As an eCommerce store owner, there are plenty of things that you can do to drive more traffic to your store, and increase your conversion rates.
For instance, you’re probably already:
Running Google Ads campaigns
Hitting up your customers with retargeting ads
Sending abandoned cart emails to customers who didn’t convert
Today, though, we’re going to be discussing an area which most eCommerce store owners don’t typically pay attention to… and that’s product copywriting.
Now, if you’re like most eCommerce store owners, you’ll probably check to see that your product copy makes sense, doesn’t contain any typos or grammatical errors, then go ahead and publish your listing.
Here’s the thing, though: your product copy shouldn’t just be “good enough”. It needs to resonate with your customers, and be compelling to the point where they’d gladly hand over their money.
Think about it: when your consumers navigate to your product page, they’re this close to making a purchase. This means your product copy (along with the other elements on your product page) can essentially make or break your sale.
Bearing this in mind, it’s worth investing the time and effort to A/B test and optimize your product copy -- just like how you’d A/B test a Call To Action button on your homepage.
Want to improve your copywriting? You’re in the right place. In this bumper guide, we walk you through:
The functions of product copy
What to include in product descriptions
10 product copywriting tips to supercharge your copy
4 product copy sins to avoid, and
BONUS: 3 must-have elements on your product page
By the time you reach the end of our guide, you’ll be a whiz at product copywriting!
The Functions of Product Copy
The two functions of product copy are to inform and persuade -- and if your copy does both of these things, your chances of closing a sale will be that much higher.
To inform, your product copy should contain useful information about the product’s specifications and other relevant details.
The goal is to answer ALL the questions that a potential customer could possibly have about your product -- this way, you reduce the friction associated with the sale, and increase your chances of your customer clicking “Check Out”.
On top of that, you also want your product copy to be compelling and persuasive. We’d like to think that humans are 100% logical and rational, but the truth is that we’re irrational creatures who lead with emotion. Bearing this in mind, if you can appeal to your customer’s emotions, and pitch your product in a way that resonates with them, this will also skyrocket your conversions and sales revenue.
We’ll walk you through several tips that you can use to make your product copy more informative and persuasive in a bit, so keep on reading.
What To Include In Product Descriptions
Information that you might want to mention in your product descriptions include:
Material
Product care information
How the product was made
Measurements and dimensions
Specifications (for tech products)
Usage instructions (eg: requires 3 x AAA batteries to function)
Use cases (eg: great for backpacking, camping, or hiking)
Related accessories (eg: replacement filters available separately)
As a general rule of thumb, the more detailed your product copy is, the better. Now that consumers are getting increasingly environmentally conscious, and more people are concerned with living sustainably, make sure you mention if your product is made locally, or produced using organic / fair-trade materials.
For instance: “Made with Fairtrade certified organic cotton and natural dyes” sounds way better than just “Made with cotton”.
10 Product Copywriting Tips To Supercharge Your Copy
Can’t seem to nail your product descriptions? Here are my 10 best tips that will help you improve your product copy.
#1: Understand Your Customers Like The Back Of Your Hand
Here’s the number one rule of product copywriting (actually, all copywriting): you’ve got to understand your customer’s psyche, and know them like the back of your hand.
Why is this important? Well, if you don’t get to know your customer on a deeper level, you might be totally off the mark when you’re determining your key selling proposition. And assuming that you’re crafting your product copy to focus on the wrong proposition, this means you’re not positioning your product in the most effective way.
For instance, say you’re selling a range of slow-cookers on your website. Now, you might think that the key benefit of these slow-cookers is how they help people make healthier meals at home, but your customers might actually place more value on the fact that it lets them spend less time cooking, and more time with their family.
Obviously, if you write your product copy in a way that emphasizes how using slow-cookers results in healthier meals, your product won’t sell as well as it potentially could.
So, how do you understand your customer’s psyche? Simple -- read publications and blogs that are popular with your audience, join the Facebook Groups that they’re active in, and lurk on the forums that they frequent. You’ll soon become familiar with your customers’ inner motivations and the challenges that they face; you can then use these insights to hone your product copy.
#2: Sift Through All The Customer Feedback You've Gotten
You probably receive emails from your customers regularly. Some of these might be from happy customers enthusing about how your product has changed your life, and others might be from unhappy customers who are dissatisfied with your product.
