Write Etsy Product Descriptions That Sell

1. Write Etsy Product Descriptions That Sell: In this class, you will learn everything you need to know about writing awesome product descriptions for your Etsy shop to help you make more sales in your handmade business. The product description is a very important element to creating successful listings. And as a seasoned Etsy seller, I know that it can be quite daunting figuring out what and how to write. But hopefully, In this class, I can impart to you all the knowledge I've learned over the years, covering basic concepts for beginners and more experienced sellers alike. I've included a product description template that I have used to create listings that have generated over 40,000 pounds. Hopefully using that template will bring you some success as well. This class is also filled with plenty of tips about how to write with emotion to bring your listings to life, as well as sales advice and plenty of examples to give you creative inspiration. So I hope that you enjoy this presentation. You get lots out of it, and I look forward to seeing you in class. 2. Copywriting, Not Copyright: You've meticulously crafted a stunning line of products. Your photography is on point and you've been gigging out on search engine optimization for days. Now it's time to start selling your work to random strangers. Should be easy, right? Well, there's a lot to learn when it comes to creating a product line by hand, especially for jewelry designers, but that seems to be the tip of the iceberg. If you hope to turn your creations into cash, then at some point, you're going to need to learn how to sell. That can take many forms such as talking to customers face to face at craft phase or displaying your work at galleries. However, one of the most useful skills you can learn as a business person is how to sell with written words. In a digital age where photos and videos dominate our screens. You might think that written word is not so important, but in my opinion, it's more powerful than ever. You can have snazzy photos and SEO your listings to high heave and to attract views. You might even get messages with questions about the item, even though you cover them in the product description, and you might even think people don't bother to read the description, so it doesn't really matter that much. However, the truth is that the customers who are thirsty for your work will read your description. They'll flirt with it and use the information to make a purchase. I think we all know the deep down that's something that we've all done. In this class or whatever you want to call it, I want to introduce you to the world of copywriting. This is not to be confused with copyright, which is all about the serious sounding legal stuff relating to ownership of intellectual property. Rather, copywriting is defined as the activity or occupation of writing the text of advertisements or publicity material. AKA selling stuff with your words. While I will focus on writing product descriptions for Etsy or your own e commerce website, I believe that learning a few copywriting principles will benefit you in other areas of your business. After all, anytime you write a blog post, reply to a customer's e mail or post a status on Facebook, you are basically copywriting. Okay. The thought of writing product listings can be daunting, but some very smart marketing people have paved the way for you. All you need to do is learn a few of the techniques and you can get the good stuff, which is saving your customers. This subject could probably fill an entire book. But by sticking to a few core ideas, you can make your listings powerful tools that sell even while you sleep. No more waking up at 5:00 in the morning to drive to a craft fair in the rain. Now, it goes without saying that grammar and punctuation are important when it comes to product descriptions or any other piece of content related to your business. Words should be spelled correctly and sentences should have the right punctuation, so they make sense. Now, everybody makes mistakes. I'd imagine this document is riddled with them, or the show was riddled with them rather, but it's good to be mindful of your spelling and grammar. To avoid mistakes, I like to type my product descriptions in a word processor like words or libra office, and then run a spell checker to highlight anything that needs to be corrected. Misspelled words, poor sentence structures, and punctuations, errors can make a shop lose trust in your shop, do what you can to get it right. Okay. And I hope that this point is perfectly illustrated by the meme where this lady says, I find inspiration in cooking my family and my dogs or I find inspiration in cooking my family and my dogs. Punctuation matters I save lives. So a, get your grammar and punctuation right first time. 3. Basic Rules To Create Great Listings: So, let's kick off with some good news. According to mama.com, the most effective listings are short at 250 to 300 words with paragraphs that are easy to read about two to three sentence chunks. Aim to target 25 to 30 simple sentences that describe you write them well and answer all of the customer's questions or at least as many as you can anyway. Research shows that regardless of customer education, product descriptions that are written to a fourth grade reading level perform the best. Use simple words short sentences that even a nine year old could understand. As you can see, we are talking about writing a masterpiece of high literature here. The product description doesn't need to be long and it's best to use simple language with short sentences and paragraphs. What is the point, which I think is a very poignant question in its own right. And I'm sure if I did know the answer, none of us would be here. But in simple terms, the product description will tell the customer everything they need to know about the item in a clear and concise way, specific details about what benefits the item provides are covered, as well as shipping return policies, and customization options. Expectations are set for the customer as when they read the product description, they know exactly what