Setting up a store on Well Resourced Dietitian is nearly effortless! Simply fill out the online registration form and then customize your profile with a catchy bio and logo or photo.
The real work begins when you start adding products to your store. A standout product description is going to help more people find your product. It will also explain exactly what your product is, so that your target audience of dietitians are getting excited about it and are making the purchase.
If this is your first ever attempt at writing a product description – you’re in the right place. What stands between you and driving sales from your store is following five simple tips.
5 Simple tips for writing a great product description:
1. Include plenty of product detail to convert more shoppers into buyers
2. Tell your product story to make it feel unique investment
2. Make text easy to scan so key details can be read quickly
3. Add testimonials and social proof to build credibility
5. Optimize product descriptions for search and SEO to connect with potential buyers
In this blog, you’ll learn not just what to do but how to do it. We’re showcasing top-selling products and pointing out exactly what they’re doing well. Equipped with the how-to and best practice examples, you’ll be writing great descriptions for your products. And making money as a result!
Disclosure: contains affiliate links. As an affiliate, Well Resourced Dietitian earns a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
Tip 1: Always include plenty of product detail
You may think you are simply selling a nutrition handout, slide deck or worksheet, but what people make a purchase based on is your product description. Make it shine! Describe how your product will benefit the buyer. Details matter… especially for digital products.
Read on to learn what details to include in your description and how to leverage content previews.
Describe the product
When you sit down to draft your product description, you may struggle to figure out what to say. A cardiac diet handout is pretty self-explanatory, right? Nope! Shoppers are looking for details so they can be sure your product is the right fit for their needs.
Let’s turn to a best practice example to illustrate. With nearly 200 sales and over $7,000 in earnings, it’s definitely one to emulate.
In this Gentle Nutrition Handouts for Eating Disorder Recovery, notice the level of detail provided. It doesn’t simply state “handouts on carbohydrates” are included. It offers a granular level of detail including “what they are, where they go, + signs that you’re not getting enough.”
If this level of detail feels like overkill for your resource, it’s likely because you’re intimately familiar with the content and cardiac client population. Assume your prospective customers are not! Your product description should equal the experience of flipping through the pages in person.
Consider the above bulleted list for the Gentle Nutrition Handouts – do you find it superfluous? Unlikely. If you purchased this download, you’d know exactly what to expect. Providing details leads the potential buyer to feel confident in making their online purchase.
Explain how to use it
If you want to stand out from the crowd of possible products a shopper is considering, provide details on how to use your product. This doesn’t mean a cursory statement that a handout is intended to be used in client sessions. Instead, it means…
Don’t assume that customers know exactly what they are looking for and how they’ll use it. They choose a resource because they can envision themselves using it or see their need reflected in the product description.
Let’s look at a product example!
This customer favorite, the Gestational Diabetes Client Resource, outperforms similar diabetes products on Well Resourced. It has amassed nearly 100 sales. Why does this handout end up in people’s carts?
The creator, McKenzie, clearly and effectively positions her resource, developed using a weight inclusive approach, as a solution. It transforms this handout from information into a real-world tool shoppers can picture themselves using.
In the product description, notice the pain points described. The statement “you want to promote a healthy relationship with food, but current GDM resources focus too much on carb counting and feel restrictive” might be exactly the struggle a shopper is looking to address.
The result…add to cart and checkout. You just made a sale!
Include content previews
While the words in your product description are important, they alone won’t make the sale. You must provide strong visuals. Content previews give people the opportunity to see a portion of the resource before they buy.
In the examples we’ve looked at so far, you were likely drawn to the images. It’s no surprise that shoppers make purchases based on a combination of design and content.
The featured image of the Kids Nutrition Handout Bundle is a scroll-stopper. It’s easy to see why this product has 50+ sales in just a few months. Notice the use of content previews showcasing the visual appeal of these well-designed handouts.
A gorgeous featured image helps to bring traffic to your product page. When people search for a keyword or browse a topic area, they will be clicking on the first product that catches their eye. Be sure that it is yours!
If you’re unsure how to create a featured image with pages from your resource neatly displayed on a background, we’ve got you covered! The How to Create a Digital Mockup blog is your step-by-step guide. You might be surprised at how simple (and totally FREE) it is to showcase your product with content previews.
Tip 2: Tell a story to differentiate your store and products
Chances are that your product has competition and that shoppers will be comparing a few resources before making a purchase. How do you stand out and secure sales?
The strongest differentiator you can leverage is your expertise. Your years of experience working with a specific population or condition cannot be easily replicated. When you infuse your product description with these details, people notice.
Let’s take a look at an example.