Don’t delete those emails just yet -- they’ll come in handy when you’re writing your product copy.
Take the emails that contain raving reviews, for example. You can use these to determine exactly what it is about your product that your customers love (this ties back into Point #1). Better still, incorporate phrases from these reviews into your product copy to make your copy resonate better with your consumers.
For example, say you received an email that goes:
“This fitness tracker is so awesome! I LOVE Feature X, Y, and Z, and I’ve been recommending it to all my family and friends. I’ve been making New Year Resolutions to lead a more active lifestyle for AGES now, but this is the first year that I’ve actually managed to make that a reality -- and it’s all thanks to your fitness tracker!”
From here, you might tweak your headline for your product copy to say something along the lines of:
The #1 Fitness Tracker That Helps You ACTUALLY Keep Your New Year’s Resolution Of Exercising.
What about when customers write in to complain about your products? Those emails are pretty useful, too.
For instance, say your customer received a defective product, and they wrote in with this complaint:
“I was super disappointed with this coffee machine. On the first day I used it, I got an amazing cup of coffee -- good enough to rival that of my favourite coffeehouse. On the second day, the portafilter started leaking steam, and by the end of the week, the coffee that I was brewing tasted like 3-in-1 coffee. I’d like a refund.”
Obviously, you’d refund your customer and/or send them a new coffee machine, but once that’s done and dusted, you can also use their email as inspiration for your product copy:
The Best Quick-Brewing Coffee Machine For Coffee Addicts.
Brews coffee that’s good enough to rival your favourite coffeehouse.
Pretty smart, huh?
#3: Quote Rave Reviews And Testimonials
Running in the same vein, you can also directly quote your rave reviews and testimonials within your product copy, so as to showcase social proof.
Here’s what your product copy might look like:
XYZ Fitness Tracker
Comes with Feature A that provides Benefit A, Feature B that provides Benefit B, Feature C that provides Benefit C.
Lucy C., Michigan: “This fitness tracker is so awesome! I’ve been making New Year Resolutions to lead a more active lifestyle for AGES now, but this is the first year that I’ve actually managed to make that a reality -- and it’s all thanks to your fitness tracker!”
Scroll down to check out the other reviews by our 4,000+ customers who love this product 👇
For best results, don’t just copy your customer’s testimonial wholesale. Instead, remove the bits that are generic and don’t say much about your product, so that the testimonial is more succinct and hard-hitting.
If your products have been reviewed on reputable sites such as Wirecutter, make sure you mention that as well. You can either copy and paste a portion of the review to use with your product copy (like how we’ve done above), or simply include a bullet point to say “Rated #1 Fitness Tracker by Wirecutter”.
#4: Focus On Benefits, Not Features
You’ve probably heard this one before: focus on benefits, not on features.
This is fairly straightforward: instead of focusing on the technical specifications of your product, talk about what these specifications mean for your customers, and give them a reason to care.
Here’s a negative example: 64GB memory card.
And a positive example: 64GB memory card that stores up to 45,000+ pictures. You’ll never run out of room for your vacation photos, even if you’re taking a one-year trip around the globe!
Again, a negative example: Comes with double-stitched seams.
And a positive example: Comes with sturdy double-stitched seams; you can wear these pants to go hiking, trekking, rock-climbing, and abuse them however you want -- they’ll never fall apart.
#5: Use The PAS Framework
Got no idea where to start when it comes to product copywriting? An easy way to structure your copy is to rely on the Problem-Agitation-Solution framework, also known as PAS.
This is pretty self-explanatory -- you start off by discussing your customer’s problem, rock the boat by telling them what will happen if they don’t take action, and finally bring up your product as a way of solving that problem.
Say you’re writing copy for a sunrise alarm clock, for instance. Your copy might look something like this:
[Problem] Feel like you’re being jolted awake in the mornings?
[Agitation] No one likes waking up abruptly to a loud, shrill alarm. This skyrockets your cortisol levels and puts your body in flight-or-fight mode; and as a result, you become irritable and on edge for the rest of the day.
[Solution] What if we told you that waking up in the mornings doesn’t have to suck? Introducing the XYZ Sunrise Alarm, which is clinically proven to help you wake up feeling energized and refreshed…
The PAS framework is highly versatile, and you can use it to write product copy for virtually any product. Try it out for yourself!
