Writing Product Copy Doesn’t Have to be a Chore — Sharon Z Jewelry

Some of you might remember when I shared a product upload checklist back in May (Tip – this link will have you make a copy to your Google Drive.) This was a list designed to help you remember key details like chain length, stone size, and more.

But I didn’t address the part where you also have to write an engaging description. One that entices and enchants your customers into adding a piece of jewelry to their cart and then entering their credit card information.

Time and again I hear from clients that they hate this part, that they think they are repeating themselves, or that they don’t like what they wrote.

I have a small secret to share with you – most of the time I don’t like the first words I’ve written. Not for my products, my blog posts, my newsletters – I despise it all on sight.

And then I edit. This is where the actual work happens.

My process goes something like this for writing product copy:

• Write lots of words

• Dislike 80% of them

• Walk away

• Come back and dislike only 50% of them

• Edit in better words, take out a bunch of the unnecessary words

• Double check my best and favorite keywords

• Reread the copy and congratulate myself for being more clever than I gave myself credit for being.

• Double check the details on each piece

• Hit publish

To be honest, this is about the same process that I use when designing and making jewelry. The emotional arc is about the same. Try–iterate–edit–edit more–love–release.

Here are some tips for making the process easier on yourself:

• Be free! Freely write whatever you want as your first draft – you can always edit later.

• Think about what your customers want to hear

• Be brief – it doesn’t need to be more than 3 sentences.

• Amuse yourself! Am I pleased with myself for including the word ‘Uranus’ in the product copy for this listing? You bet your ass I am.

• Do some keyword research. My favorite tool to use in research is Google Trends. It will show you which words that you use rank higher in searches.

• Listen to your customers

This last one is key – the next time you do a show, or receive lots of comments on your Instagram posts, listen to the words that your customers use. Did they describe your work as edgy? Whimsical? Modern? Sleek? Minimalist? Lovely? Freakin’ gorgeous?

Take their words and echo them. Your customers are telling you so much through their descriptions. They are telling you how they might search for a piece of jewelry online, or they are telling you exactly what they want to hear echoed back to them.

Make this a part of a regular practice, and your next jewelry launch won’t feel quite so chore-like.

What questions do you have about writing better product copy? Drop your question in the comments below!