Creating Your Product Listings and Product Photography on Etsy®

In the last chapter, you learned the basic steps you need to take to set up your shop on Etsy®, a brand that shops using your company logo and customizes the shop by adding different custom content and elements. All that was in preparation for populating your shop with information about the items you plan to sell.

You use individual product listings to present your shop visitors with information about the items you’re selling. Groups of similar product listings can then be categorized and sorted into sections. Hence, they become easier to find and get presented to your visitors in a clutter-free, easy-to-find way.

You can list as many products as you want in an Etsy® shop, but you have to pay a flat fee of $0.20 per listing. Remember, each product listing remains active in your store until you’re sold out of the item or for four months, whichever comes first. 

Each product listing consists of several vital elements, equally important because each is used slightly differently to attract traffic to your shop and showcase each item to your visitors. These elements include:

• Product photos 
• Title Information about the listing (who made it, what it is, and when completed it made it) 
• Product category 
• Price 
• The quantity you have available 
• The type of item is 
• Product Description 
• Section 

• Variations (such as colors or sizes available) 

• Shipping options S
• Search terms

While you can compose the required text that will ultimately fill in each field of a product listing off the top of your head as you create each listing. A much better approach is to invest the time to rewrite all the necessary text, edit it, tweak it, and proofread it. Make sure it perfectly caters to your target audience before you publish it online. 

Remember, when you sell anything online, your customers do not have the opportunity to touch, smell, test out, or experience the item firsthand. They have to rely on their experience with similar items, what you (the seller) say about it, what they see in your product photos, and what ratings and reviews you have received from past buyers. At the same time, your visitors want plenty of detailed and accurate information about each product. They also want it presented to them quickly, concisely, and in a manner that’s easy to find and understand.

Imagine that a potential customer needs more than a few seconds to find a specific product or find an answer to a question they have. In that case, they’ll likely leave your shop and seek the item they want elsewhere because much of your time, money, and effort will ultimately be spent marketing and advertising your Etsy® shop. It’s your responsibility to do everything possible to convert that traffic into paying customers. Our marketing and advertising efforts will all be for nothing. 

To generate demand for each item and convince your potential customer they should want. If they need what you’re selling immediately, the following are some pertinent questions. That you want to answer somewhere in each of your product listings:

• What is the item you’re selling? 
• How does the thing work? 
• What size, color, or customizable options are available? 
• What does the thing look, feel, and smell (if applicable)? 
• How much is it? 
• Why should the potential buyer want your product? 
• How will it help them address a want or need? 
• Does the item make a good gift? 
• If so, for whom? 
• Why is it a great gift? 
• What sets your item explicitly apart from others? 
• What are the key benefits of your thing?
•  How is the thing made, and what is it made of? 
• What are some of the ways the item can best be used? 
• Why should a potential customer purchase your item right away? 
• How does the thing come packaged?
•  If someone places their order today, when can they expect to receive it? 
• What’s unique or special about the manufacturing process or the materials it’s made from? 
• What exactly is included with the item?

Even if a fact about your item seems obvious or is displayed within a product photo, you still should explain the basics using language that anyone in your target audience will easily understand. 

What You Say and How You Say It Are Equally Important 

Your product listings should be written in a way that speaks to your target audience in terms of language, tone, and style. At the same time, everything in the product listing should take on an upbeat, sales-oriented approach with descriptive wording. If your product is handcrafted, for example, consider using words and phrases such as “handcrafted,” “handmade,” “one-of-a-kind,” “unique,” “top-quality,” “highest quality,” “exclusive,” “distinctive,” “rare,” “exceptional craftsmanship,” “superior craftsmanship,” “made from the finest materials,” “made from all-natural materials,” and “made in the USA” to describe what you’re selling. 

Remember, using words, you want to describe what you’re selling in detail. Ideally, you want to tap into the reader’s five senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing) and help them relate directly to what you’re selling. As appropriate, answer questions such as:

• How does it look?
• How much does it weigh?
• What does it feel like?
• What does it smell like?
• How does it taste?
• What sounds does it make?
• How will it make someone feel?

One of your goals should be to use descriptive words and phrases and your product photos to help each visitor relate directly to your offering. Try to elicit a fond memory of a familiar and good feeling or directly address a known want or need. At the same time, you are creating an urgency for the buyer to acquire it immediately. 

Consider using a thesaurus to help you choose strong, descriptive words that fit your product and will help your potential customers immediately feel like they need or want it. Consider using a sense of urgency and time sensitivity corresponding to your potential customers’ desires or needs. Use phrases such as “limited quantity available,” “one-of-a-kind in high demand,” “save 20% if you order right now,” “guaranteed delivery by [insert holiday] if you order today,” or “be among the first to own a piece from this groundbreaking collection.”

For product photography, use a lightbox.

A tabletop lightbox, also sometimes called a light tent, is One of the best tools you can use to take good-quality product photos with a solid-color background consistently. This is especially true if the items you’re photographing are small. This photography tool is used with lights (often sold separately). A lightbox can be used with the camera built into your smartphone, a point-and-shoot digital camera. A high-end digital SLR camera, for example. A lightbox is usually square and fits on a tabletop. It is made of a white, see-through material that is eventually surrounded by lights from the outside. The lightbox lets you take pictures of an object in a soft—even light without creating harsh shadows or unwanted glares.

Depending on the size lightbox you need and whether specialized photography lights are included in the package. You can shop online and find a tabletop lightbox between $50 and $350. To find lightboxes online, visit Amazon, eBay, Adorama, or B&H Photo/Video, for example, and in the search field, enter “lightbox.”

Many Etsy® sellers can buy a lightbox and lighting for less than $100. Use the camera on their smartphone to take decent-quality photos of their products. These photos can be edited and improved with a photo editing app or computer software. 

Instead of using a lightbox, many Etsy® sellers have had success taking their product photos outside against a solid color or simple background and using natural light. If you use the camera’s flash, you’ll often get unwanted shadows, glares, or reflections in the photo, or you’ll end up with an overexposed image that hides the natural colors and details of the product you’re trying to show off.

If you’re not willing or able to take your product shots and achieve excellent, professional-looking results, hire someone to help you because the quality of your product shots goes a long way toward building a positive first impression with customers and plays a massive role in their purchasing decision when shopping on Etsy®.

Taking professional-quality lifestyle photos is a lot more difficult for amateur or inexperienced photographers who don’t have the proper equipment. Again, if this kind of shot will help your shop, you should consider hiring a professional photographer to help you.

Instead of hiring a professional photographer, you can save money by contacting a local college or university with a well-known photography program and offering a paid or unpaid internship to a student who wants to build up their portfolio. You might also consider finding a friend or family member who is a photography enthusiast. Who already owns the necessary equipment and asks that person to help you shoot the photos you need as a favor?

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