#6: Make Your Copy Emotive
At the start of this article, we talked about how humans are largely irrational creatures, and how appealing to your consumers’ emotions will help you sell more effectively.
Now, this sounds pretty challenging, but tapping into your customers’ emotions is actually easier than you think. According to research, humans have just four basic emotions (happy, sad, fear/surprise, and anger/disgust), so all you have to do is identify which emotion you want to tap upon, and think about how you can evoke that emotion using your product copy.
Happiness
First up, let’s talk about happiness. According to the reputable psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, we’re hard-wired to seek out joy and happiness, and our first emotional action in life is to respond to our mother’s smile by smiling back at her. We also know that happiness is one of the main drivers for social media sharing, which makes it a great fit for when you’re trying to market your store or products.
How do you evoke happiness with your product copy? Simple -- just get your potential customer to envision a scenario where they’re using your product, and it’s making their lives better.
Here’s an example from ThinkGeek:
Now, imagine you’re a potential customer of ThinkGeek’s.
Chances are, upon reading the above product copy, you’ll be thinking of all the BBQ parties that you can organise this summer. It’ll be fun to have the entire family together, you can get to see your precious nieces and nephews, and perhaps your brother’s wife will bring her delicious homemade Sangria.
Bam. That’s happiness, right there.
Another brand that nails their product copy is Method Home:
This product copy doesn’t even mention the word Christmas, but it brings to mind all the wonderful memories we’ve got associated with Christmas anyway. This will probably differ from person to person, but for us, we’re thinking of end-of-year parties, hot chocolate and mulled wine, and quality time spent with our friends and family. Warm fuzzy feelings, all around!
Sadness
On the flip side of happiness, there’s sadness.
Interestingly enough, when we feel sadness, our brain produces more cortisol and oxytocin. The former is known as the “stress hormone”, and it encourages consumers to pay attention to your story; the latter is known as the “cuddle” hormone; it’s responsible for feelings of care, concern, and empathy.
Now, you might be wondering… why on earth would any business owner want their consumers to feel sad?
Assuming you’re running an eCommerce store, you’re right -- this particular emotion probably isn’t very relevant for you. But if you’re running a non-profit organisation, and your goal is to get consumers to donate to your cause, then evoking feelings of sadness (which in turn generates empathy) might just do the trick.
Fear/Surprise
Alright, moving onto the third emotion, which is fear/surprise.
Now, if you’ve ever wondered how fear-mongering works, the science behind it is that when someone experiences feelings of fear or surprise, they end up feeling more connected to external stimuli (be it a person, concept, or business).
More specifically: a Journal of Consumer Research study shows that consumers who experience fear while watching a film felt more connected to a brand (as opposed to consumers who watched films evoking happiness, sadness or excitement.)
The author of the study, Lea Dunn, notes that people cope with fear by bonding with other people. As she puts it: “When watching a scary movie, (people) look at each other and say ‘Oh my god!’ and their connection is enhanced. But in the absence of friends (...) consumers will create heightened emotional attachment with a brand that happens to be on hand.”
That said, evoking fear with your product copy isn’t just as simple as saying: “if you don’t buy my product, bad things are going to happen to you.”
As Amy Harrison notes on Copyblogger, in order for your copy to be effective, you’ve got to have three elements in place:
The threat has to be moderate to high
The reader has to feel he is personally at risk
The reader needs to believe preventative action is simple
If even ONE of these three elements isn’t present, then your product copy runs the risk of falling flat on its face.
For instance, say you’re selling a weight loss meal kit, and you want to elicit fear by discussing the health risks that your consumers might face if they’re overweight.
Your consumer might know that being overweight dramatically increases your chances of having heart disease (#1), and they might have family members who have developed medical conditions after gaining weight (#2), but if they DON’T believe that losing weight is as simple as following your meal plan, then you’re out of luck. Your consumer probably won’t buy it.
Alternatively: say your consumer believes in your meal plan (#3), and their doctor has been telling them that being overweight dramatically increases your chances of having heart disease (#1). But if they have friends and family who are overweight, and don’t seem to be suffering from any health complications, then they might not feel like they’re personally at risk.
Again, this diminishes the effectiveness of your copy.
