Product copy

Write product descriptions that people find persuasive, easy to grasp, and worth paying more for. The rules change how copy is structured and measured — number of claims, units, names, register — which move purchase intent and willingness to pay more than adjectives do.

When to use

• Writing or rewriting a description, title, bullets, or hero message
• Choosing which features to mention, how many, in what units and register

When not to use

• Auditing the whole page → product-page; photo/video direction → product-visuals
• Discount or promotion wording → discounts / promotions

Inputs

Collect, or state your assumption:

• Product facts: materials, quantity, specs, ingredients or components (any branded?)
• The full list of candidate benefits
• Audience and how technical they are
• Where the copy sits and the length limit

Classify the product first. Hedonic = bought for enjoyment, pleasure, or the experience (chocolate, fashion, decor, travel, spa, perfume). Utilitarian = bought to do a job, judged on function and value (detergent, appliances, insect repellent, tools, accounting software). If it's mixed, decide by what the buyer is optimizing for at the moment of purchase.

Procedure

1. Pick three claims. Rank the benefits; keep the top three (three claims were 10.4% more persuasive than four; skepticism starts at the fourth). Move the rest to a spec table.
2. Best features only. Don't pad with merely good features — the impression sinks to the weakest claim.
3. Units people use. Uses or pieces (30 washes, 8 cans), not standardized measures (750 g, 96 oz). Raises product evaluations and willingness to pay.
4. Smaller units for precision. Drop to the next unit down: 180 seconds, not 3 minutes; 180 minutes, not 3 hours; 32 oz, not a quarter gallon. Reads more precise and credible; strongest for time.
5. Evocative color names. "Midday sky blue", not "light blue".
6. Feature branded components. A branded ingredient or part (Gore-Tex, a licensed enzyme blend) goes up front; demand up to 40% higher. †
7. Register by product type. Utilitarian → science and effectiveness language works. Hedonic → avoid it ("lab-formulated" on a treat: up to 30% less likely to be chosen). †
8. Plain language. Unknown terms make the product seem worse and pricier; define or drop. †
9. Describe touch where feel matters (textiles, skincare) — the top online clothing pain point.
10. Rational up, emotional down in vertical layouts.
11. Frame as an experience (coffee with friends, not bean origin) when you want reviews. †

Output

1. Headline and body within the length limit.
2. Rules table:

3. What was cut and where it can go.

Common mistakes

• Working every supplied benefit in — six benefits read as a pitch; pick three.
• Leading with pack weight or volume — lead with uses.
• Keeping the supplier's color name.
• "Lab-tested" on a hedonic product.

Quick reference

† No primary citation on file for this rule — a practitioner tip, not a measured finding.

Evidence and effect sizes: see reference.md.