Writing Service Descriptions That Sell

A buyer scanning service listings is making a fast, low-information decision. Your description has a few seconds to answer their question, which is not what do you do, but will this solve my problem.

Lead with the outcome

The first line should describe what the buyer ends up with, not what you will be doing.

• Weak: I will use my expertise in Adobe Illustrator to craft a bespoke logo.
• Strong: You get three logo concepts in five days, with the source files and a one-page usage guide.

The second one is a shopping decision. The first is a biography.

Say exactly what is included

Ambiguity does not protect you, it costs you the sale. A buyer who cannot tell what they are getting does not ask, they leave.

1. The deliverables, counted
2. The turnaround, in working days
3. Revision rounds
4. File formats

Say what is not included

Counter-intuitively, exclusions increase conversion. They signal that you have done this before and know where the edges are, and they prevent the disputes that follow an over-promised package.

Handle the obvious objection

Every service has one. Too expensive, too slow, will they understand my industry. Answer it in the description rather than waiting for a message that may never come.

If you know the question every buyer asks, the description is the cheapest place to answer it.

Use their words

Write the phrases a buyer would type, not industry vocabulary. People search for logo design, not brand identity systems, even when the second is what they end up buying.

Then look at it on a phone

Most buyers are on a phone. If the first two lines do not carry the offer, the rest is not being read.