How to Write Product Descriptions That Sell: The SUSO Method

Author: Anne Murigi, Content Writer

Product descriptions are crucial pieces of copy that can make or break a sale, so it’s important that you get them right. This is because they don’t just give customers the information they need to make an informed decision about whether or not to buy your product; they also help boost conversion rates by creating an emotional connection between you and your audience.

But writing product descriptions isn’t as easy as it sounds. You have to be able to make your copy stand out from the competition, tell a story that resonates with potential customers, and ultimately drive them toward making a purchase.

So how do you write product descriptions that sell? To answer this question, let’s first start with the basics.

What Is a Product Description?

A product description is a short piece of writing that tells the reader about the features and benefits of your product.

For example, let’s say you’re selling a pair of sneakers. The product description should tell the reader about the style, color, material, size options, and more. It should also include high-quality images of the sneakers and testimonials from customers who have purchased the product before if there are any.

So you could say something like, “These sneakers are made of leather and have a rubber sole designed for comfort and support. They feature a high-top design with a lace closure for a secure fit, and they are available in black, white, and red.”

If you were selling a laptop computer, you could write something like: “This laptop has a 15.6″ screen with an HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It comes with an Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM.”

Product descriptions should be as detailed as possible. This could include a note about where the product was made or how it was constructed.

Suppose you are selling a pair of pants, for example. In that case, you could mention how an award-winning fashion designer designed them, how they feature premium materials like silk and wool, and how comfortable they are to wear. 

This type of information can help you differentiate your product from others and give customers a reason to buy it.

How to Write Product Descriptions That Sell

If you want to write product descriptions that sell, here’s what you need to do.

Identify Your Ideal Customer

Before you even get down to writing a product description, you need to know who your ideal customer is. What kind of person might be interested in your product?

This is a crucial step because your product description needs to speak directly to the person you’re targeting. You can’t write an effective product description for everyone. You need to know exactly who you’re writing for.

To achieve this, you should start by asking yourself some questions like:

• What kind of person is most likely to buy my product?
• Where does my ideal customer hang out online? (For example, are they on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter?)
• What kind of language do they use? (For example, are they trendy or traditional?)
• What’s the biggest problem my product can solve for them?
• How old are they, and what is their gender?
• Where are they located, and what language do they speak?
• What are their hobbies and interests?
• What kind of lifestyle do they live?
• What is their occupation?
• What is their financial situation?
• What are their values?

Simply put, you need to consider all of the things you’d think about if you were building a profile for a real person: age, gender, occupation, location, income, lifestyle, hobbies, interests, and passions. 

Here is a simple example: Let’s say you’re selling red lipstick. In this case, your ideal customer might be a fashion-forward woman in her early 30s who lives in a city. She’s very active on social media and loves to post pictures of herself wearing bold new outfits and accessories.

As you can see, this is a very specific type of customer. Being as specific as possible when creating your buyer persona can increase your chances of reaching the right customers.

Highlight the Key Benefits of the Product

The main purpose of any eCommerce SEO campaign is to convert organic visits into paid customers. You can’t achieve this if you don’t include information that entices users to make a purchase. When creating a product description, don’t just mention its features; emphasize the benefits that it provides.

You can see that the description from the screenshot above only tells you what the apple looks like, but it doesn’t say anything about how it benefits the customer.

A better product description would be: “This is a delicious, juicy red apple that is sweet and tangy. It’s great for snacking on or making into a fruit salad. It’s rich in Vitamin C and other nutrients, so it’s good for your immune system. It is also low in sugar and calories.”

This second description actually tells you what the apple looks and tastes like and how it can benefit your health.

So when writing a product description, tell your customer how the product can benefit them. Show them the value of your product, not just its features.

Showcase Your Brand’s Personality & Tone of Voice

A product description is often one of the first interactions a customer has with your brand. It needs to be written in such a way that it not only tells the customer what they need to know about your product but also establishes your brand’s personality and tone of voice.

Let’s say you sell a product that helps people to organize their desk space. Your brand’s personality may be more focused on helping customers get organized. So your product description could benefit from being written in a way that communicates this focus.