they're getting, how long it will take to receive it and any options available to spice it up a little. So why it's important? Well, a good product description will make the buyer trust you and help them to make a purchase. I know from personal experience that when I want to buy something, I have an internal struggle where I try to convince myself that I knew that thing. Despite my sensible inner self telling me, it's too expensive or you already have six pairs of trainers. What follows is me repeatedly looking at every single detail of the item and justifying the purchase to myself. You know what you do the same thing as well. So by answering the customer's questions, showing them what they can expect from you and how the product will benefit them, you are doing them a great service. And I'd like to point out at this stage that some people feel like slimy when it comes to selling stuff. But what you're doing is not tricking people or using underhand tactics to rip them off. They clearly have a problem that needs to be solved. You have the solution to the problem and you are helping them. And that is your duty as a business. So I hope that if you get anything from this presentation, you know, is the confidence to actually get out there and sell your work. Without feeling sleazy, of course. 4. Start With Knowing Your Customer: Where to begin. When I started writing this class, I had a real chicken as egg dilemma as I actually didn't know where to start myself. For me, it's a toss up between knowing your product and knowing your customer. So I think it might be poignant to start with knowing your customer. Writing great listings is easier if you have an idea of who you are trying to sell to. Don't make the mistake of trying to sell to everyone zoning on your ideal customer. By understanding what your customer expects from a product like yours, how they think and what keeps them up at night, you can write in a way that speaks to them. When a customer identifies with the words you use, it makes them trust you and can help them to make a purchase. What you write in your product description will be determined by the reader. Would they appreciate a serious, more business like tone or something a little more lighthearted. What worries do they have the ring is not arriving on time for their wedding, the ring is not fitting. What qualities are they searching for on a product like low price, high quality, customization options, et cetera? Are they feminine and masculine, looking for something cute and rugged? You get the picture. Think about what problems your customer needs solved. Then write descriptions to show that you are or your product is the solution to that problem. With certain products, it's really easy to see what problems they solve. For example, antibacterial hand gel kills 99% of bacteria which solves the problem of people staying hygienic at the office, stops germs from spreading, et cetera. Pretty simple. Or A umbrella that keeps you dry in the rain. But what about something a little bit more abstract? Something like a wedding ring, for example. If someone is shopping for a wedding ring, what problems do they need solved? Well, of course, they need something that symbolizes devotion and sentimentality. They'd like a ring to make the wearer look trendy and sophisticated and stylish. They need a ring that's durable enough to withstand their lifestyle, the right choice of materials, et. They need something comfortable to wear, of course, a ring to express their own unique style. They don't want one that's the same as everyone else's, for the most part. They might have a deadline for receiving the ring, as well as a slew of other problems that need solving. Okay. When you understand what problems your customer is having, you can also get an insight into their emotions and what is important to them. I guess you could call that empathy. So I would encourage you to get in their heads. Here's a great exercise that you can do to find out how your customers think, which will help you determine what type of language your ideal customers use, what they expect from a product like yours, what they don't like, which can actually be just as important, and what common features they are looking for in a product like yours. So what I recommend you do is do a search on Etsy for similar products to yours and take note of the reviews left on the listings or the shops. You'll soon find what people are most excited about. I arrive quickly and it is extremely well made, et cetera. What specific words they use and any negative reviews things to avoid customer service. So I just went ahead and found a few examples of the reviews on my own shop and you know, if you don't have many reviews on your own shop yet, just go and search for similar products, you know, to the ones that you sell. What you can do then is write down the common traits to attract people. For example, where I sell wooden rings, I noticed that people are frequently happy with my fast communication, I answering all of their questions and making things easy for them, high level of craftsmanship, of course, and my ability to customize the rings to exactly how they want them. So I often get requests to use sentimental materials or unusual materials. People people seem to love it. Similarly, shops in my niche will often get negative reviews when it comes to re sizing policies. Some shops just flat out refuse to exchange incorrect ring sizes, et cetera, and people really hate it when shops have poor communication or they've been shipping problems. You can also go to other websites to find where customers are talking about similar products like Amazon, read it, or, or even Nice Facebook groups. When you know these things, it can really help you to write descriptions that convert into sales. If you use the same language as your potential shoppers, they connect with you and feel that you're on their wave length, which makes them trust you, which makes them more likely to make a sale. Makes them more likely to make a purchase. Not a sale. 5. Know Your Product: Know your product. The first step in any copywriting project is to fully understand whatever