How To Make Killer Product Descriptions on Amazon and eBay

What Not to Do When Writing Product Descriptions on Amazon

Here’s an example:

The first bullet point in this gas cooktop listing says, “Gas Type: compatible with LPG and NG.” That’s not very exciting; it’s just a boring technical fact. Customers won’t care about this technical fact unless they know how it benefits them.

The second bullet point says, “Burner Cap: Iron.” Who cares if it’s iron? Why does iron matter? Does iron hold heat longer, or allow for greater temperature control when cooking? How is iron beneficial to the customer?

Ninety-nine percent of the time, making a purchase is an emotional decision. Product descriptions should appeal to the customer’s emotions. When you read your product description, does it get you excited about the product? Does it make you feel a certain emotion?

It’s okay to include the facts. Facts are important to the product. But when you give the customer facts, you also need to tell them why those facts matter.

How to Write a Better Amazon Product Description

Here’s an example of a product description that focuses on the benefits, rather than the features:

The first bullet point says, “Easy and comfortable to use,” immediately describing a benefit of the product. The description then elaborates on that bullet point with, “The three-strap design helps reduce pressure and stress on your nose, which gives you a more comfortable experience.” That presents a technical fact about the product, but still describes how that fact benefits the customer.

The next bullet point says, “Professional glass taking care of your eyes.” Again, there’s a technical fact, then an explanation of how that fact benefits the customer.

A friend once told me, “Seth, everyone does everything they do for one of two reasons: to avoid pain or to gain pleasure.” When you write your product descriptions, ask yourself: “What pain am I helping my customer avoid? What pleasure am I convincing my customer they want?”

This example says, “Very easy to remove the magnetic front cover, which ensures good ventilation for your phone.” That product feature helps the customer avoid the pain of an overheating phone.

Here’s another example, this one with some good points and not-so-good points:

In this example, the title is way too long. You don’t need to fill product titles on Amazon with every possible search term. This title could have been simplified to something like, “55 Piece Stencil Drawing Kit with Case for Kids Who Love Art.”

The product description here, however, is great. It’s very emotional and focuses on the benefits of the product right away. The first bullet point says, “Develop artistic skills,” and what parent doesn’t want their child to develop their artistic skills? The phrase “safe storage and easy travel” appeals emotionally to parents, as well, because many parents struggle to find ways to keep their kids entertained on-the-go.

Another great phrase in this product description is “complete drawing kit.” The word “complete” makes the customer feel like they’re not missing out on anything – and people really hate missing out. It describes the benefit to the customer and appeals to their emotions.

Good and Bad Product Descriptions on eBay

Now, let’s look at some examples on eBay, starting with a terrible listing.

The title, “Women’s Black and White Checkered Anthropologie Dress,” is too drab. It doesn’t evoke any emotion. Then, the description does nothing but repeat the title and add that the item comes from a smoke-free environment.

The description is, to be blunt, lazy. There’s no detail and no emotion. Why would a customer want to buy something from someone who couldn’t even put more time and effort into their description?

Now, here’s an example of a much more effective eBay listing:

Right away, the title includes words that appeal to the emotions of the person looking to buy these jeans. “Sexy,” “skinny,” “slim” – these are all things a lot of women want when shopping for jeans.

Next, let’s look at the description:

The second bullet point reads, “Super strong elastic material offers you comfortable wearing experience without sense of tightening.” This immediately describes the benefits of the product.

Then, the description gets even better, saying, “Bodycon design can show your perfect curves and edges to the fullest.” This gives a fact about the product, describes the benefit to the customer, and appeals to emotion. The description helps the customer imagine what wearing the jeans will feel like before they even buy them.

The two most important things to keep in mind when writing a product description are to focus on the benefits and to use emotion. Don’t just give facts; move from facts to benefits. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and ask, “How is this product going to help me? How will this product make my life better? How will this product bring pleasure to and remove pain from my life?” Appealing to emotion and focusing on the benefits will help you write killer product descriptions every time.