What’s the real reason shoppers abandon your site before hitting ‘Add to Cart’?
It’s not your product. It’s not your price. It’s your copy.
Peep Laja, founder of CXL, says: “Most conversion problems are clarity problems.” And clarity isn’t just about what’s written – it’s about what’s felt.
Val Geisler, one of eCom’s sharpest email and retention minds, puts it simply: “Your copy needs to keep the promise your design makes.”
Here’s the brutal truth: Most DTC brands don’t even know they’re breaking that promise. They obsess over ads. A/B test checkout flows. Redesign hero images. Meanwhile, their product page copy is killing sales behind the scenes.
These are the five silent killers that are costing you conversions right now – and how to stop the bleeding before another customer clicks away.
Reason 1: This Is the #1 Reason Shoppers Click Away in 3 Seconds Flat
Your copy sounds like a brochure. Not a human. Not a friend. Not someone I trust.
It’s overly polished. Safe. Boring. And when that happens, it triggers the first gut reaction every shopper has online:
“Is this even real?”
The most effective product pages talk like people. They skip the buzzwords and speak with energy, clarity, and edge. Peep Laja preaches it relentlessly: “Clarity beats persuasion.” But clarity without connection is useless.
If your copy couldn’t pass for a DM to a friend, it won’t sell to a stranger. Authenticity isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s your conversion strategy.
Reason 2: You’re Listing Features – But You’re Not Selling the Future
No one buys for specs. They buy for stories. For transformation. For the feeling.
“180 GSM organic cotton” doesn’t move me. But “so soft it’ll ruin your other shirts forever”? That sticks.
Product pages that convert don’t just inform – they imagine. They say: “Here’s what your life looks like after you hit Buy.” They sell relief. Confidence. Status. Control.
Val Geisler teaches that great copy is about delivering on a promise. But first – you have to make one worth believing in.
Outcomes sell. Features just defend the purchase later.
Reason 3: You’re Hoping They’re Sold – Instead of Making Them Feel It
Just because they landed here doesn’t mean they want to buy. Most product pages assume desire. The best ones build it.
Desire comes from pressure. From emotion. From clarity. And clarity starts with frictionless messaging that hits where it hurts.
Think story arc, not spec sheet: Start with tension. Then introduce the outcome. Then resolve it with your product.
Assumption is a sales killer. You don’t deserve the sale. You have to earn it – line by line.
Reason 4: Your Copy Is for Everyone – Which Means It’s For No One
“Great for everyone!” is a red flag. It tells me your product – and your messaging – lack conviction.
High-performing DTC brands write like they’ve studied one person for five years. They echo exact pain points. They steal phrases from customer reviews. They sound like someone who knows you better than you know yourself.
Peep Laja says: “If you’re not meaningfully different, you’re a commodity.” And generic = commodity.
Be polarizing. Be surgical. Let your real customer feel like this page was written for them – and only them.
Reason 5: You’re Not Using the Best Copywriter You Have: Your Customer
You already have the perfect copy. It’s sitting in your DMs. Your reviews. Your support chats.
But you’re ignoring it.
Instead, you’re writing from a Google Doc in marketing voice. Meanwhile, your customer is out here saying things like:
“This fixed the flaky patches on my face in two days.”
“I wore this three days in a row and no one noticed.”
“It made me feel like I actually had my life together.”
That’s not marketing. That’s conversion fuel. Val Geisler has built entire flows off a single customer quote – because when you mirror their voice, they trust you instantly.
If you want better copy, stop writing. Start listening.
(Bonus) Reason 6: You Buried the One Thing That Actually Sells the Product
Your key differentiator is in paragraph four. No one’s reading that far.
Shoppers bounce in seconds. And if they don’t see what makes you the only choice, they’re gone. You don’t have time to build up to it. It has to lead.
Your headline? It should scream it. Your first bullet? Reinforce it. Your images? Reflect it.
Peep Laja puts it best: “Don’t be better. Be different.” Different gets remembered. Better just gets compared – and forgotten.
If you hide the thing that makes you different, you’re playing to lose.
If Your Copy Can’t Sell, Nothing Else Matters
Your product might be amazing. Your ads might be performing. Your design might be beautiful.
But if the words on your product page don’t do the heavy lifting, none of that matters. Weak copy doesn’t just underperform. It undermines everything else. And it does it silently.
The fix isn’t flashy. It’s foundational: Speak like a human. Lead with outcomes. Write for someone.
Show the shopper why this matters – now.
Because if your copy can’t sell the product… the product will never sell itself.
If this resonated, here’s what to do next:
→ If you’re tired of content that fills space instead of driving sales, let’s talk. Schedule a quick demo.
→ If you’re ready to turn product pages, email flows, landing copy, and more into silent salespeople for your brand, subscribe to either our Unlimited Standard Plan or Unlimited Professional Plan to get started.
Your story deserves better than generic copy.
We make it unforgettable.