product you're selling. David O'Gilvie, a legendary copywriter, is famously known for taking three weeks of meticulous study to come up with a winning concept for a Rolls Royce advert. The final headline red at 60 miles per hour, the loudest noise in this Rolls Royce comes from the electric clock. It took him that much time to find a detail compelling enough to sell Rolls Royce. As a craft business owner, slash seller, I'd imagine that you know your product inside out, especially after taking hours to create it, which should hopefully save you three weeks of sitting in an old car. Instead of spending a copious amount of time researching your product, you're going to get stuck straight into writing your description. Before you get started, here's a great exercise to help you be clear about what you're selling and how to sell it. This exercise just comprises of four questions. The first one being, how would you describe the product? For this question, provide a simple two to three centers description of the product? It doesn't need to be super long or detailed. Don't worry about providing a fancy answer. Simply write down a short description as if you were describing the product to a customer. For example, this one, a stainless Damascus steel ring hand made to order in any UK or US size. Pretty simple. That's the first. Question two, what is unique or special about this product? The goal here is to identify something unique or special about the product. What does this product offer that others don't? Where is it made? Is it made with a special material? Is it rare? Is it one of a kind? Eventually, you'll use this answer to identify a unique selling proposition or a USP, a USP is something unique that other companies or shops don't offer. For example, with this Damascus steel ring, the ring is handmade to perfection in the UK using a unique stainless Damascus steel pattern. Pretty simple. The third question, what is the main benefit the product provides? Many shops stop at describing the product and don't go on to conveying the benefit of using it. Whenever you think of a feature of the product, ask yourself, how does this benefit me? For example, a shop may talk about how they offer a Damascus steel rings, but don't tell the customers about the benefits of wearing them. Instead, they should tell customers that the stainless Damascus won't tarnish or rust over time, so we'll stand up to whatever life throws at them and look great for a lifetime. The focus should be on providing a benefit, not just on describing the product. The fourth question is what other features are included and what benefits do they provide. The first thing you want to do to answer this question is write down each of the products features. For reference, a feature is a distinctive attribute or aspect of something, whereas a benefit is an advantage or profit gained from something. You may not end up using all the products features in your description, but at the very least, you want to record all of them in one place so you have them at your fingertips if needed. Some products have a lot of features, others have less. Either way, list all of your product features with a short description for each. In addition to listing the features, be sure to list the benefits of each. Customers care more about benefits provided by features than features themselves. I hope that that makes sense. I'll give you an example of a feature and benefit scenario. For example, customers care more about high speed Internet that helps them watch streaming videos without interruption than Internet that provides 15 megabyte/second download speeds. The 15 megabytes/second is a feature in this case, and streaming videos without interruption is the benefit of that feature. I hope that makes sense. You're naturally more drawn to the benefits of using something than the features of using it. So I'll just give you a quick rundown of some of the features that I came up with for this Damascus steel ring as well as the benefits so that you can get an idea of You know, the features and benefits of a piece of jewelry, which at first glance, you know, doesn't seem to have many benefits. But let's have a look. So first feature is highly durable and life proof the benefit, so you can weigh them without worrying about damaging them. The second feature, Unique cool Damascus steel pattern, which is short to start a conversation and get noticed. So jewelry will draw the eye, make you feel like a peacock. You noticed. The ring is made in the UK, you'll receive the ring quickly and save on import duties. It's just easier kind of all around on the shipping, at least for UK buyers anyway. The ring can be made in any size with a custom width so you can choose the most comfortable fit for you. Customization options are available, such as different liners and engravings, et cetera. You can make it personal to your own style, and mock up rings are included for you to test for size to ensure you get the perfect fit first time, which will save you energy and money. Stress. Okay. So there's a breakdown of features and benefits of an item, and I would encourage you to go through and list as many features and benefits of your item as you can. 6. Write With Emotion: Right with emotion. In this section or video lesson class, I would like to help you to juice up your listings and give them heart. Let's talk about how injecting romance or heroic language can make your listing stand out. The thing is that people buy jewelry or handmade items based on emotions rather than relying on features or specifications of the product. Some products like those in the technic are sold mainly on their features or specs. If you were looking, for example, to purchase a new laptop, then information on the processor speed, the display quality, and storage capacity would be a priority for you. Compare that to a pair of earrings and you'd expect to see much more emotive language in the product description. Okay. What I always like to do is look at how the big dogs do it. So I found this pair of earrings from Tiffany and just look at this product description. It's only short, but oh, my. With an intensity that