You might be familiar with the term ‘product copywriting’ if you have ever written content for a product – be it a physical thing (like a piece of jewellery or a bottle of perfume) or a digital one (like an e-book or an app).
However, the practice of product copywriting extends far beyond the simple act of writing reviews and descriptions for items in trade. The act of advertising a product can be considered part of the product copywriting process too. When you buy a product, you’re often being pitched something else by the company that makes it.
That’something else’ may well be product copywriting, and it’s a broad term that can cover all aspects of written content that promotes a product. So what exactly does product copywriting entail?
Creating Brand Awareness
One of the primary functions of product copywriting is to create brand awareness. If you’re reading this, I assume you’re somewhat familiar with the concept of brand awareness, but for those of you who are not, here’s a quick explanation.
Branding is all about creating an association in the minds of your audience between your product and a positive feeling or concept. When you write product copy, you are, in effect, advertising your product. So it goes without saying that you should aim to create an association between your product and positive feelings or concepts. This might be creating an image in your readers’ minds of beautiful women wearing your brand’s products, or it might be making them laugh or shed a tear. It’s entirely up to you.
The better you are at creating an association between your product and positive concepts, the more likely your audience is to become aware of your brand and, ultimately, buy your product. That’s what product copywriting is; it’s advertising your product through words on a page.
Different Kinds Of Product Copy
Apart from creating brand awareness, one of the most important things you can do for your product is to establish its identity. If you read the preceding section carefully, you’ll see that I’ve already told you that there are two kinds of product copywriting: product reviews and product descriptions. Let’s take a quick look at each of these.
Reviews are, generally, independent pieces of content that are published alongside a product. Reviews give you, the reader, a chance to discover more about a product by exploring details about it in depth. For instance, you might read a review for a perfume that explores the different scents it has, the various ways it can be worn, and how it interacts with different skin tones.
Product reviews are, generally, long and descriptive. They are often packed with detailed information about the product under review, as well as some marketing material from the brand that produced it. What’s more, reviews often include a rating system, allowing the reader to quickly see how good or bad the product is based on their opinion.
On the other hand, product descriptions are, generally, shorter and more to the point. They usually include a few key details about the product itself, as well as some subjective opinion on whether or not the reader will like it. For example, you might read a product description for a luxury fragrance that focuses on the way it makes the user feel, as opposed to its chemical make-up (the usual details included in a review).
Product descriptions are, generally, high-paced and to the point. However, they can also be highly targeted at a specific audience, which can make them slightly longer than average. In order to save space, many product descriptions include a list of the product’s key features. A good product description should always include a few key features that make it stand out from the rest, as a complete list of every single feature would probably take up a lot of room.
Marketing Material
For many brands, product copywriting is simply one part of a much larger marketing plan. For instance, if you’re a handbag brand, you might already have a digital marketing specialist at work putting together a content strategy and plan of attack for the next 12 months.
What are they going to write about? Pre-planning is extremely important in order to maximise the effectiveness of your content strategy. If you’re not careful, you can throw a great deal of money and effort at content creation and still not reap the benefits you’re looking for.
When it comes to content marketing, the term ‘just’ does not exist. Content must be constant, consistent, and comprehensive- and, above all, it must work. For this reason, most large brands have dedicated teams of people working behind the scenes, coming up with new content strategies and plan of attacks for the various platforms they are involved in – whether that’s social media, e-commerce, or digital marketing.
What do you call product copywriting? If you’re wondering, here’s a quick guide that can help you find the right name for the role:
Product Review Copywriter
If you’ve worked in the world of online marketing, product review copywriting, or content marketing, you might be familiar with the term ‘product review copywriter’. Essentially, a product review copywriter is someone who does the research needed to write product reviews for various publications. They often work closely with a product manager in defining the scope of the reviews and coming up with an idea-to-opening line for each one.
What is a product manager? A product manager is, essentially, the lead ‘idea person’ for the brand. They take ownership of the entire product copywriting process, from keyword research and planning to execution. In some cases, a product manager can also be the lead spokesperson, responsible for talking to the media about the product.
An important part of a product manager’s job is to define the’market voice’ for the brand. This involves coming up with a soundbite-style phrase that embodies the personality and ethos of the brand, as well as a curated list of keywords that will help SEO specialists bring their website visitors to the website.
Product Description Copywriter
The role of a product description copywriter is very similar to that of a product review copywriter, but with one crucial difference: a product description writer is responsible for writing the text that appears on a consumer’s screen, after they click on a product’s description in an online store, for example. This is usually the case for e-commerce sites that also operate as online stores – something like Shopbop, for example.
As the name would suggest, a product description copywriter is someone who writes the text that appears on a product’s page, in as much detail as possible. The better the details, the better the description – even if it means going over a certain word limit. A product description must include a number of key things, including:
- An introduction to the product – what is it, why is it special, and so on.
- Key features of the product – what makes it different from other products of its kind and why you should buy it.
- The material and manufacturing processes necessary to create the product.
- The size and shape of the product (this information depends on the consumer and their environment)
- The price of the product (this is always a hot topic, but it’s also important to note that low prices can be a good thing when promoting sustainable and ethical goods)
- Additional information, including any relevant nutrition facts or health concerns (this information should only be included if necessary)
In a nutshell, a product description copywriter is responsible for providing as much information as possible, while keeping the text concise.
Now, if you’re still wondering what do you call product copywriting, here’s a short guide that can help you find the right name for the role described above:
Content Marketer
Those of you who are reading this probably know what a content marketer is or have worked in a content marketing agency before. However, for the benefit of those of you who might not be familiar, here’s a quick explainer: a content marketer is someone who creates content (such as product reviews or descriptions) for various platforms (like social media or e-commerce), as part of a digital marketing strategy.
In general, content marketers work closely with a product manager, coming up with ideas and then making them come to life through compelling content.
A lot of the time, content marketers will also be responsible for coming up with ideas for new products, as well as finding existing products that can be promoted on social media. Essentially, they are responsible for creating compelling content that encourages a reader to action – in this case, to buy a product.