"Write a product description" — the four gaps that make it generic
A product description prompt that produces adjectives instead of information, and the version that produces something a buyer can act on.
The prompt, as typed
Write a product description for my new product. Make it sound good.
What it leaves the model to guess
- The product's actual specifications
- Who is buying it and what they compare it against
- Where the description will appear and how long it can be
- The objection that stops people buying
Graded before and after
Both versions below were scored by the same rubric the free prompt grader runs.
As typed
13/100 · grade F
| Clarity of context | 5 |
|---|---|
| Structure | 0 |
| Specificity | 0 |
| Reusability | 0 |
| Decision logic | 0 |
Rewritten
90/100 · grade A-
| Clarity of context | 8 +3 |
|---|---|
| Structure | 6 +6 |
| Specificity | 8 +8 |
| Reusability | 6 +6 |
| Decision logic | 8 +8 |
The rewritten prompt
Write a product description for a {{channel}} listing.
Product: {{product_name}}
Specifications: {{specs}}
Buyer: {{buyer}}
Usually compared against: {{alternatives}}
Main hesitation before purchase: {{main_objection}}
Output:
- One-line summary, max 20 words
- 90-130 word description
- Four bullet points, each stating a specification and what it means for the buyer
Tone: {{tone}}. Channel: {{channel}} product listing.
Constraints: every claim must map to a specification listed above. No
"premium", "luxurious", "game-changing", or unverifiable superlatives.
Address {{main_objection}} once, directly, without naming it as an objection.
Write 3 versions of the one-line summary and rank them by how quickly a buyer
skimming a listing grid would understand what the product is. Say why the top
one wins. The description succeeds if every sentence would survive a buyer
asking "how do you know that?". Why the rewrite works
The constraint that every claim must map to a listed specification is what stops the model inventing benefits. Without it, "make it sound good" is an invitation to write adjectives, and adjectives are what buyers skip.
Common questions
- Why does this prompt score badly?
- It scores 13 out of 100 (F) because it leaves the model to decide 4 things you already know: the product's actual specifications; who is buying it and what they compare it against; where the description will appear and how long it can be; the objection that stops people buying.
- Does a longer prompt always score higher?
- No. The rubric rewards named inputs, a fixed output format and an explicit rule for choosing between options. Extra prose without those adds length and no score.
- Will this rewritten prompt work in ChatGPT and Claude?
- Yes. It is plain text with placeholders you fill in before running, so nothing in it is specific to one model or vendor.