rivals the night sky, Tiffany Victoria celebrates the blazing brilliance of Tiffany diamonds. The unique vine shape of these classic diamond earrings are a striking addition to any outfit. Notice how the conjure, the beautiful image of the night sky, which is something we've all stared up at in all the use of powerful words like blazing or striking, as well as referencing how they make the wearer look classy at their event or celebration, they have planned. That's a lot of punch for just two sentences. I'm not saying that the specifics about material don't matter because, you know, carrots make a big difference in price, but rather people buy jewelry based on feelings and your descriptions should reflect that. I will cover some techniques you can use to spice your product descriptions up a bit. But before we do that, I just want to illustrate the point that every brand has a voice. Okay. And by that I mean that every brand or business has an ideal customer and their marketing content will be tailored to that type of person. You could say that every brand has a voice, a way of communicating that speaks directly to their customers. Think about brands like Harley Davidson Davidson, who have a strong, confident and aggressive voice that communicates with their rebellious and bold customers such as this ad, you know, it says, grab life by the bars. Or Nike with their dot slogan, which has created a powerful brand buswa that encourages athletes and really all of us to pursue their goals with resilience and persistence. As a craft person or small scale creative handmade goodness, you don't necessarily need to meditate for too long on creating catchy slogans or mission statements to help you find your voice. Chances are that your brand voice will be your own voice, perhaps minus the swearing. It comes down to knowing your customers what type of language they identify with. If you make cute jewelry that's aimed at people who want to wear something fun, then perhaps a lighthearted and humorous approach would be best Whereas if you're selling high end luxury jewelry, then maybe formal language is best like speak like you're a butler serving the customer. At the end of the day, you know your product, your personality, and who your customers are. Just be authentic, man. 7. Be Heroic/Romantic: Be romantic or heroic. It would be super easy to fill this section with gender stereotypes. I don't want to be crass here or offend anyone. I just wanted to share a few examples of how you can make your product descriptions more exciting by using either romantic or heroic language. It's worth pointing out that these types of words can be used in products for both genders. Not all masculine products need to be macho while not all feminine products need to be delicate. But let's talk about romance. Oh, sprinkling some romantic language to make your product descriptions more enticing. Look no further than the world of romance novels to find words that will fill your descriptions with passion. One third of all mass market fiction books sold are romance novels, and this ore represents a huge amount of sales. By examining some of the words used in the titles or tag lines of these books, you get an insight into what type of language is effective at selling. Here are a few examples of romantic words. First one would be magic, chanted, bewitched, and other references to the supernatural. Our fascination with these words is a result of childhoods molded by fairy tales. The idea of having a fairy godmother to make all of our dreams come true and get rid of our evil stepmother is simply irresistible. What's next Love as John Lennon sang. All we need is love. This word doesn't only dominate the titles of romance fiction. It's commonly used in songs as well. Maybe it's because love is all that we're longing for. Even the guys to, even if we don't admit it. Next up is heart. Now basically, this has become synonymous with love, such as hart chocolate. The word is increasingly used to soften traditionally tough topics, such as business with the heart, writing for the heart or selling from the heart. Another word, Secret. As the stereotype would have it, people love to keep tell and discover secrets. It's kind of forbidden. References to kings, queens princesses, princes, gods, goddesses, or some other honorable title. People are fascinated with royalty, blame it on fairy tales, I guess, people respond well generally to words such as Queen King, Duke, or being the ruler of their realm. Next up, temptation and forbidden. This all started with Eve giving it a temptation and making Adam bite the forbidden Apple. The words such as temptation and forbidden are irresistible words to make your copy or your product descriptions more compelling. There we go. Now forbidden comes in. The next reference would be clouds, moons, stars, and other celestial bodies. These words evoke a sense of freedom, creativity, and unlimited possibilities. And then we've got kiss, which is sweet, mysterious and seductive. Our kiss is the ultimate romantic word, I guess. Then we move on to heaven and paradise words we used to describe ultimate pleasure, goodness, and perfection. Someone goes, how was the spa? When you say, Oh, it was heaven. It's just cool, I think, to think outside the box a bit with the language that you use. Don't be robotic, I guess, is what I'm trying to say. Let me see if I can find a few examples of great product descriptions that use these kind of romantic words to jazz things up a little. Like I said earlier, I like to look at how the big dogs do things because they sell things on a much grander scale than I do. And I've gone in and found a few examples from your very prevalent jewelry businesses. Let's have a look first up at the Tiffany T one bangle. The description says, wrapped around the wearer in a continuous unbroken circle. This hinged bangle features scintillating diamonds and a strong t motif at the center, and evolution of a Tiffany icon. Tiffany T one designs represent individual strength and perpetual power worn outwardly to express what lies within. So I really like this. As you can see, not all feminine products need to