Creating Simple, One-Sentence Product Descriptions (I)
In this video, we will explore a sample sentence structure for simple one-sentence product descriptions. Before we look at sample sentences, let’s take a moment to talk about why simple product descriptions are an important first step when an entrepreneur wants to take an idea and make a potential product.
First, the action of putting an idea into it – one simple specific sentence – helps entrepreneurs think clearly about their product. Second, entrepreneurs can use the one-sentence product description to have easy, helpful conversations about the new product with family, friends, consumers, and investors, and get their opinions about what they like or what they want.
Let’s look at three simple one-sentence product descriptions. As you see the sentences on your screen, you will notice different colors. These colors represent important parts of the product description. As you read them, think about what kind of information is presented with each color. We will review each part of the sentence in just a minute.
Here’s the first sentence. A paperclip is a tool that will help teachers and office workers hold papers together. Before you read the next sentence, what kind of product is a paperclip? Is it a good, a service, or a hybrid product? It is a good because it is tangible.
Here is the second sentence. A taxi is a travel service that will help people in cities move from place to place. It’s easy to guess what kind of product that is.
Here’s the last sample sentence. Drybath is a personal product that will help people in dry places get clean and save water at the same time. Is Drybath a good, a service, or a hybrid product? It is a hybrid product because it is both a good and a service at the same time.
Let’s look at the sentence structure for these descriptions so we can understand what these colors mean. In this simple sentence structure, each color represents a different kind of information.
The red part, product, represents the name of the product. The green information, type of product, should describe what kind of product it is. Try to be more specific than using the word good, service, or hybrid so that your word choice shares more information. For example, good is very general. If I say ‘a paperclip is a good’, the word ‘good’ does not add much information. That is why the description says a paperclip is a tool. A tool is a type of good and shares more information about this product.
The blue, group of people who are likely to use this product, represents the target market. Again, try to be as specific as possible trying not to use one general word like people, because that means all people, young and old. Not many products are for all people. Try to choose a specific noun, like teachers and office workers, or parents, or noun phrase like people in cities that describes the group as specifically as possible.
The purple, general function information, should explain what your product will help people do. In other words, most products help people with one simple need. For example, people use mobile phones for the simple need of easy communication. Describing how a product helps people is a very important step in new product development.
