---
name: product-copy
description: Use when writing or rewriting a product description, product title, benefit list, feature bullets, or on-page product messaging for an online store — e.g. "write a description for this product", "rewrite my product copy", "how many benefits should I list", "should I say 500g or 25 servings", "name this color", "should we mention it's lab-tested".
---

# Product copy

Write product descriptions that people find persuasive, easy to grasp, and worth paying more for. The rules change how copy is *structured* and *measured* — number of claims, units, names, register — which move purchase intent and willingness to pay more than adjectives do.

## When to use

- Writing or rewriting a description, title, bullets, or hero message
- Choosing which features to mention, how many, in what units and register

## When not to use

- Auditing the whole page → `product-page`; photo/video direction → `product-visuals`
- Discount or promotion wording → `discounts` / `promotions`

## Inputs

Collect, or state your assumption:

- Product facts: materials, quantity, specs, ingredients or components (any branded?)
- The full list of candidate benefits
- Audience and how technical they are
- Where the copy sits and the length limit

> **Classify the product first.** *Hedonic* = bought for enjoyment, pleasure, or the experience (chocolate, fashion, decor, travel, spa, perfume). *Utilitarian* = bought to do a job, judged on function and value (detergent, appliances, insect repellent, tools, accounting software). If it's mixed, decide by what the buyer is optimizing for at the moment of purchase.

## Procedure

1. **Pick three claims.** Rank the benefits; keep the top three (three claims were 10.4% more persuasive than four; skepticism starts at the fourth). Move the rest to a spec table.
2. **Best features only.** Don't pad with merely good features — the impression sinks to the weakest claim.
3. **Units people use.** Uses or pieces (30 washes, 8 cans), not standardized measures (750 g, 96 oz). Raises product evaluations and willingness to pay.
4. **Smaller units for precision.** Drop to the next unit down: 180 seconds, not 3 minutes; 180 minutes, not 3 hours; 32 oz, not a quarter gallon. Reads more precise and credible; strongest for time.
5. **Evocative color names.** "Midday sky blue", not "light blue".
6. **Feature branded components.** A branded ingredient or part (Gore-Tex, a licensed enzyme blend) goes up front; demand up to 40% higher. †
7. **Register by product type.** Utilitarian → science and effectiveness language works. Hedonic → avoid it ("lab-formulated" on a treat: up to 30% less likely to be chosen). †
8. **Plain language.** Unknown terms make the product seem worse and pricier; define or drop. †
9. **Describe touch** where feel matters (textiles, skincare) — the top online clothing pain point.
10. **Rational up, emotional down** in vertical layouts.
11. **Frame as an experience** (coffee with friends, not bean origin) when you want reviews. †

## Output

1. Headline and body within the length limit.
2. Rules table:

| Rule | Where |
|---|---|
| Three claims | stain removal, cold water, gentle on skin |
| Intuitive units | "30 washes" for "750 g" |
| Branded ingredient | licensed enzyme blend, first sentence |

3. What was cut and where it can go.

## Common mistakes

- Working every supplied benefit in — six benefits read as a pitch; pick three.
- Leading with pack weight or volume — lead with uses.
- Keeping the supplier's color name.
- "Lab-tested" on a hedonic product.

## Quick reference

| Element | Rule |
|---|---|
| Claims | Exactly three, best only |
| Quantity | Uses/pieces, not grams/ounces |
| Precision | Smaller unit |
| Colors | Evocative names |
| Components | Name the brand |
| Register | Science only if utilitarian |
| Vocabulary | Plain |
| Texture | Describe if feel matters |
| Layout | Rational up, emotional down |

† No primary citation on file for this rule — a practitioner tip, not a measured finding.

Evidence and effect sizes: see [reference.md](reference.md).