And how you communicate this focus depends on your brand’s tone of voice. That is the way your brand speaks to its customers.

For example, if your brand has a fun, friendly, and playful tone of voice, then your product description should reflect this by being written in a light-hearted manner. On the other hand, if your brand is more serious and formal in nature, then your product description may be better suited to being written in a more straightforward way.

Use High-Quality Images & Mixed Media

It is said that a picture paints a thousand words, and this is especially true for product descriptions. The images you use in your product descriptions significantly impact how well they convert.

That’s why it’s essential to use high-quality images that are clear, crisp, and well-lit. They need to be relevant to the product. Additionally, you don’t want to use a small image that is hard to see. Use large, clear images so customers can easily see what they’re buying.

In addition to using high-quality images, consider using high-quality video. Video is one of the best ways to show off your product and provide a more immersive experience for your customers.

Make It Scannable

The average person spends around 10 seconds on any given web page. If your product description isn’t scannable, it will be ignored by potential customers.

So if you want to capture their attention, and get them to read your entire product description (which is what you want), then you need to make it scannable.

This means breaking up text into easily digestible chunks using headings and subheadings, bullet points, and numbered lists. It also means including plenty of white space, so the page isn’t cluttered with words.

Use short paragraphs and sentences and fonts that are easy to read. This will make it easier for customers to read and digest your text.

Tell a Story

When writing a product description, you shouldn’t simply tell the reader what the product is, how it works, and what it does. You should tell a story about how the product will improve their lives. You need to create an emotional connection between your customer and their desire for the product.

For example, if you’re selling a leather wallet, try telling a story about how it was made by hand in Italy by a master craftsman whose family has been making wallets for generations. And how the wallet will last them for years so they can pass it down to their kid one day.

When you tell a story, you’re not just selling a product but an experience. This means that your copy needs to be written to appeal to the reader’s emotions, not just their logical side. You need to make them feel something, whether it’s excitement or joy, or nostalgia.

Don’t Be Afraid to Boast

You might be afraid that if you boast about your product, people will think you’re bragging or being arrogant. But the truth is that many customers want to hear about how great a product is, especially if they are considering spending money on it.

You want to show customers that you are confident about your product, so they can feel confident about buying it. Besides, how will anyone know if you don’t brag about what makes your product so great?

Include Social Proof

Social proof is a phenomenon in which people tend to follow the actions of others. In other words, if you see that many people seem to like something or believe something is good, you’re more likely to believe the same thing.

You can use this powerful psychological principle to your advantage when writing product descriptions. One way to do this is by including testimonials, reviews, and other forms of social proof. If a customer has left a review or testimonial about your product, make sure it’s visible in your description.

This can really help potential customers feel more confident in their decision to buy your product.

Optimise For Search Engines

It’s important to remember that search engines are a key part of the customer journey. The better your website ranks in Google, the more likely people will find you. Hence, optimising product descriptions for search engines from the start is important.

When writing product descriptions, you should make sure they’re keyword rich and contain relevant terms that people are likely to search for.

A good way to do this is by using tools like Google’s Keyword Planner and the Google AdWords Keyword Tool. They both allow you to see what keywords are popular, how many searches they get each month, and which ones are most profitable to target. This can help you decide which keywords to include in your product description.

However, it’s important not to overdo it. You should only include one or two relevant keywords per product description. Too many keywords will look spammy and make it less likely that Google will rank your pages highly.

The Bottom Line

Product descriptions are the heart of any eCommerce SEO Strategy. They’re what convince customers to buy your products and are a huge opportunity for you to sell more.

The problem is that most eCommerce entrepreneurs don’t know how to write product descriptions that sell. They either go overboard with flowery prose or get so caught up in facts and features that they forget about their audience. The result is a bland, boring description that fails to connect with customers.

If you want to increase sales and reduce shopping cart abandonment, create product descriptions that are engaging and persuasive. Descriptions tell a story about your product, how it will benefit your customer, and explain why it’s better than the competition.