be described as cute or pretty. This description talks about inner strength and confidence with words such as perpetual power as well as, you know, quite strong descriptive words like scintillating. The next product, I believe, is this is just insanely good. Check this out. This is ascended snow cone necklace by a company called Tiny hands, I guess, is made with polymercla Uh, but check out this description. It's absolutely amazing. You've donned your favorite shorts and halt a top combo, teased your hair into natural summer waves and slipped into those funky gladiators you bought last week. Almost ready for that exciting first date down at the beach. But there's something missing. One teeny, tiny accessory that screams cool, no matter how hard the sun beats down or threatens to melt your lip gloss. With its exuberant strips of red, yellow, green, and blue, tiny hands send it snow cone necklace is an all out festival of color and fun. The perfect way to express your buoyant and lively personality. So in my opinion, this description is a master class in talking to your audience. It invokes imagery of how the necklace will be worn, how the wearer will feel and who it's perfect for. Notice references to first dates, festivals, getting dressed up and just, you know, fun summer days, which I believe perfectly reflects the piece of jewelry. So to think about. The next piece of jewelry I found with a great description was by Coppard. That's probably got a real posh way of pronouncing it like Copar but it's a happy dreams, 18 carrot rose gold set of earrings. The description said, there's a reason why Sopa happy diamonds collection has always been beloved. The way the stones move freely is so striking. These earrings are handmade from 18 cart rose gold and a cluster of cloud like circles that symbolize spontaneity and inspiration. This description talks of freedom and spontaneity, inspiration and adventure, you know, invoking images of clouds and those celestial bodies we talked about earlier. Then the last description I found was from a shop on Etsy. A shop called Moon Spinner. She can also be found on Instagram. This girl's work is absolutely amazing, so much time for this silversmith, and I really love the way that she writes her descriptions. As an example, this is her alpinist ring, which is, I think it's a limited edition ring that she does. And this is her description. I designed this ring as an ode to climbers of high mountains rough and sturdy like those who trudge for long hours and days to reach mountaintops, the few others visit. Conquering peaks far above the tree line, then tracing the outline of the mountain range on the horizon with scuffed fingertips, Dreaming of going further, hiking higher, a ring for snowy ascents and reaching up to Blue Bird skies. This is a beautiful description that I believe appeals to customers with adventurous, outdoorsy spirit. All the references to snowy mountain tops, really stir up your emotions and make you want to get out of the campo van and lose yourself. What other types of emotive language can we use? Let's talk about heroic words. Injecting some fun and intrigue into product descriptions can be difficult as you don't want to make them too mushy. What can you do? You can write in a way which deals with excitement, I heroic. We've all read advertisements that encourage us to win the battle with our e mail or paperwork or tendency to procrastinate. They grab our interest by making, frankly, unexciting activity sound like a heroic quest. You can even use heroic language for comic effect, which is possible to do unintentionally too by going to over the top with your descriptions. But the heroic is a powerful way to tap into our need for drama, for excitement, for a story, for a quest. It would be easy to go over the top with words related to war, enemies, fighting, et cetera. I think it's important not to get too aggressive when selling something like jewelry. But give us some words or types of words that you can use to turn dry descriptions into something a bit more exciting. To start with notions of quests and adventures. So from the hobbit to Star Wars, our childhoods were filled with stories of heroes embarking on quests and overcoming challenges. Words like these conjure feelings of adventure, journey to lands known freedom, possibility and destiny. Okay. Another word or types of words you can use treasure. Pirates, dragon slayers alike, love a hoard of treasure. I guess we all long to find something to value, whether that's a prized possession or something or someone to love. That's really nice. The next word, armor, armor is durable, tough and protects the wearer from harm symbolizes inner strength, resilience, and determination. Other words like hunt and journey or just heroic pursuit in general. These words evoke freedom, creativity, unlimited possibilities, bravery and tenacity. As well as words related to forging, fabrication, and manufacturing, related to the creation of long lasting well made products that instill trust in the maker or the object itself. Imagine dwarves hammering out a magic sword for a god. Okay. Let's look at some examples of jewelry products that have used heroic language in the product descriptions to great effect. This one is a ring from Bulgari. It's called the b01 ring. The description says, drawing its inspiration from the world's most renowned amphitheater, the Colosseum. B01 is a groundbreaking statement of Bulgar's daring creative vision. In this all black look, the NSX jewel keeps transcending conventions and genders rewriting the jewelry design codes with distinctive aesthetics and unexpected materials. That's my jam. Can you get any more heroic or excited than gladiatorial combat? Also note the use of words such as ground breaking, daring, distinctive and transcending conventions. This brand's customers aren't your basic dude on the street. The next product description was jewelry by Johan, and they've got just a basic whiskey barrel and Titanium ring. The description reads wood from barrels used in real Tennessee Whiskey casks has been inlaid into titanium on this whiskey oak wood ring. This stylish wooden