This lesson will cover all you need to know about how to write an Etsy product description.

You know how awesome your digital products are but how do you convey this to your customers?

Well, you write product descriptions that make customers desperate to part with their cash and download everything you have.

To sell like this you’ll need Etsy product descriptions which grab your customers’ attention. 

And in this lesson you will learn 9 strategies that will help you write product descriptions that get you sales.

1. Focus On Your Meta-description

Your meta-description is the snippet of description shown by Google in search results.

Google and other search engines will use the first 157 – 160 characters of your Etsy product description for their meta-description

So, start with a clear statement of what your product is and the value it gives.

You’ll want to begin with 2 – 3 concise sentences which describe your product with a clear call-to-action. 

For example: here’s the meta-description from one of the listings from my shop:

The meta-description you see here is the first few sentences of my product description. Using 157 characters, it clearly states what the product is and invites the reader to do something with a call-to-action.

2. Have a Conversation With Your Customer in Your Etsy Product Description

Be Friendly:

When writing your description, think of it as a conversation you would have with your customer if you met face-to-face.

Be friendly and use the word “I” so that customers feel like they are talking to you.

(By the way, don’t confuse the customer by using “we” if it is just you running the shop).

Use the words your customer would use and be authentic.

You can make your description fun and use humour too, but the key is to really understand who your customer is and what they want from you.

You identified your target customer back in Module 2 so refer back to the imaginary buyer you created using your Target Customer worksheet and imagine writing the product description to this person.

Connect With Your Customers

A huge benefit of Etsy is the fact that buyers get to connect with the designer/creator who made their product. And when you get it right, you’ll create a tribe of loyal customers who, as well as wanting to buy your products, would also LOVE to hang out with you.

If you find writing in a conversational tone difficult, try this: Describe your product aloud to a voice recorder and then transcribe exactly what you said. This way you’ll sound more natural.

Think about the questions your customer might ask and what information they would gather if your shop was a bricks-and-mortar store. Check that your description includes all of this information.

Overall, in your Etsy product description, make your customers love your products as much as you do and captivate them with your enthusiasm.

It’s all about being able to connect with readers using your personality and tone of voice. Throughout your Etsy product description, use the word you and always check that the content is focused on your customer. You might like to count the number of times you’ve used I, me, we, us versus the word you as this is a good indicator of whether your description focuses on your customer.

3. Use Your Etsy Product Description to Link to Other Products

A great way to generate more sales is to suggest customers buy complementary products. You can do this by including links in the Etsy product description for items you think might go well with the product they’re interested in. Also, to keep them browsing around your shop, include a link back to your shop front page too.

4. Use Keywords

Using keywords in your product descriptions helps your customers find your products and assures them that they’re in the right place. Study your Etsy Shop Stats to see which keywords are being used the most and use those in your product descriptions to drive even more sales.

Make sure that each of the words you’ve used in your title and tags are included in your product description. To do this take each word from the title and tags and include it in a sentence in your description.

5. Structure Your Text

Keep your text clear, concise, and easy to read. Here’s a suggested paragraph structure you might like to use:

Begin with a strong and attention-grabbing opening statement that clearly states the transformation your coaching digital product offers or problem it solves. For example, “Transform your life and unlock your full potential with our comprehensive coaching ebook.”

Then you can explain the benefits, features, add testimonials and conclude with a call-to-action.

Throughout, keep paragraphs and sentences short and concise. Use descriptive and persuasive language and make sure information is easy to skim by including bullet points. A great tool to use to check the structure of your text is the Hemingway app.

6. Talk About Benefits Not Features

You might be keen to shout about the features of your products. But honestly – customers aren’t that interested. What they want to know above all else is the benefit they will get.

What’s in it for them?

How will it solve their problem?

So, in order to make customers desperate to buy from you, use this trick:

You need to weave a little magic. Follow this pattern and you’ll have your customers queuing up at your virtual shop door.

It’s this…

Highlight a feature then follow it quickly with an associated benefit.

