Creative writing vs. content writing. Which style is better for Amazon conversion?

When’s the last time you scrolled through Amazon to review some Amazon product listings? Have you noticed some similarities? Unfortunately, boring copy and the same feature-focused content riddle the online marketplace. While sellers may think that a generic Amazon product listing is all you need to display their products, it’s not nearly enough to convert and rank on the online heavyweight.

Selling on Amazon goes beyond creating a product listing, shipping your goods, and making on-time deliveries. How you write your Amazon product listing plays a significant role in boosting sales and increasing conversion. The better your copywriting is, the easier it will be for potential customers to find your products. Great product listings lead to increased sales which means more money in your pocket.

Writing for Amazon is an art that involves creating the perfect balance between selling and connecting with your customers. Good writing will help you: 

• Connect better with your target audience, boosting your brand.
• Rank higher on Amazon search results.
• Engage with your audience by building their trust and brand loyalty rather than always selling to them.
• Provide enough details that boost customer confidence and knowledge, making it easy for them to purchase what you’re selling.

But what kind of writing is ideal when selling on Amazon? Do you use creative writing or concentrate on content writing to increase conversion? This article answers your questions regarding writing for Amazon product listings and what kind of writing works for which situation.  

Creative writing vs. content writing

Ideally, professional writing falls into content writing and creative writing. Creative writing, as the name suggests, is writing that is more creative, and it’s often considered artistic because it falls outside the typical rules of professional writing, business writing, or even academic writing. This type of writing is usually descriptive and sometimes tells a story and includes short stories, novels, screenplays, poems, and other creative writing forms. Typically, creative writing is read for enjoyment. 

Content writing or simply copywriting is writing for a particular goal or purpose. This kind of writing is meant for easy consumption by a specific audience and aims to persuade that audience. Content writing is mostly included in brand campaigns and marketing materials. It covers a wide range of writing forms, including Search Engine Optimization (SEO), to encourage conversions and sales and boost the image or company brand. 

Which writing style is better for Amazon conversion?

Since content writing/copywriting is used mostly in marketing and brand campaigns, it’s your best bet when selling on Amazon. You can use content writing in so many ways when writing for Amazon. The Amazon product page is by far the most important page of your Amazon store. This is where you talk about your product and tell your potential customers why they should buy it. It’s the last thing your customers will see before going to check out, so you want to write in a way that makes them follow through and actually make an order. 

On Amazon, this is your listing page. It should contain everything about your product, including its benefits, the problems it addresses, and reasons to buy from you. When you get this part right, you create a lasting impression that not only makes someone make a purchase but will keep them coming back to your listing. You can also use content writing when creating Amazon ads to increase traffic to your listing.

How can you use content writing to increase conversion?

Now that you know how and where to use content writing when selling on Amazon, what practices do you need to pay attention to?

#1 Know your target audience

At the end of the day, you must remember that you’re writing for people. Since content writing is about marketing an idea or product, you need to understand who you are marketing to. When you know your audience, selling and marketing your product to that audience is much easier. 

The most important thing to understand is their needs and how your product fits into those needs. The best place to learn about your audience is through the reviews they leave behind. What pain points has your product not addressed? Go through Amazon forums and forums like Quora or Reddit and see what concerns people have about the product you sell. Once you know what shopping needs drive your customers to your page, you can tailor your writing to fit into that. 

#2 Choose SEO-rich keywords

When shoppers visit Amazon, they will search for products in the search query. The results on the first page are what they will pay attention to most. Rarely do they go past the first page. This is what you should target with your writing. After understanding your audience, their needs, and pain points, conduct SEO keyword research. What kind of phrases are your customers using to find products in your category? Be as specific as possible and narrow it down to a few keywords. Then when writing your listing, use these keywords in the title, description, and even bullet points. Your keyword placement is important, and each keyword phrase you use in your Amazon product listing should be readable. The higher the search volume and the more relevant, the higher you will rank, thus improving conversion and bringing in more sales. 

#3 Focus on the title

When writing an Amazon product description, the title is by far the most important. The title introduces your product to your potential customers. When creating a product title, please pay attention to the length of the title and incorporate keywords into it. 

• Do not use more than 190 characters since Amazon will only display it to a certain length or suppress the listing.
• Use your keyword in the beginning for SEO purposes
• Describe the vital details about your product in the title, like the color, length, product name, and brand name.
• If you still have room, you can use descriptive language to entice customers to buy your product.
• Optimize your title for the mobile view. That means adding pack quantities shortly after your main keyword.

#4 Keep it short and sweet

Don’t bombard your audience with too much unnecessary information that does nothing to sell your product or brand. Keep it short, ensuring you communicate all the necessary details. Nobody wants to read through chunks of information before buying a product. The customer just wants to know why they should go for your product and not your competitor’s. 

#5 Turn product features into benefits

Every product comes with features that you can easily turn into benefits. For instance, the rubber soles make hiking in the rain easy. But here’s the thing; don’t overwhelm your customers with walls of texts listing the features and the benefits. Rather format your description so that a potential customer can quickly scan through and still get why your product is unique. Make use of headings, bullets, and whitespace to list features and benefits in an organized manner. 

#6 Use bullets wisely

Rather than using paragraphs only when writing product descriptions, try and incorporate bullet points. The bullet points should include the key product benefits and main features. To increase conversion:

• Avoid using the same descriptive words so many times
• Include keywords in a way that still makes the bullet points sound interesting and descriptive
• Include the actual benefits of the product that relate to your customers’ needs and pain points
• Stick to 200 characters per bullet point because Amazon states that it only indexes the first 1000 characters of all five bullet points.

#7 Avoid overselling the product

Content writing is about marketing your product to your potential customers to increase sales. While that is important, try not to oversell your product. Don’t throw out a hard pitch or badger them into buying what you’re selling. Nobody wants to feel bullied into buying a product, but Amazon also won’t allow direct response copywriting that directs shoppers to “buy now, or add to cart.”  Believe it or not, your customers will know when you’re trying too hard and what that does is drive them away to other listings. 

When can you use creative writing when selling on Amazon?

While copywriting is the best form of writing when you want to increase conversion, there are a few times when you can employ creative writing to tell your brand story. Amazon understands the importance of a compelling brand story and gives sellers the space and tools to tell their stories. You just have to know how to do it the right way. There are three creative options you can use to tell your brand story. They include:

• A+ content – features video, images, and other multimedia to communicate the value of a product.
• Enhanced brand content – this is where you showcase the unique value proposition of your product through enhanced text and image placements.
• Amazon stores – a self-service product that allows Amazon brand owners to design multi-page stores that tell their brand story and showcase the products and value proposition.

Summary

It’s time to roll up your sleeves and differentiate your Amazon product listing with creative copywriting or content writing. As the world’s biggest e-commerce space, there is a lot of competition for anyone selling on Amazon. If you browse through your product category, chances are there are hundreds of sellers selling the same product you’re selling. You must ensure you do everything to get ahead of the competition. 

One of the best ways of ensuring you are always on top of the search results is using SEO content writing. But here is the thing; writing product descriptions that convert can be challenging. There is so much research to be done and so much to consider. Luckily, The Skunk Labs offers TOS compliance copywriting on your behalf to help boost your rank and sales. Contact us today to help you craft listings that convert.