jewelry has an interesting history and makes for an excellent conversation piece. Perfect form whiskey enthusiasts. When I read this description, it seems very simple. It's really short, but speaks about the craftsmanship involved in this creation, as well as the history of the piece. They've written to their ideal customer who knows that a kickback in style. I'd imagine that person is somewhat of an enthusiast for whiskey and wants an interesting ring that will get a conversation going at a party. Simple, but effective. Then the third one I found was a ring by Black badgered I guess you pronounce that the black gold version three, which looks like something the Robocop might wear. But the description reads together, we have crafted the version three ring. A part jewelry part kinetic art part techno madness. Stainless steel has been precision engineered to create a ring with no fewer than eighth moving parts. The sections rotate around the center spine with a satisfying click. The V three also features a triple shot of Bangert loom powered by powered by a mutant mix of Swiss super Lomyva The badgerte loom soaks up light to glow brightly in darkness. Bagarte has been developed in close cooperation with the highest levels of the Swiss watch industry. So I like this product description because, you know, all this talk of precision engineering and exotic materials, trap images of industrial manufacturing for the discerning gentleman who likes tinkering around with his motorbike in the garage. I mean, even the name of the piece of jewelry sounds like it's a car, you know, the BlackGold V three. Also these references to the Swiss watch industry and kinetic art really show the complexity of the piece and the talent it took to create it. And yeah, I just love the way that this description uses these languages, all about kind of manufacturing to really connect with Black Badgers ideal customers. 8. Useful Tips For Etsy Product Listings: Useful tips for writing product descriptions on Etsy. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry about that terrible pun. You have a bad man product. You know your customer. You know the features and the benefits. But what now is nearly time to sell. But before I break down a great product description template, I want to give you a few quick tips to help you with your writing. So first, first hip, make it scannable. Bullet points are your friend. They have to break down large chunks of text and make them easy to read. Unfortunately, most people browsing for products. I wrote there. Most people browsing for products don't have time to read through lengthy paragraphs. So I think it's a great idea to include the most important information in bullet points. Remember to also make your paragraph short, say, two to three sentences with very easy to read language. So include bullet points. Features and benefits. I feel like we've covered this, but I can't really emphasize this enough. Always sell benefits. What features do you need to talk about with your item and how do those features benefit the customer? Be blated about it and say this item has X feature, which will benefit you somehow. I, the cat bed is soft and woolly, so your cat will be nice and warm. Following on from that, use instead of I. A lot of sellers make the mistake of talking too much about themselves or the story of the product. Unfortunately, people are cold and tend to care more about themselves or how the product will help them solve their problem. Structure your sentences around the reader using words like you, to make your descriptions more relatable. Avoid using the word I wherever you can. So this follows on nicely from all that talk about features and benefits because you can say very explicitly this item has this feature, which will make you feel like this. This unique Damascus steel ring has a unique pattern, which will get you notice at the party. You get me? Answer as many questions as you can in the listing. Wherever possible, try and make it easy for people to order. Answer as many questions as you can about postage, item specifics, how to order. Basically anticipate what questions people will have about the product and answer them. Pretty simple really. The next tip I'll give you is to avoid shop talk Wood workers tend to be particularly guilty of this using technical jargon that only other wood workers would understand. You know what I mean? I don't care that you mounted the piece in a forge chuck mark. Nobody want to see endless technical specifications for a handmade product, maybe if they were buying a new camera, but not a piece of jewelry, so keep your product descriptions simple. Analysis paralysis. Sometimes more is certainly not better and shoppers can suffer from analysis paralysis when faced with too many options. Seems crazy, but sometimes just having two to three variation options can allow customers to come to a buying decision. It may be worth experimenting with reducing the number of variations, for example, color options or material options on each listing to see if this prompts more sales. We like there are no photos, fairly self expsoryt vivid descriptions of the item you're selling, it's form, is function, and what benefit it has to the end user. I normally tell people as well to take photos like there are no product descriptions. I would also recommend to use testimonials. Now, Etsy automatically does this, but I'd like to include testimonials or one or two testimonials in the actual body of text for my product description. Basically include some snippets of positive feedback you received in the listing. This adds social proof and makes you more trustworthy to buyers. Finally, it's always good to add a call to action. A good copy will end with a call to action where you ask the reader to take some form of action on your listing. B it asking them to get in touch today to discuss your custom order or place your order today and get it delivered by next week, et. I hope those tips have been helpful. Now it's time to move on to my winning product description template. 