For example, imagine a product such as a set of printable affirmation cards which can be personalized. This could be described as follows:

“A printable set of beautiful affirmation cards that you can use every day to help you shift your mindset, reduce stress and boost your self-confidence.”

The feature is that they are printable affirmations, and the benefit is helping to boost positivitity.

Only include features if you are listing them with their associated benefits like in this example. It adds credibility to your products.

7. Appeal to a Customer’s Imagination

When people hold a product in their hands, they will be more likely to buy it. However, this is obviously not possible online, so your job is to entice them with your words.

The best way to do this is to help the reader use their imagination. To do this try starting a sentence with the word “imagine” and go on to explain how the reader will feel owning and using the product. You can seduce with sensory words to help paint a vivid picture of your product. Use words which describe how your product might be experienced.

To identify sensory words imagine each of the senses and think of words like the ones listed here:

8. Use Your Etsy Product Description to Tell Stories

When you engage your buyers with stories, they can forget they’re buying.

Their barriers to sales are dropped and your product becomes more engaging and persuasive.

This is because our human brains are wired to think in stories. Stories add personality and make products seem meaningful.

You can tell stories about anything related to your product.

Perhaps you have a story to share about how you developed the product, how you were inspired, the obstacles you overcame, how you tested it or a story of how you use it.

Whatever story you decide to tell, dig deep and uncover details that your audience will find fascinating.

To get this content you could talk to your suppliers, do some research, or talk to your customers. Just remember to keep stories concise and focus on one simple idea.

9. Talk About How Popular Your Product Is

Lastly, customers love to buy things that they think are popular.

Show that your product is popular by including quotes from your 5-star reviews, refer to it being a best seller or mention the number of favourites it has.

10. Include All the Necessary Information

When you’re putting together your product listing try to think like your customer and anticipate any questions they may have. If you can answer all of these questions in your listing then your customer can confidently proceed to purchasing your product.

How will they receive the product?

Make it clear that the product is a digital download and is available to download immediately after purchase. Nothing will be physically shipped.

Who can use the product?

Remind customers that your product is for a single user and can’t be shared or re-distributed.

How can they use the product?

Explain whether your product is for personal or commercial use.

How will the product look?

Explain that colours may appear differently on individual monitors or printers.

What if they change their mind?

Be clear about your refund policy. It is usual not to refund digital items as they are delivered instantly.

What will the customer receive?

Remember to include information about the following:

• file types
• size and dimensions
• resolution

How can digital download be accessed?

Make it clear how your customer will receive their digital product. You can attach the file directly to Etsy, but if it’s bigger than 20MB you’ll have to host it elsewhere. In this case, give your customer clear instructions about how they can access it. As Etsy does require you to attach a digital file, you can create a simple PDF that thanks your customer, offers them some simple instructions and perhaps gives them a coupon code to use on a future purchase.

Examples From My Product Listings

Here are some examples of text I use in my listings which you can use and adapt for your own.

I include these in my policies and in each individual listing.

Please note that the colours of the digital items may appear differently depending on the settings of individual screens or printers.

Due to the nature of this instant download file, I cannot offer refund or exchanges of your order. However, if you have any problems with the download or file, please contact me on Etsy and I will be happy to work with you to try to resolve any issue as quickly as possible. 

Please note: All of my items are digital downloads, which means you pay less, don’t pay shipping fees, and receive your product instantly!

When you use the [product name], I’d love to know what you think. If you have any feedback, I’m only an email away – find me at: [your email]. I can’t wait to hear from you.

The files will be available for download a few minutes after you’ve made your purchase. Go to your Etsy account and select “Purchases and Reviews” where you’ll see your files ready to be downloaded.

If you have any questions or requests, please feel welcome to contact me. I want you to be 100% satisfied with your [product name].

This file is for personal use only. You may print as many times as you like but I respectfully request that you do not forward, share, sell or distribute the file. You may not use for commercial use. [Your shop name] retains all copyright. I thank you for respecting the hard work that goes into designing my items.

By purchasing this [product name] you agree to the terms of use which can be seen on my policies page.

So, in a nutshell, answer your customer’s questions before they ask them to give them a trouble-free buying experience.