Which prompt to choose
A good prompt for descriptions isn't written on instinct: it's built from five pieces that professional interfaces now take for granted: a role, the task, the context, the required format and the constraints. It's the structure that separates a vague answer from a usable one. Choose based on what you're selling.
- Physical product for an e-commerce listing: use the first prompt, the one geared toward tangible benefits and the words people search for.
- Service (consulting, course, subscription): use the second, built on the transformation the customer gets, not on the hours delivered.
- A whole catalog to rewrite in series: use the third, which sets a template and repeats it identically on every entry.
How to do it
- Open the AI assistant you usually use (the latest free model of ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini all work fine for this task).
- Copy the prompt suited to your case from the blocks below.
- Replace only the parts in quotation marks with your real data: name, audience, three concrete features (not adjectives, facts: material, durability, size, what it saves you).
- Send. Read the first version and correct by voice: "cut it in half", "drop the enthusiasm, more sober tone", "add a sentence about returns".
The operational syntax for a physical product:
Act as an e-commerce copywriter expert in conversions.
Write the sales description of this product: "stainless steel insulated water bottle".
Audience: people who cycle to the office and want cold water until evening.
Real features to use: keeps cold for 24 hours, 750 ml capacity, leak-proof lid in a bag.
Format: a short title, a paragraph of 3 sentences, then 4 bullet points with the concrete benefits for the user.
Constraints: no empty superlatives, no "revolutionary". Talk about the problem it solves, not technical specs for their own sake.
The operational syntax for a service:
Act as a copywriter specialized in professional services.
Write the presentation of this service: "tax consulting for flat-rate VAT freelancers".
Audience: first-year freelancers, scared of the paperwork.
Transformation they get: they stop fearing deadlines and know how much to set aside each month.
Format: title, a paragraph that starts from their problem, 3 points on what I include, a closing sentence inviting a free first contact.
Constraints: no accountant's jargon, no list of acronyms. Write as you'd talk to a friend in trouble.
After sending, check one thing only: does the description talk about what changes for the buyer, or only about what the product contains? If it's the second case, reply to the AI: "rewrite putting the benefit for the customer at the center, not the feature".
A concrete example
Marta sells handmade soy candles on a small online shop. Her old listing said: "Lavender-scented candle, soy wax, 40 hours of burn time". Correct, but flat. She pasted the first prompt, set the audience as "people who come home tired and want to switch off in the evening", and the features as "soy wax that doesn't blacken the walls, real lavender scent, 40 hours of burning".
The AI returned a title ("The light that tells you the day is over") and four points that talked about an evening ritual, clean air in the home, a gift that lasts longer than a bunch of flowers. Marta cut the most emphatic sentence and kept the rest. We don't know the sales figures for that listing, but the time to write it went from twenty minutes to three.
When it does NOT work (and how to fix it)
If the AI writes a generic description that would fit any product
It means you gave it little context. A vague description always comes from a vague prompt. Go back and add three things: who the precise customer is, what flaw in the competing product yours solves, a feature no one else has. The more specific the reality you put in, the less the answer feels cookie-cutter.
If it invents features the product doesn't have
It happens: the AI fills the gaps to please you. The way out is one line in the prompt: "Use exclusively the features I provide. If you need more information to write well, ask me instead of inventing it". This way the AI asks questions instead of filling in at random.
If the tone is too American, full of fake enthusiasm
The models are trained heavily on English text and tend to import that strident tone. Add to the prompt: "Italian tone, dry and concrete. No teleshopping enthusiasm". If that's not enough, give an example: paste two lines of a description you like and write "imitate this register".
A tip from someone who actually uses it
Don't ask for one description: ask for three, with different angles. Add to the prompt "give me three versions: one that focuses on savings, one on emotion, one on the quality of the materials". Reading the three side by side lets you understand in two minutes which lever works for your product, something that, alone in front of a blank page, you'd discover only after days.
Frequently asked questions
How many features should I give the AI for each product?
Three concrete ones are enough, and they must be verifiable facts: material, durability, size, what it saves. Adjectives like "elegant" or "practical" don't help the AI, because it can write them on its own without knowing anything about you. Give it the raw material that only you know.
Can I use the same prompt for hundreds of products?
Yes, and it's the third use case: you set a template on one product, get it approved, then ask the AI to apply it identically to the next list. We cover it in the dedicated guide on product listings in series.
Does Google penalize descriptions written by AI?
No, and this is the misunderstanding to clear up. Search engines don't punish text because it's written by an AI: they punish useless text, copied and identical to a thousand others. A description generated badly and left raw is the problem. A revised one, made specific to your product and useful to the reader, is worth as much as one written by hand. The judge is usefulness to the reader, not the author.