9. Etsy Product Description Template: Writing a product description can be tricky sometimes. So here's a quick template to show you what to include. What did you include this so that you can just plug in the relevant information where it needs to be, and it makes things really, really easy for you. So let's start out with you obviously need a title for the listing. Currently on ETC the title of your product is very important for search engine optimization. Be sure to include your most important keywords here, and also remember that the first 20 to 30 characters of the title most visible in search. Try and explain what the item is at the start of the title. The first paragraph. This first paragraph, you should describe the item in one or two sentences. We should be concise to the point and be sure to use a couple of your most important keywords. And then what I'd like to do is bullet point important features. So include three to six bullet points so the customer can scan over it quickly. These should include the most important information about the product, main features and benefits, lead times, postage, et cetera. Next, I'll include one to three paragraphs which cover the features and benefits of the item where this is your chance to explain the features and benefits of the item in a bit more depth. Use these paragraphs to tell the items story in a compelling way. I think it's always useful then to put in a paragraph about sizing, especially for something like rings or bangles or necklaces, whatever. This is the paragraph to include anything the customer needs to know about sizing. Then I'd like to include a paragraph about customization options, if any. If the item can be customized in any way, then put those details here. Alternatively, you can add links to similar listings like engravings or ring boxes, et. It's a good idea to say that you're welcome sorry. It's a good idea to say that you welcome bespoke orders here and that they can message you to discuss any custom requests. Then I'd like to put a little paragraph about postage to include anything the customer needs to know about lead times, posted times to their country, any charges, et cetera. Return shop policies, and guarantees, say, This is where you say if you accept returns and refunds, which you definitely should what guarantees you offer and link to your shop policies. So I'd like just to say, refunds and returns are accepted under normal circumstances, and just put a link to say, you know, you can check out my shop policies here. Okay. Then finally, a call to action. This doesn't need to be aggressive, but it's always good to end by asking for the sale or for them to get in touch if they need any help. Something like get yours today order now and post and the postman will drop it off to you in a week. Something like that. Okay. And just quickly a little word about formatting. I like to write the description so it's easy to scan over. I found that breaking up each section really helps. I like to do this with headings for each section with a few dashes before and after the words. Like this, I just put sizing with a few dashes before and after. I'd recommend doing something similar to this. You don't have to do it with the dashes, you can do it however you like. But I just find it really helps people to scan over the listing and read it quickly. 10. £40k Example: My Best Selling Listing: Now what I'm going to do is I'm going to actually show you my specific example by reading the description of my best selling item. I wrote this description about six years ago for my best selling ring. It's not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but this product has made so far to date 40,275 pounds 57 pence in sales, so it can't be too bad. I literally have made enough money to put a deposit down on a house with this item. You don't need to be perfect and you can continually improve your descriptions over time. The product is a rosewood and gray maple bent wood ring with dinosaur bone, copper and tech meteorite inlay. This design I have lovingly called the dino Cop. It's a cool ring and people seem to love the design. I hope this description does it justice. Here goes nothing. Let me fire up Etsy. All right. So we are at my shop, Zabrno Woodcraft on Et this is the listing in question. So let me see if I can read this out so you can see my product descriptions, how I do it and what's been working for me. So you see that this product has got quite a lot of good reviews, and I actually did have a consultation with an expert from Et and they actually told me that my product description was perfect. So I just thought this will be really interesting to share with you. Okay. So I just zoomed in a little bit there just so I can kind of see. So I can read it myself, really. All right. So this is the description here. And the first paragraph. Wooden ring made with gray birds maple, Santos rosewood, and inlays of dinosaur bone, copper and techie meteorite. Handmade order at any UK or US size for men and women women women with free shipping worldwide. Please read through this listing so you understand my sharp policies and what to expect. Here's what you need to know in a nutshell. This is a strong and durable bent wood ring. It has a waterproof and long lasting finish. Choose any UK or US size. Choose a width 6-10 mile ready to post in one to two weeks. This beautiful combination of Santos roses and gray birds are maple is sort to fascinate whoever sees it. The first inlay is mineralized dinosaur bone, which has had the individual cells fossilized with precious minerals. These minerals are then crushed and inlay to add a brown red band of color. The second inlay is a tectit meteorite, which are found all over the planet and regarded as stones of luck in many cultures. A strip of copper wire brings the hole piece together complementing the wood tones and shine of the finish. Bedwood rings make charming gifts that are strong, super comfortable, and never go unnoticed. Suitable for both men and women, Wooden rings are popular choices for wedding, engagement, or fifth anniversary gifts, as well as cool accessories for everyday wear. Then there's a little section on sizing. All UK and US sizes are available and can be chosen in the