When you scroll through the listings, you might wonder why there’s so many different, seemingly acceptable styles of Amazon product description writing.
Some products have ridiculously long titles, stuffed with keywords. Others have paragraphs upon paragraphs in their bullet points, and an assortment of stars, dashes and exclamation points littering their copy. Others are bare, with just a few item specs and measurements, but no real sales copy at all.
Amazon’s product description guidelines are pretty clear. Yet so many sellers seem to get away with breaking the rules. Some of these sellers will eventually have their listings removed, while others will squeak by.
It’s up to you to provide product descriptions that are a cut above your competitions’ – especially when you sell products that are similar to what others are selling, or private label products that may be identical to other sellers’.
Use my step-by-step guide to creating unique Amazon product descriptions that sell – without being pushy or breaking Amazon’s few rules and guidelines.
The Perfect Product Title
Regardless of your item category, your product title should be under 200 characters. If your title is longer, it might not show up in Amazon search at all. Prioritize the essentials: your brand name, the item name, color and quantity (if it’s, say, a set of 3 dog bandanas.) Then, use the remaining space to add adjectives and keyword phrases your target customer would likely use to search for a product they want. Keywords in your product title should be essential to helping shoppers find your item.
Use the Amazon keyword tool for inspiration.
Also be sure to capitalize every first letter of each word, except for words like a, the, and with. Use commas sparingly. Review your title afterwards, reading it to make sure it makes sense. If it sounds like a bunch of keywords grouped together, cut a few words out or rearrange the copy until it feels right.
Here’s a template you can use for any product title:
Brand Model # Keyword Product Name, Color, Set of #
Bite-Size Bullet Points
When shoppers click on your product title, the first thing they’ll see next is your bullet points. They’ll want to know within a few moments whether they’ve found what they’re after.
Choose just five features, one for each bullet point. You may want to reserve one bullet point for product dimensions, another for materials, and other distinguishing information. Your last bullet point can describe the applications your product is best used for.
Allowed text length for each bullet point is 100 characters each. Begin each bullet point with a capital letter. Be accurate and descriptive without being too flowery – long, storytelling copy is better suited for the description area. It’s better to use short phrases separated by semi-colons, instead of complete sentences with punctuation. Avoid using periods and exclamation points.
Search keywords count in bullet points, too. Include phrases shoppers will use to find your product, gently working in your keywords without being spammy.
A Product Description That Closes The Sale
Once a shopper moves on from the bullet points to the longer, more detailed product description, there’s a good chance they’re a serious buyer. They may be looking for just a little bit more information before they’ll be confident enough to click “add to cart.”
You can repeat the information disclosed in your bullet points one more time in the description – people tend to miss them if they scroll down without reading the bullets.
Also include additional information, alternative uses, and any information that didn’t quite make it into the title or bullet points.
Your product description can have limited formatting, such as bold and italics. You can use bold formatting to create a catchy headline that draws in your customers.
What Not To Include
There are a few things you should never include in any part of Amazon product description writing.
Don’t include your website URL, shipping information, or contact information. Shoppers can contact you directly through Amazon if they have questions or concerns.
Also avoid phrases such as “best seller,” or “hot item.” They don’t provide any useful information for the shopper and Amazon’s guidelines specifically prohibit vague, subjective phrasing.
Know Your Shopper
If you’re feeling stuck, or just want to make sure your product descriptions are hitting the right notes, you can do some light customer research to get ideas of what phrases they use, and how they use products like yours to improve their lives.
Just hunt down some competitor’s products, and take a look at the customer submitted content: questions, answers and reviews.
To take it a step further, look for forums and groups that include your target buyer. Ask questions and contribute to the community to get an inside scoop.
Blogs are another good source of research. Look for blogs with reviews for products similar to yours, and check out the comments to see exactly what makes shoppers rave over a product.
Need Pro Amazon Product Description Writing Help?
I’ve written hundreds – no, thousands – of product descriptions for Amazon listings, and I’m happy to help with yours.
I’m a copywriter for the pet industry and beyond. I have a passion for online shopping, and I enjoy helping customers connect with useful items with clear, eye-catching copy.
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