Grow Your Sales on Etsy: Tips for Creating Brilliant Etsy Descriptions
by Karon Thackston of Marketing Words
Karon Thackston is President of Marketing Words, where she trains online entrepreneurs to earn more while working less. She is a graduate of the DISC Behavioral Model course and also earned the designation of Certified Landing Page Specialist from Marketing Experiments.
In this guest blog post Karon shares: 3 Examples of Brilliant Etsy Descriptions & Why They Work
The struggle is real. Millions of Etsy sellers every day ask the dreaded question, “What am I going to say about this [product] I created?”
Why is it so hard? After all, you are the one who came up with the product idea. You felt the passion to make it and share it with the world. Yet, when it comes to communicating this with your customers, you draw a blank.
Like I said, it happens to lots of sellers. You are not alone. What can you do to overcome this challenge? Take some inspiration from successful listings with beautifully written copy! (NOTE: Never ever plagiarize someone else’s copy. It is illegal and unethical.)
Fixing a Problem
One approach is to position your product to overcome some problem. This listing does a wonderful job of that by highlighting what the problem is and – specifically – what about the product can resolve the issue.
Notice how the listing copy gets right to solving the problem [Tame the flyaways] while communicating several benefits [lightly scented, medium/strong hold].
It also goes farther by offering other ways the product can be used [pulled-back hair]. By outlining how the product is special [custom blend of scalp-loving extracts] this product stands out as something other than ordinary hairspray.
Conveying Luxury
How do you turn a hunk of wood into a home entertainer’s delight? For starters, tag it with a fancy French name and opt for carefully chosen adjectives. Next, give a reason for customers to be in awe and offer multiple uses to convey value.
This listing did exactly that (with one exception).
Calling this “cutting board” a “Charcuterie board” was a great start. Then you’ll notice the adjective “live edge” which simply means that raw cut is unfinished. But “live edge” sounds much more sophisticated.
The seller mentions (twice) that this is cut from a single piece of olive wood, but doesn’t explain why that is significant. I’d suggest adding a sentence about that.
Charcuterie boards are classically used to display cold sliced meats (pork mainly). However, naming alternate uses of this gourmet board (appetizers, desserts, gifts, etc.) shows the customer that they’ll get a lot of value for their purchase.
Having Fun
Girls just wanna have a little fun and what better way to make that happen at your young lady’s party than with birthday games customized just for her?
This set of three games is described quickly but accurately while keeping the focus on having fun.
While I love the way the seller highlighted that this was an interactive game set and that it could be personalized, I think they would be wise to move the “Fully Editable” section (below) higher up. Perhaps after the sentence ending with “personalized touch to any birthday bash!”
That way, people who aren’t familiar with editing in Canva will see that they have the option to use the game as-is, if they prefer.
Then list the types of games that are included followed by the copy about this paper size and printing options.
Next, I’d move the section (Perfect for birthday parties…) up so the parent can see that these games can be used for more than just parties.
I love the imagery that the writer evokes with the copy “… this game set promises laughter, bonding, and a dash of friendly competition…” Can’t you just hear a roomful of girls squealing and screaming as they discover little tidbits about each other they never knew?
The bonus (thank you tag) could be highlighted a little better. Perhaps actually call it a bonus and/or state its value.
The addition of linking to another game for sale in the seller’s Etsy shop is always a good idea.
If I could give you one piece of advice about writing any type of description product copy it would be to make good use of carefully chosen adjectives.
- Tame flyaways instead of smooth flyaways
- Scalp-loving extracts not just herbs
- Live edge instead of rough cut
- Single-piece to denote quality
- Personalized conveys being special
- Interactive party games communicate group fun
It’s all about bringing your customer into your idea for the product you sell and showing them how it will positively impact their life.
Ready to go deeper into professional best practices?
For detailed tips and techniques for writing Etsy listing copy, scoop up my Etsy Copy Tips and Templates training today for only $27 (normally $47) when you use code ETSYCOPY.