The Eating with IBD: The Essentials eBook is a resource aimed at a lay audience but has also been popular with care providers. Sales topping $1000 are evidence of its wide appeal.
Why would people purchase this resource when there is plenty of free information on Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis elsewhere?
In the product description, the authors position their expertise – and it’s a powerful selling point.
The words “working with thousands of IBD patients” are attention-grabbing, right?
Showcasing your expertise in your product description is powerful and adds credibility. Many sellers find this type of writing uncomfortable and even awkward – labeling it as bragging or self-promoting. Get used to it!
But…your product description should never read like a resume or bio. It should position your expertise in the context of the resource you’re selling.
In this Sensory Foods Handbook, Jenny Friedman positions her expertise working with picky eaters and kids with feeding problems.
Notice how she tells a powerful story about how she developed her resource. It brings credibility to the content and positions the content as unique and valuable:
Most Well Resourced store owners would agree that their best performing resources are the ones they created and fine-tuned for their own use.
Jenny’s store with just two sensory food resources has more than $1800 in earnings from over 170 sales. This is strong evidence that your unique expertise can be a valuable selling point and should be highlighted in your product description.
Be sure to check out our vendor success stories for a deep dive into how our top sellers create and position their products for maximum earning power.
Tip 3: Make text easy to scan and read quickly
Online shoppers are in a hurry. They’re scanning for keywords and reacting to what they read faster than ever.
A good product description is one that includes detail (as we’ve addressed above) and is easy to read and quickly scan. By following a few simple best practices, you’ll be getting noticed and making sales.
Let’s dive in!
Formatting do’s and don’ts
The content in your product description can be enhanced with proper formatting that makes it more appealing and reader-friendly. Using headlines, bullets and sections makes online shopping easier.
Let’s use a high performing product to demonstrate formatting done well. The Guide to Macronutrients has a whopping 150+ sales totaling over $1000 in earnings.
This product description keeps paragraphs short – no more than three sentences. Long blocks of text are going to be a turn-off for people and likely to be skimmed or (gasp!) prompt a click of the back button to check out a different resource.
Too many words encourage readers to skim. So be brief, and to the point. Avoid long, descriptive sentences, and balance this with making sure you’re including sufficient product detail in your description.
Notice the bullets indicating the potential audiences this resource is intended for. If you were skimming the product description for a sports nutrition client, you’d immediately feel as if this resource could be a fit.
Bullets offer a break in the text, so it also stops the eye and forces the reader to engage and pay attention.
You can use bullets for:
- product details
- list key features
- explain possible uses of the product
- link to similar products
- or anything that you want to draw attention to
Finally, for each handout in the Guide to Macronutrients, the topic is highlighted in bold and capitalized. This draws your attention and serves as an anchor for valuable information about the content of each handout.
While there is nothing fancy or even complicated about this product description, you can see how the formatting helps people decide to purchase. You might hear advice to use power words or superlatives, but it’s best to just stick to natural language that a real human being would actually use.
Cross-link to your other products
How often have you clicked a link to a related product? The magic words “you may also like”- they’re not just for online giants like Amazon. Leverage the selling power of a well-positioned product suggestion.
Including cross-links increases your likelihood of a sale because the potential customer may find something that they like if they’re not completely sold on your first item. OR… they may purchase both!
If you are bundling several products together, you can link from the individual products to the bundle and vice-versa.
Take a lesson from these Nutrition Treatment Protocols which have generated over $12,000 in combined sales.
Each of these protocols is offered for sale individually but purchasing as a bundle offers substantial savings. Notice how the seller has included links to each individual protocol in the product description.
Bundles are not the only way to use cross-links. Link to similar (or complimentary) products that customers would find helpful.
This free resource, the Motivational Interviewing Cheat Sheet is a powerful selling tool for Amy’s premium content.
Within the product description, you’ll notice a clear statement directing the reader to a comprehensive Motivational Interviewing Guide. Customers looking for an implementation guide and resources to use in sessions with clients are delighted – and buy!
Offering a free download in your store is the easiest way to implement cross-links and attract customers to your premium products. But make sure your freebie knocks their socks off!
If you’re interested in how to make your free downloads a selling machine, read our vendor success stories. Start with Brittany Berendsen’s – she’s a master!
Tip 4: Add social proof to your product pages
Why do people care what random strangers think? Because social proof is a powerful psychological motivator. Before making a purchase, customers want to know that a product has delivered the results described.
What exactly does social proof look like in your product description? We’re not talking about the cheesy informercial style paid product endorsement or influencer social campaign. We’re talking about…
The most effective ways to use social proof in your Well Resourced store are:
- Verified customers reviews
- Testimonials within product description
Let’s explore each along with examples.
