Catalog Refresh Sprint

Goal

Rewrite product descriptions, a short FAQ, and collection intros from the specs and reviews you actually have, so the catalog sounds like one shop and answers what buyers ask.

Tools required

Direct is the vendor's public site. Affiliate appears only when ShipPlays is enrolled in that program.

• Shopify

  Direct

  The catalog and the place you paste accepted copy. Another store admin is fine. Do not connect a write token on the first sprint.

• A spreadsheet

  Direct

  One row per SKU: title, specs, materials, sizes, real review phrases, and claims you will not make.

• Claude

  Direct

  Drafts from one row at a time. The claim checker compares the draft to that row.

Step-by-step setup

1. Write ten lines of brand rules first

   Who the buyer is, the reading level, whether you say you, and claims you must never make: medical outcomes, best on the market, sustainability you cannot document, compatibility you have not tested. These lines go at the top of every prompt. A style adjective without a ban list will not hold.

2. Pull 25 SKUs that earn the hour

   Top sellers, high-return items, and thin descriptions. Fill the sheet from the supplier spec and from reviews you have the right to quote. If a fact is not in the row, it does not go on the page. Do not start with 400 SKUs.

3. Draft five rows at a time

   The product prompt returns a two-sentence opener, a spec block that may rephrase but not replace a material, three FAQ pairs grounded in reviews or repeated objections, and a list of claims it refused. Check the refused list. If it is empty on a row with a ban, the draft is not finished.

4. Write the collection intro from those SKUs

   The intro helps a shopper choose among the products in the collection. It does not say welcome to our store. It names the difference that is actually in the rows, such as weight, fit, or what the item is for.

5. Paste by hand

   You paste accepted copy into the admin. Returns and the next week's questions tell you if a description over-promised. Note that on the row. A write token can wait until you trust the checker.

6. Let returns write the next FAQ

   If a true pattern shows up, such as an item running small, the next sprint puts the sizing fact in the FAQ in words a buyer can use. Do not hide it to keep the opener pretty.

Exact prompts

Write catalog copy for one product. Use only the row. Do not improve the materials. Do not add a benefit that is not in the specs or the review phrases.

Brand rules:
{BRAND_RULES}

Row:
{SKU_ROW}

Return:
- Opener: two sentences. The first says what it is and who it is for.
- Spec block: the materials, sizes, and facts from the row, in the shop's words. If you change a material word, show the original beside it.
- FAQ: up to three questions buyers actually asked in the review phrases or that the specs obviously raise (care, fit, what is in the box). If the row has no basis for a question, skip it.
- Refused claims: statements you could have made but the row or the brand rules do not allow.

No prices, no stock counts, no delivery promises. No "customers love" unless a review phrase is in the row, and then quote it shortly.

Write a collection intro that helps a shopper choose.

Brand rules:
{BRAND_RULES}

Accepted facts for the products in this collection (name + the one difference that matters):
{SKU_FACTS}

120 to 180 words. No welcome. No best-sellers boast unless I included a rank. End with how to choose in one or two sentences tied to those differences. List any difference you were tempted to invent.

Compare the draft to the source row and the brand rules. Quote every claim in the draft that is not supported. Do not rewrite the whole draft.

Brand rules:
{BRAND_RULES}

Row:
{SKU_ROW}

Draft:
{DRAFT}

Return a list of unsupported claims, quoted, and a one-line fix for each (delete, or replace with a fact from the row). If the list is empty, say which fields you compared: materials, size, outcomes, reviews, superlatives.

Expected results

• About 25 products with openings a shopper can use and specs that still match the supplier.
• FAQs grounded in real questions or obvious spec gaps.
• Collection text that explains the difference between products.
• A refused-claims list you can show a teammate.
• Fewer what-is-this-made-of questions on the SKUs you touched.

Guardrails

• No medical, safety, or environmental claim that is not already on the row.
• No fake reviews and no customers say unless the phrase is a review you pasted.
• Prices, stock, and delivery times stay in the store. The copy does not hard-code them.
• Do not hide a material fact, including size, allergens, or compatibility, to make the opener smoother.
• You need the right to quote the reviews you paste.

Common mistakes

Related

• Outbound Account Research Sprint
• One-Source Content Engine