I can’t go wrong when writing product texts, can I? Choose a good product image and write some brief information about the item – that’s it. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple! If you want to sell online, you need to know the dos and don’ts of content creation. Read here what the 10-5 formula is all about and use it to check your own product texts.
5 mistakes in product texts
If there are no purchases, something is wrong. This is often due to poor product descriptions. Especially in online business, these are crucial for sales. Customers want to know what they are buying. They want to feel well advised and well informed and the product text has to achieve this. We have put together five absolute no-goes for you and give you tips on how you can quickly rectify these errors.
Avoid these 5 don'ts
No text
Hard to believe, but true: there are retailers who do not provide their products with descriptions in their online store. They simply state the name of the product and possibly the delivery time. It is self-explanatory that the shopping cart in such stores remains empty. Firstly, search engines cannot find the item and secondly, the customer does not receive any information.
Manufacturer text
To bore your potential customers, set the manufacturer’s product description. Then there is text – but the same as in 750 other stores. This is not only frustrating for all those looking for more detailed information, but is also classified by Google & Co. as duplicate content and penalized with poor reach. This error is particularly common with books, for example.
Filler words
Product descriptions tend to be stretched with filler words. This does not make sense; on the contrary. Filler words have no informational value for the customer. To better assess the quality of your texts, you can use a free text analysis tool, e.g. Word League.
Spelling and grammatical errors
Not quite sure about spelling, grammar and phrasing? Then have your product texts written or proofread by others. Errors in product texts quickly cast a bad light on the store and make it look dubious. Of course, you can also use a text analysis tool for this.
A string of facts
Simply listing product data is almost as unattractive as spelling mistakes. Such lists are particularly common with products from the electronics sector. Of course, the technical data of the device plays a role, no question. What persuades customers to buy is rarely the information that the camera is equipped with a DIGIC 7 processor. Much more important are sentences like: “Never miss the right moment again! The XYZ camera shoots to the second and captures every moment”.
10 must-haves in good product texts
The first step has been taken. You know the five most fatal mistakes and can correct them immediately if they exist. In the second step, you will find out which ten things your product description should definitely include. Always keep one thing in mind when writing your product texts: visitors to your online store should be encouraged to make a purchase. The aim of your product page is to sell.
Write your product text according to these dos and don'ts
Collect additional information about the product
Before you start writing, you should do thorough research. Gather as much information as possible about your product. This will allow you to include valuable additional information in the product description. The following questions can help you with your research:
Choose a meaningful headline
The headline is crucial for success. It must be eye-catching and convey the benefits and relevance for the customer. It can be provocative, but it must be true. Imagine you want to buy a winter jacket to finally stop freezing in sub-zero temperatures. You search the net for a jacket and find countless listings with tags such as “down jacket with hood” or “padded jacket”. Not particularly appealing. What if you chose headlines like “Are you already wearing jacket XY or are you still freezing?” or “You can laugh about the cold when you’re wearing jacket XY”. They’ll appeal to you more because they’re a little provocative and pick up on the benefit you’re looking for – not being cold anymore.
Clarify the benefits
Your customers are looking for a solution to their problem – you should therefore describe the benefit that you have already advertised in the headline in more detail in your product text. If we stay with the example of the winter jacket, the focus is on the warmth factor. Also think about what other benefits your buyers will expect. In our example, these could be things like:
Work out the advantages of your product for your customers in detail. This will make them feel understood and well advised. This will automatically increase their intention to buy many times over.
Address your exact target group
Who do you want to reach and who is your product actually of interest to? To hit the nail on the head when selling, it is absolutely essential to define your target group precisely. Your entire concept is based on this. Headlines, texts, colors, images, fonts, etc. are precisely tailored to this target group. Addressing women aged 25-40 is completely different to addressing men aged 60+. So first of all, define your target group precisely. With the help of Google Analytics, this is not rocket science.
A little tip: The statistics on Facebook are often very helpful for target group segmentation.
Gain more reach with SEO
Of course, you can’t avoid search engine optimization either. Especially in your product descriptions, you can use it wonderfully to place your keywords and rank better. To achieve the desired effect, you should:
Write in the right style
Product texts must be easy to understand and should emphasize the desire to buy. The best way to do this is with:
To illustrate this, here is an example: Imagine you sell evening dresses. You are targeting women who want to buy an elegant dress for a special occasion. Now you can formulate your product text as follows: “Dress XY is a long evening dress with lace trim and a multi-layered chiffon skirt.” That’s functional, no question. Or you could write the following: “Experience an unforgettable evening and prove your sense of style once again. The cleverly incorporated lace of the long evening dress XY gives you an elegant touch. The multi-layered chiffon skirt delicately skims your silhouette and lets your femininity shine. Suitable for any festive occasion, the XY evening dress will give you an enchanting appearance.”
This text stimulates your customers’ imagination. Positive images will automatically appear in their minds – and that’s the little spark that turns them from prospects into buyers.
Don't skimp on Good Pictures
Every customer wants to see the product before they buy it. A product text needs high-quality product images: one doesn’t work without the other! Only use good quality images that show your product from different perspectives or during use. Videos or 360° views are of course also ideal.
Rely on customer reviews
Satisfied customers are free influencers when it comes to sales. Everyone can be influenced, including your customers. Whether consciously or unconsciously, customer reviews from customers who have already bought the product are often decisive. So use this tool to convince prospective customers that your product is the right one. After all, other customers were satisfied too.
Bidder assistance through FAQ
FAQs are a must-have, especially for products that require explanation. Answer your customers’ questions where they arise. Without your customer having to go to any trouble. Collect the most common questions that your customers ask about the respective product. You can then place these questions and answers on the product. You will see that it will bring you double the profit. Your customers are satisfied and you have far fewer inquiries.
Create clarity
A product includes a lot of content: Images, product text, further information, technical data if applicable, up-selling and cross-selling products, shopping cart, wish list and comparison list if applicable, payment methods, etc. The next step is to arrange all this information clearly. The images on the left, the most important information about the product, price and shopping cart button at the same height on the right.
Conclusion
Writing Good product texts is not rocket science. If you apply the right formula, you can improve your texts considerably with little effort. You should definitely give them this attention – at the end of the day, it’s your texts that give you reach and sell! So it’s best to check them directly using the formula you’ve just learned and adjust them if necessary. You will soon see the positive effects.
