.com.