Bottom line? If you’re trying to craft product copy that elicits fear or surprise, you need to make the threat significant and vivid, convince your consumer that they’re personally at risk, AND show them that they can beat the threat with your product’s help.
Anger/Disgust
The last emotion that you can tap on with your product copy is none other than anger/disgust.
Now, anger is a very powerful emotion, and like happiness, it’s one of the main drivers of social sharing and virality:
How do you incorporate this into your copywriting techniques? This particular emotion actually fits nicely into the PAS framework that we just discussed, so try and conjure up a scenario where you press your consumer’s buttons, and get them riled up.
Let’s refer to the same example that we used previously -- that of the Sunrise Alarm Clock.
If you’re copywriting to evoke more anger, you might do something along the lines of:
[Problem] You’re probably waking up abruptly to a loud, shrill alarm every. Single. Morning.
[Agitation] It feels like someone’s dumping an ice-cold bucket of water on you and jolting you awake. Your stress levels are through the roof, and even though you’ve just started your day, you’re already in a bad mood.
[Solution] What if we told you that waking up in the mornings doesn’t have to suck? Introducing the XYZ Sunrise Alarm, which is clinically proven to help you wake up feeling energized and refreshed…
#7: Use Sensory Words
One tried-and-tested copywriting technique is to utilize sensory words within your copy. These are words that are associated with your senses of touch, smell, sound, taste, and sight.
If you’re wondering what’s the science behind this, here’s how it works: when you incorporate more sensory words in your product copy, this helps you to connect with your consumers’ subconscious.
According to A.K. Pradeep, the world’s leading neuromarketing researcher, the subconscious brain is where consumers form opinions about elements such as initial product interest, purchase, intent, and brand loyalty.
On top of that, studies also show that our brains process non-sensory and sensory words differently. When we read non-sensory words, we simply process these words as text. But when we read sensory words, this lights up a different area of our brains, causing our brains to process the information as though we’re actually experiencing it.
The bottom line? Using sensory words in your product copy can help your consumers better relate to your product, and it can also improve their liking of your product.
To get you started, here are a list of sensory words that you can incorporate into your existing product copy:
Words related to sight:
Sparkling
Shimmering
Glowing
Glossy
Gleaming
Vibrant
Brilliant
Radiant
Twinkling
Flashy
Hazy
Indistinct
Blurry
Dim
Gloomy
Drab
Tarnished
Words related to sound:
Bellow
Roar
Rant
Rumble
Jabber
Squawk
Cackle
Clamour
Clang
Screech
Shriek
Squeal
Yelp
Shrill
Creak
Grumble
Hiss
Sizzle
Howl
Mumble
Murmur
Mutter
Whimper
Rustle
Rave
Words related to touch:
Balmy
Biting
Bristly
Bumpy
Chilly
Coarse
Dusty
Feathery
Fluffy
Furry
Fuzzy
Velvety
Silky
Gooey
Gritty
Icy
Powdery
Prickly
Scratchy
Spongy
Words related to taste:
Appetising
Scrumptious
Luscious
Palatable
Delectable
Creamy
Flavourful
Bitter
Bland
Nauseating
Peppery
Savoury
Spicy
Stale
Sugary
Refreshing
Tart
Tangy
Zesty
Words related to smell:
Aroma
Fragrant
Perfumed
Scented
Spicy
Musty
Odour
Acrid
Fetid
Foul-smelling
Pungent
Putrid
Rancid
Rank
Knock yourself out!
#8: Overcome Objections
This is a common technique that B2B business owners use for copywriting, but it’s equally useful for eCommerce store owners as well.
Basically, the goal here is to identify all the possible objections that your customers could possibly have, and pre-empt them by overcoming their objections.
For instance, say you’re selling a hair tonic that helps with hair loss, and one common objection that you hear from your potential customers is that it’s too expensive.
You might do something along these lines:
Our hair tonic comes packed with Ingredient A, Ingredient B, and Ingredient C, all of which have been tested in independent, peer-reviewed studies, and are scientifically proven to reduce hair loss.
We import our ingredients exclusively from U.S. certified organic farmers, not from dubious sources in third-world countries, so you can rest assured that you’re getting only the good stuff.
