Product Descriptions From Verified Facts: Build One Dated Fact Sheet, Settle the Conflicts, Then Write

Your product knowledge lives in five places, and they quietly disagree

None of this means anyone's been careless. It's what happens when a business grows one product at a time.

But it means "writing from memory" really means "writing from whichever source you happened to think of first". And the smoothest-sounding version usually wins, whether it's the most accurate or not.

Here's what Pádraig found when he lined the sources up:

• The old listing said "100% Irish wool". The yarn supplier's sheet said "100% wool, of which 70% is Irish". The label just said "100% wool".
• The old listing said 130 by 180 cm. His notebook said 127 by 176 cm, measured after washing and finishing.
• The old listing said "machine washable on a wool cycle". The care card said "hand wash cold or dry clean".

Three conflicts, on fibre origin, size and care. All three are things a buyer might rely on.

Split the work into collecting, translating and checking

The fix is to separate three jobs most people try to do at once.

Collect. Write down the facts and where each one came from.

Translate. Turn those facts into language a buyer can use.

Check. Trace every sentence back to the record, and narrow anything that goes further than the evidence.

Most people skip collecting and do translating from memory. That's where conflicts get smoothed over without anyone noticing.

So don't start with a blank page titled "description". Start with a fact sheet.

Build the sheet for one exact variant, not for "the range"

Choose one product and one specific version: the size, colour and finish a buyer would actually select. A sheet for "our blankets" is too vague to check.

Pádraig started with the throw in Heather.

Make a table with four columns:

• Fact: what it is
• Detail: the number, name or statement
• Source: where it came from
• Status: verified, conflicting, needs confirming, or unknown

Put the date at the top.

Conflicting rows are the most valuable rows on the sheet

Most people only write down facts they're sure of. The rows marked "conflicting" are more useful, because each one is a mistake you haven't made yet.

Don't resolve a conflict by picking the version you prefer, or by averaging two numbers into one that never existed. Mark it as conflicting, and settle it before anything goes on the page.

Carrowmore's fact sheet, conflicts and all

The description almost writes itself from the verified rows. The conflicting rows tell Pádraig exactly what he must settle first.

How to settle a conflict without guessing

Each conflict needs a decision, and each decision needs a reason.

Size: Pádraig measured five throws from the latest batch, flat, after finishing. All were between 126 and 128 cm wide and 175 and 177 cm long. So the page says "about 127 x 176 cm, plus an 8 cm fringe at each end". The old 130 by 180 was the loom size before finishing.

Care: He asked himself which instruction he'd stand behind if a blanket shrank. The care card's "hand wash cold or dry clean" was the one he'd tested. The old "machine washable" line came from a different blanket years ago. The care card wins.

Fibre origin: This one needed the supplier. Pádraig emailed asking, in writing, what share of the wool was Irish. The answer confirmed 70%.

Origin is the kind of fact buyers value and regulators care about. "100% Irish wool" was simply wrong. The page now says: "Woven at our mill in Mayo from 100% wool, 70% of it Irish." That's still a strong, specific sentence. It's also true.

While a conflict is unsettled, use the narrower version, or leave the fact out. "100% wool" was safe while the origin question was open.

Measure the way the buyer will use the number

A number is only useful if it's measured the way the buyer will think about it.

For a blanket, a buyer wants to know: will it cover my sofa? My bed? Does the length include the fringe?

So Pádraig measures flat, after finishing, without the fringe, and says so: "About 127 x 176 cm, measured flat, plus an 8 cm fringe at each end."

Look at your own measurements the same way. Is a bag measured inside or outside? Is a pot's capacity to the brim or to a sensible fill line? Is a lamp's height with or without the shade? Write the method next to the number on your sheet.

Sort facts by the job they do, and one trap becomes obvious

Facts on the sheet do different jobs:

• Identity facts say what it is: type, variant, size, weight
• Construction facts say how it's made: fibre, weave, where
• Use facts say what to do with it: care, storage
• Service facts describe the order: dispatch, delivery, returns
• Interpretive words describe the feel: cosy, heavy, soft, rustic
• Outcome claims promise a result: warm, long-lasting, insulating

Interpretive words are fine in copy, as long as they're presented as your view. Outcome claims need the most care.

The jump from a construction fact to an outcome claim

Here's the trap. You write a true construction fact, then add an outcome as if it follows automatically.

"100% wool" becomes "will keep you warm through any winter". "Tightly woven" becomes "built to last generations".

The fibre is real. The outcome depends on the room, the person and the years, and nobody has tested it.

When in doubt, write the smaller sentence. "100% wool, about 1.2 kg" is smaller than "keeps you warm all winter". It's also something a buyer can actually use to decide.

Write the opening sentence from verified rows only

Answer one question in a single sentence: what is this product, and what will the buyer do with it?

Pádraig's opening:

"A 100% wool throw in Heather, woven at our mill in Mayo. About 127 x 176 cm, with a fringe at each end, it's sized for a sofa or the foot of a double bed."

It names the product, the fibre, the colour, the origin, the size and the use. It doesn't claim warmth, durability or softness, because those aren't verified rows.

Then add one interpretive line, clearly as a description: "It has a dense, slightly textured weave that softens with washing."

Story, process and personality come after that, once the buyer knows what they're looking at.

Turn the verified rows into the finished description, section by section

Once the conflicts are settled, writing is mostly arranging. Each section of the page draws on specific rows of the sheet.

A 100% wool throw in Heather, woven at our mill in Mayo from wool that's 70% Irish.


