The Writing Process | Setting up your eBay business

Make Money With eBay Guide

Free eBay Business Kit >> Learn to Sell on eBay

This article is intended to explain to you how to write for eBay auctions. This is page 1 of 6. Please leave us comments, questions, or success stories so that we can improve this guide.

For some people writing is an easy thing and creating sales copy is no problem. For many more people, writing can be a challenge. The writing process described here will help simplify the task of writing for your auction, which will grow easier with each auction you create.

In the writing process there are six steps you will go through. At first, the process will probably slow down your writing. On the other hand, it will make you more conscious of your writing and teach you how to write better sales copy.

As you continue writing your copy using this Writing Process, the more confident you will become in your abilities and the better your sales copy will be!

In general, here are the steps in the Writing Process.

1. Make a list of the ideas you want to write about – single words or short phrases. For sales copy a good list to start with is the one you make listing the features and benefits of your auction item.
   
   
2. Organize these ideas into priorities first, second, third, etc.
   
   
3. Take your first idea and write about it, then your second, third and so forth.
   
   
4. After completing this writing put it aside. Do not go back and make any
   corrections at this time. Let your copy “cool off” for a couple of days.
   
   
5. Following the “cool off” period, review your copy and make simple corrections for spelling and grammar. Generally speaking, your first spontaneous writing will be your best, so major rewriting is usually not necessary. Sometimes after the “cool off” period you will find that you need to return to step one and come at the presentation from a different angle. Don't be frustrated if this is the case. Simply adjust your organization and write again.
   
   
6. Finalize your writing, and you are ready to setup your auction.

Writing the Headline for Your Auction
Once you get what the headlines of the auction is all about then it is pretty simple. Headlines need to be descriptive, but straight forward. Keep in mind your headline is going to serve your auction in two ways.

1. It is the way eBay members will find your auction through the search function on eBay.
   
   
2. After your auction is found through an eBay search it is listed with other similar auctions. Your headline then competes with those other auction headlines to be selected. So, writing your headline, must motivate the viewer to click on it.

Continue to The Writing Process 2