drop down menu. These rings can be made 6-10 mile width. It's highly recommended. It's highly recommended, you get your finger size by two to three jewelers at different times of the day to ensure you get the right ring size. If the wrong size is requested, there could be a resizing fee. For more information, please read the refunds and exchanges section on my shot policies here. Okay. Then there's another section, adding an engraving and faster order upgrades. You can add a bit inscription up to 15 characters long for 15 pounds by adding the listing below to your basket with your ring. Up to speed up your order and have it made in under a week, you're going to add the listing below to your basket for 20 pounds, which is an upgraded expedited order thing. Then there's a little section caring for your wooden ring. All my rings are very durable and can last a lifetime with the correct. It is advisable to take the ring off before exposing the water for prolonged periods. But a little splash here and they won't hurt. You should be careful when lifting heavy goods or playing sports. Wood is a natural material and needs to be treated with love and care. For more details, please visit my policies page and scroll down to the K and maintenance section. Oop, spelling error, grammar error there put two two. I need to correct that. Postage and delivery, postage and packaging are free. Each ring will take two to three weeks to complete. Delivery within the UK is sent first class recorded and usually takes one to three working days to arrive overseas delivery, blah, blah, blah. Um, Sorry. Overseas delivery normally takes five to ten work days, but can be up to five weeks depending on where in the world you are. I advise allowing at least eight weeks for your ring to arrive to avoid disappointment. For inquiries about postage times and priority orders, please do not hesitate to contact me. Then there's another section, Contact me for bespoke orders. If there's something you're looking for and can't find it listed anywhere, then please feel free to send me a message and I'll be happy to discuss your requirements. For a peek behind the scenes, check out my Facebook and Instagram accounts and get in touch if you need any help. Then I've just got a link to, you know, my Facebook Instagram or whatever. That's the description for the dino Cop. As you can see, it's not perfect. A few spelling errors in there. You know, I could spice it up I imagine I'm better at writing product descriptions now. But even with that, you know, less than perfect description, I've made over 40,000 pounds in sales with just that one product. So I hope that that has inspired you and you, you know, You could know how to use that listing template to devastating effect. Okay. 11. Further Reading: I am far from a professional copywriter or a literary scholar. I would highly recommend you dive deeper into the subjects covered in this class. Here are my three recommendations for books that will help you take your writing skills to the next level. I have actually included links to the books on Amazon or audio book versions on Audible. I think I listened to all three of these books on Audible. I just think audio books are awesome, as you can listen and learn while you work. So you can be making rings and learning things at the same time. But these are even in book format, these are excellent texts to refer back to time and time again. The first book I would recommend is copywriting made simple by Tom Albrighton. This easy listen audio book will teach you all of the essentials of copywriting from understanding products, audiences and benefits to close in the sale. It's packed with real life examples that will show you exactly how the ideas work in the real world. Plus, there's a whole chapter of handy tips on writing ads, websites, broadcast media, direct mail, social media, and print. That's an excellent place to start. The next book is everybody writes by Ann Handley In everybody writes, top marketing veteran, Ann Handley gives expert guidance and insight into the process and strategy of content creation, production publishing with actionable how to advise designed to get results. These lessons and rules apply across all of your online assets like web pages, homepage, landing page, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, social media, and deconstructs the strategy and delivers a practical approach to create ridiculously compelling and competent content. It's designed to be go to guide for anyone creating or publishing any kind of online content, whether you're a big brand or small and solo. So that book is particularly good because it's about the craft of writing. Then the third book I really recommend to anyone is influence the psychology of persuasion by Robert B Cal Dini. In this epic book, you will learn the six universal principles of influence and how to use them to become a master persuader. The author delves deep into the psychology of getting people to say, yes, which will help you serve your audience better. Beware though, there's some seriously powerful stuff in this book, use it responsibly. All right. That concludes this class about writing product descriptions. I hope that this class has inspired you to be creative. I recommend scouring the Internet and reading lots of descriptions from big brands and Etsy shops to find inspiration and see what is working in your niche. As always though don't overclicate things. Just bust out a bro, roughly outline your description and get typing. You can't really go wrong and you will improve every time you write something new. Okay. The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. Someone Smart said that. So get right 12. Did You Enjoy This Class?: I hope that you've got a lot of value out of this and you're feeling really inspired to go off and create your own product listings. If you did find this class useful or entertaining, then please leave me a review. It really helps me to keep creating content and to help more people to see the class. So if you've got a spare minute, it would be massively helpful. But if not, there's no problem, and I'll see you in the next one.