PS: You know what they say - prevention is better than cure. If you wait till you develop serious damage to your hair or scalp before seeking treatment, you can expect to pay upwards of $200 per session at specialist hair scalp clinics.
Here, you’re conveying that your product is worth its price in two ways. First, you talk about how your ingredients are sourced from certified farms in the US, which explains why customers are paying a premium.
On top of that, you’re also telling your customers that if they don’t use your product and resolve their hair loss problems once and for all, things might escalate to the point where they have to see a specialist, and pay for pricey treatments.
PS: Obviously, the latter represents a more “aggressive” way of overcoming your customers’ objection; if you don’t feel comfortable doing this, feel free to rely on a softer approach and simply talk about how your products are made with high-quality ingredients.
#9: Format Copy Properly
When it comes to product copy, formatting is crazy important. If your consumer navigates to your site, and they’re greeted by an intimidating wall of text, they’ll probably exit your site without a second glance.
This is fairly straightforward, so I won’t dwell too much on this. Just make sure you’re breaking up your text into shorter, more manageable paragraphs, and use bullet points appropriately.
#10: Use The Right Keywords
In case it wasn’t immediately obvious, I’m talking about SEO here.
Look, I know that SEO is a hassle to deal with. I also know that the average eCommerce store owner has about a gazillion things on their plate, and it’s hard for them to spare the time to research their keywords, and learn how to optimise their product copy around said keywords.
But trust me when I say this: SEO isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have.
This applies to EVERY eCommerce store out there, even the ones who are running successful PPC campaigns. (For these folks: you need organic traffic/conversions to help you push down rising Costs Per Acquisition, and to keep your digital strategy sustainable!)
How To Research Keywords For Ecommerce
So, how do you go about researching your keywords?
Here are a few things you can do:
Generate ideas using Google’s Keyword Planner Tool. If you haven’t already done so, create a free Google Ads account. Then navigate to the Keyword Planner Tool, enter a phrase or keyword that describes your eCommerce store, and Google will generate a list of keywords for you.
Spy on your competitors’ keywords using SimilarWeb. Just plug your competitors’ URL into the search bar, and you’ll be able to access data about their top-performing organic and paid keywords.
Identify the keywords that are already bringing you traffic using Google Search Console. Log into your Search Console, then navigate to Search Traffic, Search Analytics, and Queries. Sort the data by Clicks to figure out which keywords are bringing you the most clicks.
Primary VS Secondary Keywords
Here’s the general rule of thumb: one product page, one primary keyword.
That said, you can optimize each product page for secondary keywords as well. These are typically phrases that are semantically connected to your primary keyword, but they might not have as high a search volume.
For instance, if your primary keyword is “rubber yoga mat”, your secondary keywords might be “natural yoga mat” and “non-toxic yoga mat”.
Don’t worry if you only manage to fit your secondary keywords in once or twice in your entire page, or if you can’t get them into your page title or meta description. These merely support your primary keyword, and you don’t need to feature them heavily within your product page.
How To Incorporate Keywords Into Product Descriptions
Once you’ve figured out your keywords, you’ll have to optimise your product pages for those keywords (ie: incorporate the keywords into your product copy).
The key idea here is to use your keywords throughout your page (in your H2 headers, your body copy, image alt text, etc) in a way that’s as natural as possible. Make sure you DON’T compromise on readability in any way.
Let’s go with the previous example -- say I’m optimising a product page for the primary keyword “rubber yoga mat”, and my secondary keywords are “natural yoga mat” and “non-toxic yoga mat”.
Here’s a negative example:
Looking for the best rubber yoga mat, natural yoga mat and non-toxic yoga mat? At our rubber yoga mat store, you’ll find the best rubber yoga mat and natural yoga mats in town. We only sell non-toxic yoga mats, so check out our natural yoga mats and check out your purchase today!
For the love of god, don’t do this to your customers. Just… don’t.
Use your keywords naturally instead:
Looking for a rubber yoga mat that won’t release toxic chemicals during your practice? Check out our natural yoga mats -- these are made with biodegradable tree rubber, and they’re free of phthalates, latex and heavy metals!
4 Product Copywriting Sins To Avoid
Here are 4 rookie product copy mistakes that eCommerce store owners typically make. You’ll want to avoid these like the plague!