About 127 x 176 cm, measured flat, plus an 8 cm fringe at each end. It's sized for a sofa or the foot of a double bed. It weighs about 1.2 kg.


It has a dense, slightly textured weave that softens with washing. New throws can shed a few fibres for the first couple of weeks.


Care: hand wash cold or dry clean. Dry flat, away from direct heat.


Dispatched within 2 working days.

Every sentence traces to a verified row, apart from the interpretive line about the weave, which is clearly Pádraig's description. There's no "keeps you warm all winter" and no "heirloom quality". The facts carry it.

What to do when you can't settle a conflict before publishing

Sometimes a supplier is slow to reply, or a test takes longer than expected. You still have a page to publish.

The rule is simple: publish the narrower version, and note the gap privately.

• Unsure of the exact origin share? Say "100% wool, woven in Mayo" and leave origin percentages out
• Unsure whether it's machine washable? Give the instruction you've tested, hand wash cold
• Unsure of the exact size across batches? Give the range you've measured: "about 126 to 128 cm wide"

Then put a date in your diary to settle it. A narrower true sentence is always safer than a confident guess, and you can widen it once the evidence arrives.

Check every photo against the same sheet

Photos make claims too.

Carrowmore's main photo showed the throw draped over a large sofa, looking enormous. It was folded double along one edge, which wasn't obvious. Another photo showed it folded with a leather carry strap that isn't included.

So Pádraig checked each photo against the sheet:

• Does the photo suggest a size that matches the measurement?
• Is anything in the frame that isn't part of the order?
• Is the colour close to Heather in daylight?

He replaced the sofa photo with one showing the throw laid flat on a double bed, and added "Strap not included" to the other caption.

The text-message test: describe the product using only the sheet

Here's a test that shows whether your sheet is complete. Text a friend a description of the product using only facts from the sheet, nothing from memory. Then ask them what they'd want to know before buying.

Pádraig's friend replied: "Will it fit a king-size bed?" and "Does it shed?"

The first was answerable from the size row: no, it's a throw for a sofa or the foot of a double bed. He added that to the description.

The second wasn't on the sheet at all. New wool blankets often shed a little at first, but Pádraig had never written down what his did. He added a row marked "needs confirming", tested a new throw with a lint roller after a week of use, and recorded what he found.

The test finds gaps faster than rereading your own notes ever will.

Turn unknown rows into questions for your supplier

When you're setting up a product, the "conflicting" and "needs confirming" rows are your list of questions for the supplier.

Specific questions get specific answers:

• "Can you confirm in writing the percentage of Irish wool in this yarn?"
• "Is this dye lot the same shade as the last one?"
• "Is the yarn treated for moths, and if so, with what?"

Suppliers are often happy to answer one clear question. They're far less helpful with "send me everything about this product". Your sheet turns a vague request into a short list.

Keep their answers, with the date, alongside the sheet.

When a supplier changes something, the sheet tells you where to look

Here's a moment every small brand hits. An email arrives: the yarn supplier is changing the blend for the next batch.

Without a sheet, that change spreads quietly. The product page still says the old blend. The care card is out of date. A marketplace listing still says "100% Irish wool" from four years ago.

With a sheet, the change has a home:

• Update the row and the date
• Mark it "verified" only once you've seen the new yarn or blanket yourself
• Check every place the old fact appears: page, label, care card, emails, marketplace listings, saved replies

Keep old versions for old orders

When a fact changes, keep the previous version of the sheet. If a customer who bought last year asks about their blanket's fibre, you need to know exactly what they were promised. A dated record answers that in seconds.

Use the sheet for every answer, not just the product page

The same facts get repeated everywhere a product is described: a marketplace listing, a market sign, a welcome email, a reply to a customer. Each one is a chance for an old fact to creep back.

So once the sheet exists, make it the source for all of them:

• Save replies to common questions using the exact wording from the sheet
• Rewrite marketplace listings from the sheet, not from the old listing
• Print the size and care rows on the card you hand out at craft fairs

Pádraig found the "100% Irish wool" line was still on a marketplace listing and on a printed fair sign two months after he'd fixed the website. The sheet gave him a list of everywhere to look.

Reuse the sheet as a template for every product

Once you've built one sheet, copy its rows for the next product:

• Product type and variant
• Size, with the measuring method
• Weight
• Materials or ingredients
• Origin, if you mention it
• What's included and what isn't
• Care
• Use and limits
• Dispatch and delivery

A consistent template means gaps stand out. If the "origin" row is full for every product except one, that's worth a look.

It also lets someone else help you. A freelancer, a new staff member or a friend covering a market can understand a product in minutes.

Keep the sheet where you already work

A fact sheet only helps if you can find it in thirty seconds. Keep it wherever you already spend time: a spreadsheet tab per product, a folder per product with its photos, or a printed page pinned up beside the packing table.

Pádraig keeps a printed copy of each sheet in a folder by the loom, and the master copy in a spreadsheet. When something changes, he updates both the same day.

The format matters far less than the habit.

Your next step this week

Pick one product and one variant. Find every place its facts currently live: the listing, the label, supplier sheets, care cards, your notes.

Build a four-column sheet: fact, detail, source, status. Mark any fact where two sources disagree as "conflicting".

Settle one conflict this week, by measuring, checking the label or asking your supplier in writing.

Then write the opening sentence from verified rows only. If it feels plain, that's a good sign. It means the facts are doing the work.

Keep going

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