Verified customer reviews
The “gold standard” when it comes to social proof, verified customer reviews are ubiquitous when shopping online. Having the opportunity to learn from the perspectives (both positive and negative) of prior purchasers is a baseline expectation from shoppers.
You likely read reviews for even the smallest purchase.
After making a purchase from Well Resourced Dietitian, customers are asked to leave a product review. These reviews and star ratings can be viewed on the product page.
The customer insight on this Fitness and Sports Nutrition Forms Bundle (for Practice Better) shows the value of having a review echo the features and benefits from your product description.
You should make it a habit to respond to every review you receive. Thoughtful seller responses build credibility. Customers explore reviews (critical and positive) for affirmation that the product delivers on the described benefits.
But you’re thinking, “my product is brand new and doesn’t have any reviews.” Hold that thought – we’re going to cover that next.
Testimonials within product description
There’s no need to wait until the product reviews roll in to include social proof. Positioning a product endorsement within your product description is a powerful selling strategy.
The Intuitive Eating Meal Planning & Macronutrient Guide created by Jen Draper uses client voices as social proof.
In addition to a highly detailed product description, she includes responses from her clients that resulted from use of her guide and approach. These testimonials are powerful selling tools and further establish credibility necessary for making sales.
A good product description is more than just details formatted in bullets and sections. People are looking to purchase a resource that they believe will solve their problem. Social proof in the form of reviews and testimonials is a powerful motivator for purchases.
Tip 5: Develop product descriptions for search and SEO
What good is your amazing new resource if no one can find it? Searches on the Well Resourced website are how most shoppers find the resource they eventually purchase. If your new handout on carbohydrate counting never mentions diabetes, it won’t be listed in the results for the popular search term, “diabetes.”
As you develop your product description, make sure to consider key terms for searchability.
Choose a clear, keyword relevant product title
Customers aren’t the only ones reading your product description. Search engines take note, too. You knew the infamous term SEO (search engine optimization) was going to make an appearance eventually, right?
Using keywords in your product title is simplest way to put Google on notice. If you want your product page to show up in search results, Google needs to know what it contains. Keywords are simply the search terms real people use when searching the internet.
For example, this CSSD exam study guide displays as the sixth search result for the term “CSSD test” as well as second for the term “CSSD exam practice questions.” A high-ranking product page can bring organic search traffic to your product page and create sales.
The search term “CSSD test” has about 260 searches per month. That sounds like an opportunity for sales, right? Capturing clicks from searches using SEO takes expertise and some special tools. Google is very sophisticated and is looking at far more than just your title to determine rankings.
The good news that much of what has already been covered above is exactly the type of information Google needs to understand your page. So, if you’re just getting started, focus on product details, including keywords customers would search for, and formatting with sections, headings and bulleted lists.
There are plenty of experts and resources if you’d like to learn more, but my recommendation is Erica Julson’s SEO Made Simple course.
Include keywords in text
Make sure to add some naturally-occurring keywords to your text. This shouldn’t feel artificial—ideally you are still describing your item accurately and conversationally. But it does mean that your listing for a CSSD exam prep resource should actually include the word “CSSD exam.”
Take a closer look at the Pro-Style CSSD Exam Study Guide. You’ll notice that there are keywords that naturally appear in the text.
In addition to informing Google, these keywords help your product to display when customers use the search bar on the Well Resourced website. Be sure your product description contains the words people would use when searching for a resource.
Final thoughts and next steps
By following some basic rules, you can create a great product page. Investing time in writing a thorough, well-formatted description pays dividends by generating income from your store.
So let’s get started! Login to your store dashboard and add a product or update an existing one with these 5 rules as a guide. Or take it slowly – tackle one of these tips at a time!
Haven’t opened a FREE store yet? Visit our prospective vendor page to learn more and complete the simple registration form to get started.
Recommended reading
Ready to learn more? We’ve hand-picked a few favorites from the blog.
- The 5 Most Profitable Digital Products Registered Dietitians Can Sell Online – Everything you need to create a beautiful + strategic website for your business (without the tech overwhelm!)
- How to Create a Digital Mockup: Step-by-Step Guide and Video Tutorial – Showcase your resource with content previews and gorgeous promotional images.
- 5 Tips for Pricing Your Digital Product – Figuring out the right price for your digital product can feel overwhelming. These essentials help you hit the sweet spot.
- Definitive Guide to the Types of Nutrition Resources Dietitians Can Sell – Use this framework to decide what to sell. Whether you’re creating a passive income product or a free download to grow your email list, you want it to be a winner.