#1: Using Your Supplier’s Product Copy
If your supplier is from China, and their product copy is riddled with grammatical errors, then you obviously shouldn’t be re-using their copy.
Meet the hand curve? Nice to meet you, hand curve.
What if your supplier’s product description is professionally written, and it doesn’t contain any awkward phrases or grammatically incorrect expressions?
I know you don’t want to hear this... but you STILL shouldn’t use their copy.
Why is this the case? Well, when you use generic, non-unique copy, you’re missing out on an opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competitors, and impress your customer.
In the worst case scenario:
Competitor A invests the time and energy into crafting the perfect product copy, and you’re using your supplier’s copy, which is good -- but not AMAZING. All other things being equal, your customer will probably purchase from Competitor A instead.
In the best case scenario:
Your closest competitors are also using your supplier’s copy, so the playing field is level. If that’s the case, your customer will probably purchase from whoever provides free shipping, or has an ongoing sale. This COULD be you, but it could be Competitor A just as easily.
On top of that, using your supplier’s copy might also land you into hot soup with Google. More specifically, Google frowns upon website owners “scraping” content from other sites, and publishing it on their own sites.
In Google’s own words, some examples of scraping include:
Sites that copy and republish content from other sites without adding any original content or value.
Sites that copy content from other sites, modify it slightly (for example, by substituting synonyms or using automated techniques), and republish it.
That’s right -- even if you modify your supplier’s copy slightly (instead of copying and pasting it wholesale), you might still get into trouble. You don’t want your eCommerce store to get slapped with a Google Penalty, so make sure you write your own product copy, from scratch!
#2: Using Generic Terms
Here, I’m referring to those terms that don’t say much about your product. For example:
High quality
Superior quality
Top notch
First class
Think about it -- if you describe your product as: “A high quality leather wallet that’s lovingly handmade”, what does that mean, really?
Like we talked about earlier, the devil is in the details. To convey that your product is high quality, flesh out your product description with more details:
Lovingly handmade with vegetable tanned leather imported from Florence, Italy. Double-stitched with Fil Au Chinois Lin Cable French Corded Waxed Linen Thread.
#3: Being Too Clever
Now, don’t get me wrong… I’m all for clever, even snarky product descriptions -- as long as these are appropriate to your audience.
Again, this boils back to knowing your customer like the back of your hand. Before incorporating obscure references, puns, and clever jokes into your product copy, take a second to think: will your customer get the reference? Or will it simply confuse them?
Check out this product copy by beauty brand Soap & Glory, for instance:
In their copy, they employ quite a number of puns -- such as “scent-sation” and “skingenious”.
Now, if they’re targeting highly educated, intellectual folks who enjoy this sort of thing, then they’ll probably endear themselves to their customers with these puns.
On the flip side, if they’re targeting young teenagers, then their audience probably won’t get these puns, and these might serve to alienate them from the brand.
The bottom line? Read your audience, and tailor your copy to them accordingly!
#4: Being Too Rambly
When it comes to product copy length, it’s important to strike a balance. You don’t want to have your copy be too short (and not convey sufficient information to your audience); on the other hand, if your copy is too long and rambly, this will definitely put off your customers for sure.
So… exactly how long should your product description be? This depends on two things: the complexity of your product, and your product’s price point.
First things first: the simpler your product is, the shorter your product description should be.
For instance, say you’re selling an ordinary t-shirt. In this case, your product description would probably be short and straightforward:
What if you’re selling a revolutionary, one-of-a-kind water repelling shirt? Now, you’ll need to educate your consumers about your product, and walk them through how it works, so it makes sense to utilize a longer product description here:
The same goes for price points. If you’re selling an affordable product (or a product that’s a necessity, not a luxury), then it’s fine to have your product copy be a little shorter.
But if you’re selling a premium or high-end product, this increases the friction associated with the purchase. Bearing this in mind, you should utilize a longer product description to convince your consumers that your product is worth every penny they’ll be paying.
If you’re worried that your product copy is too long, and it’ll intimidate consumers who navigate to your page, a good work-around is to organize your copy in different tabs. Here’s how Bluesmiths (the same company which makes those water repellent shirts!) does it:
I’ve also seen some brands link to an FAQ page or an alternative page on their product page, but that’s not a good strategy. You want to encourage your customer to stay on your product page and complete their purchase -- so allowing them to navigate to a different page is counter-productive!
