7 Rules for Product Descriptions That Convert
Product description advice is everywhere, most of it contradictory. These seven rules hold up across platforms, categories, and price points. They're the patterns we see in high-converting listings again and again, and the ones we encoded into scrb's defaults.
Rule 1 — Lead with the buyer's problem
The first sentence should name the friction the buyer is trying to escape. 'Stop forgetting your water bottle at the gym' beats 'Premium insulated water bottle'. Buyers scan for relevance; if the first line doesn't signal 'this is for me', they're gone.
Rule 2 — Prove every claim
'Durable' is worthless. '100-pound weight rating, tested for 10,000 flex cycles' is a claim. If you can't prove it, don't claim it. Unbacked claims erode trust silently — buyers don't always articulate why they didn't buy, but 'the description felt like marketing copy' is a common reason.
Rule 3 — Use numbers over adjectives
Adjectives flatten: 'large', 'long-lasting', 'premium'. Numbers differentiate: '32oz', '40-hour burn time', '220 gsm cotton'. Every numeric detail you include is one less objection a buyer has to look up elsewhere.
Rule 4 — Write to one person, not an audience
'Our customers love how our product makes their lives easier' reads like a boardroom slide. 'You'll notice the difference on your first morning coffee' talks to a person. Second-person singular; no 'we', no 'our customers', no 'people'.
Rule 5 — Answer the three objections in order
Every product has three predictable objections. For clothing: fit, quality, return policy. For electronics: battery, compatibility, warranty. For skincare: safety, effectiveness, shelf life. Address these in the first 100 words or lose the sale.
Rule 6 — End with one specific action
'Learn more' is vague. 'Add to cart — ships tomorrow' is specific. 'Check the size guide below' is specific. The description should end pointing the buyer to their next step, not a soft pitch.
Rule 7 — Write mobile-first
70-90% of e-commerce traffic is mobile. Write paragraphs that fit on a phone screen (3 lines max), use bullet lists for feature sets, and put the most important information first. Anything buried past the fold is effectively invisible.
FAQ
How long should a product description be?
Long enough to answer the three objections for the buyer's category, short enough that 'Add to cart' stays above the fold on mobile. For most products, 80-160 words.
Should I use bullets or paragraphs?
Both. A short paragraph to set the emotional context, then bullets for scannable features. Pure-bullet descriptions read like spec sheets; pure-paragraph descriptions are skipped on mobile.
Does tone matter?
Yes — tone signals audience fit. A luxury tone on a $20 gadget reads as deceptive; a casual tone on a $2,000 watch reads as cheap. Match your tone to your price and brand.