Four-Step Product Catalog Writing

Carl Hose reports:

"Product catalogs have been one of the major marketing tools since mail-order catalogs made their first appearances in the 1800s. There is no way to accurately estimate the dollar amount of goods catalogs are responsible for selling yearly, but according to a 1998 Wharton Econometric Forecasting Associates, catalog sales for the year were nearing 87 million dollars. This means putting together a catalog for your business could lead to better profit margins all the way around...Gather as much information about the products you're writing about as you can. This includes not only the company's description of the products, but [also] images of the products if possible. The more information you have on the products you're writing about, the more effective your text will be...Organize your product descriptions by product numbers and product name. First and foremost, follow the guidelines of the company for which you're writing. Typically, this will involve a 20[-] to 50[-]word description of the product...Include all pertinent information in the product description...Work this material into the description as smoothly as possible, as opposed to simply giving a description of product appearance and then including dimensional and other information at the end of the description. For food catalogs in particular, use vivid descriptions designed to make potential customers' mouths water...Think and write succinctly...Skip words such as 'and,' 'the' and any 'to be' verbs. Simple, straightforward descriptions with vivid adjectives are ideal for catalog copy."