#5: Over-selling Your Product
While it’s important to write your product copy in a way that’s compelling and persuasive, what you SHOULDN’T do is to over-sell your products. If you over-promise and under-deliver, that’s a recipe for disaster -- and you can bet that your return rate will shoot through the roof.
The numbers don’t lie: a whopping 40% of products returned online are returned because something in the product description was inaccurate, or because the product didn’t meet the consumer’s expectations. On top of this, 86% of customers say they’re “unlikely or very unlikely” to make a repeat purchase with a retailer that previously provided them with inaccurate product information.
So, when it comes to writing product copy, make this your mantra: tell the full truth, and nothing but the full truth.
For instance, if your coffee machine can be cleaned in 19 seconds, tell it exactly like it is -- don’t round down and say that it can be cleaned in “ten seconds or so”. If you word it ambiguously and say that the machine can be cleaned in “a matter of seconds” or “just a few seconds”, that’s also pretty misleading.
Also, don’t make any claims that you haven’t verified or can’t verify. For instance: you might know that the hiking boots you sell are more long-lasting that the average pair of hiking boots, but this doesn’t mean you can say that your boots are “so sturdy, you’ll never need to buy another pair”. You get the picture!
Bonus: 3 Must-have Elements On Your Product Page
Alright, that’s all I have for you when it comes to product page copywriting!
While you’re now acquainted with all the tips and techniques to write some kickass copy, it’s important to note that you should support your product copy with other elements such as countdown timers, ratings and reviews, and UGC.
To round off this guide, I’ll walk you through each of these elements, and how they play a role in influencing your product page conversion rate.
Ratings, Reviews, Testimonials, Press Mentions
What do these items have in common? They all provide social proof.
Now, if your eCommerce store has been around for some time now, and most of your consumers recognize your brand, then this won’t matter as much.
But if your store is relatively new, and you’re not a household name, it’s crucial that you feature these elements on your product page. With these elements, you’re essentially building your credibility, and allowing your consumers to feel comfortable purchasing from you (even though they don’t recognize your brand).
User Generated Content (UGC)
UGC sounds like a fancy term, but it just refers to the pictures and videos that customers take of your product (or with your product).
Now, most eCommerce store owners understand, on an intuitive level, that UGC is enormously powerful. For instance, you might already sift through their tags and hashtags to find UGC, and re-post them on your social media channels.
So: why not go one step further, and showcase UGC on your product pages as well?
Don’t worry -- it’s not as much work as you might expect. There are many tools in the market (such as Photoslurp and Pixlee) that will help you streamline the process of identifying UGC and featuring it on your site.
If you’re interested in experimenting with featuring UGC on your product pages, here’s a pro-tip: don’t worry about curating photos that are super high quality and/or aesthetically pleasing.
The whole point of UGC is to showcase real consumers using and interacting with your products -- so even if the photos in your UGC gallery aren’t filtered to perfection, or composed nicely, that’s perfectly okay. Just think of it as adding to your brand’s authenticity.
Countdown Timers
Countdown timers help to create a sense of urgency, and they encourage your customers to check out quickly.
There are various ways of incorporating countdown timers onto your product page. If you’re having a sale, for instance, you can use a timer to countdown towards when that sale ends:
No sale going on? You can still use a timer to remind your consumers that their items will only remain in their cart for a certain amount of time:
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Conclusion
To wrap up, let’s do a quick recap of the 10 product page copywriting tips we discussed today:
Understand your customers like the back of your hand
Sift through all the customer feedback you've gotten
Quote rave reviews and testimonials
Focus on benefits, not features
Use the PAS framework
Make your copy emotive
Use sensory words
Overcome objections
Format copy properly
Use the right keywords
...and here are the product copywriting sins that we talked about as well:
Using your supplier’s product copy
Using generic terms
Being too clever
Being too rambly
Now that you’re an expert on the THEORY behind product copywriting, it’s time to put all these tips into practice.
So pick one of your best-selling products, and using these tips, come up with a couple of different product copies. From there, start A/B testing your copy, and see which one resonates the best with your audience.
What are your favourite tips and tricks when it comes to product copywriting? Have you used any of the techniques we mentioned in this copywriting guide? Let us know in the comments below!