5 Steps Towards Better Product and Service Descriptions

1. Consider the details

You don't have to drown your product or service descriptions in a sea of descriptive words. It is best to choose details that carry a lot of meaning. 

Think about words and phrases that relate to what you offer and that give the reader a sense of a particular feeling, setting, or custom. 

Example: 

If you sell dining tables, you can alter the words and phrases you use based on the type of buyer you are marketing towards. 

A dining table paints a picture of togetherness. You can invite the reader to picture Friday evening drinks with friends, implying a younger, perhaps, urban buyer, whereas if your target audience is more family-oriented, you could say that it is the perfect place to enjoy a Sunday lunch with family. 

As you can see, these are very UK-specific terms. You wouldn't use these if you were marketing towards a more international audience. 

Words and phrases carry cultural meaning and you need to be aware of it in your product copy. 

2. Include sensory words

It's easy to only talk about how something looks. Great product and service descriptions are inclusive of all the senses - sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. 

Example:

A countryside B&B may be picturesque, but is it located near a lively (implying it might be a little noisy) village centre? Is it located near the sea where the morning air is crisp and salty? When you stay there, will you wake up with the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls?

3. Go beyond the obvious

There are things that are obvious and don't need describing. So instead of pointing out the obvious, talk about other aspects that give the reader a broader sense of your product or service. 

Example: 

For the love of god, don't tell me that a stylish coaster is great for putting hot or cold drinks on. We all know what a coaster does. Instead, describe how it'll keep the furniture without stains and ring marks. 

4. Describe the experience

When someone buys a product or service, they are also buying an idea of a lifestyle, of a setting, or an experience. 

As someone who is selling a product or service, you are thinking from your perspective that, in truth, may be slightly different from how your customers would think or feel. 

So for a moment, remember a time when you were a customer in a similar situation and think about a memorable experience and describe that. If a memory is strong enough to use, it can be included in your product and service descriptions. 

Example:

If you run a restaurant, you may want to boast about your locally-sourced ingredients, which is fine, but go beyond that and describe the experience of enjoying something seasonal that encapsulates the flavours of the region you're in. 

Or think about the holiday you had where you enjoyed an authentic meal after a long day's hike - it felt warming, hearty, and like the perfect ending to a perfect day. 

5. Be specific

All the details, all the sensory words, and everything else that you write about your product or service needs to be specific. 

Example:

Writing about hammocks in general is not the same as writing about YOUR hammocks. All hammocks function in a similar way, while there are, of course, differences between outdoor and garden hammocks, but tell your prospective customer how YOUR hammock is different because of how well the materials compliment the intended use and setting.