Writing Great Product Descriptions: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

Great product photographs bring customers to your listing, but past that stage, when customers consider buying, it’s the product description that does the talking!

You and your potential customer are both looking for “the one.” Your product photo is like a profile picture, and your product description is like your texting—Make it relevant, personal, and memorable.

Writing stellar product descriptions that stand out and match your brand could take some work. However, it’s also a process in which you can constantly change and optimize. Therefore, this checklist of 5 stages of good product description is one that you come back again and again. Let’s begin!

1. Does it answer basic questions?

Does a bag always speak for itself? White Oak Factory explains the material of different parts as well as the pocket inside to answer basic questions.

Size: Width 14 “x Height 17″ x Depth 3”
Strap: 26 “
1 zipper pocket inside. & 1 Antique brass button on a middle.

Below are some minimum information to provide in your product description. At this stage, consider the customers arriving here to make a purchase decision, not to be inspired or to make an impulse buy.

✔ <Short introduction>

Here, you can write about your design concept, storytelling of your brand, what it’s best for, and even additional photos to explain details.
What customers want to know:
What’s special about this product? Does it fit the context I’m buying for?

✔ <Size & Fit>

What customers want to know:
Is your sizing system the same as what I’m used to? What is the model’s size?

✔ <Material & Care instructions>

What customers want to know:
How much can you tell me about how this product is made? Do you stand with your product quality? Do you care about your products after they are purchased?

✔<Shipping Details>

What customers want to know:
Do you have the shipping fees and delivery speed I expect? Are you experienced with international shipping?

✔ <Return Policy>

What customers want to know:
Do you accept returns? Will it be easy to communicate with you?

2. Is it thoughtful and exceeds customer expectations for information?

When customers couldn’t touch a product, they sometimes forget to ask the questions they actually care about, such as if the fabric of a dress is thick or thin, or what type of batteries a light needs. Think ahead and provide the information customers will want when they are using the product, not just browsing the product.

Besides listing material and size, Christy Studio also tells customers what the bag is good for:

Can use as:
Everyday purse
school/ college
mommy bag
Clubbing/shopping
……

The list goes on. This encourages customers to imagine how they can use the bag, therefore making the bag attractive, and easier for customers to identify their needs. Christy Studio continues to list detailed dimensions for the pockets:

“ interior pocket:
1 x zipper pocket—————— 8″ x 8″ /// 20cm x 20cm
2 x large pockets——————9″ x 7.5″ /// 23cm x 19cm
1 x cell phone pockets———–4″ x 5″ /// 10cm x 13cm
1 x small pocket ——————-5″ x 5″ /// 13cm x 13cm

/// 1 x key clips
/// main compartment top zipper closure
/// the strap attach with the o-ring is made in leather

This help customers know if her phone really fits!

It’s for your benefit too! By including thoughtful details, you will save time responding to inquiring messages, as well as reduce the possibility of return requests.

✔ Thoughtful information about using the product

Providing details beyond the obvious will make them see the product as a quality product and see you as a quality brand.

3. Is it really specific to the product listing?

Sometimes, you have many designs for the same product, such as phone cases in the same material and designs, but with different prints. Often the same product description will work across the different designs, and even help customers understand that it’s in the same collection.

However, if you want to take your brand to the next level, do put in description for variations. The name of this design, products similar to this design, etc.… it shows you really care about each piece.

Emaley has so many phone cases that we lost count, but for each case they list different “You might also like” products in similar styles.

✔ Description for product variations

4. Is it easy to read—easy for customers to find what they want?

In the previous points, we addressed what information to provide. Now, let’s see how format can make a difference.

✔ Short and sweet
✔ Bullet points

First of all, on mobiles, short and sweet descriptions in bullet points often grabs attention longer. Notice Emaley’s bullet points mostly fits within one line, whether on the Pinkoi app or on the website.

Or check out Animals in Wonderland’s Kitten Donut Necklace listing.

By covering essential information, the description is not exactly short for a necklace! But with good formatting, it’s easy for the customer to read. This makes them stay on your page. It also helps customers find the information they want faster. For example, a customer looking for last-minute gift might jump to the shipping section, while a customer looking to match the necklace with a specific top might jump to the dimensions.

Using consistent formatting makes the sections clear and easy to find, and to customers this subconsciously translates to a good product or a good brand.

✔ Clear sections
✔ Consistent formatting

5. Does your brand personality shine through?

We put this in the last part of the checklist not only because information and clarity mentioned above should come first, but also because brand personality can be expressed through all of these points!

✔ Tone:
Is your brand friendly or intellectual? Are you professional and direct, or do you claim a poetic license?
✔ Photos/videos:
Writing about material? Use photos to show it against light or how it wears after many uses. Writing about a jacket? Use a photo to show your brand lifestyle.
✔ Your brand’s offerings:
Show how your brand is different, whether it’s gift-ready packaging or customer-approved customizations.

Moomin Jewelry’s entire brand is about Moomin Valley, and takes pride in their materials and packaging. By listing jewelry of other Moomin characters, and describing their packaging that is ready as a gift, the brand makes a strong, consistent impression.

Even short messages like these show you are a real human being behind the brand, and they build trust and connection:

✔ Place of design/manufacture:
Customers get a better picture of your brand and your originality.
✔ Personal message:
Notes like “Thank you for supporting our work” or “We are happy to answer your questions” show that you want a genuine connection with customers.

Remember, take it step by step. Once you have the previous points in place, you can start revising them anytime to express your brand personality.

Summary

That was a lot, wasn’t it? Let’s do a quick recap. When you are writing product descriptions, ask yourself these five questions and check these bullet points: