What Makes a Good Product Description

According to Google Analytics, businesses spend thousands or millions annually in promotion for their businesses. However, only a portion of that is translates into tangible income.

Why?

One common reason is faulty product descriptions. Most amateur sellers see-saw between descriptions that are too long, too short, too wordy, or not descriptive enough. It can be difficult to balance between selling your product and overkill; however, here are a few tips to get you going in the right direction.

Define Your Buyer

Like the author who claims her revamp of The Brother’s Grimm is suitable for ages nine through ninety, your product can’t and won’t appeal to everyone. Waffle makers in the shape of Disney characters may delight young children, but you have to sell to their parents. A high-power hedge trimmer may appeal to a middle-aged man with a landscaping business, but not necessarily a trendy teen waitress.

Consider your buyer carefully, and write a profile for an imaginary buyer. What gender are they? What age range? Any marriage partner or kids? How would they dress? Where would they live? Try to be as specific as possible. E.g., “The ideal buyer for my software would be single women in their twenties, looking to keep track of their finances in expensive US cities such as Chicago.”

Additionally, remember who the actual buyer is. If you create personalized items, it’s more likely you are selling them to gift givers, who will have differing taste than the actual users. The same rule applies for children’s goods. You will profile the buyers (the parents) rather than the consumers (the children).

Buyer Benefits

The first rule of human nature is that everyone looks out for “number one.” We all like to know exactly how we will benefit from the buy. Rather than simply listing the merits of your product, be sure to emphasize how it will benefit your reader personally. You will draw information from the profile you made for your imaginary buyer. E.g., “This dress will flatter your figure, especially curvy women over 40.”