This week, I helped lighting industry and LIGHTFAIR Innovation Awards veteran Mark Roush edit the manufacturer entries. I can’t say how many there were, but trust me when I say it was a lot. By the end of the process, my head was spinning.
Manufacturers should take note, however, that while we’re happy to do this, they can better control their message if they provide descriptions of their products that require minimal or no editing, not to mention giving the judges more content to review when assessing the product.
Here are five simple tips for manufacturers to write a good product entry:
1. Choose facts over fluff. Avoid assertions that aren’t backed up by numbers. Load your submission with facts, and more content will survive the editing process. Think of your entry as a spec sheet in a paragraph, with emphasis on what makes it innovative.
2. Emphasize facts that specifiers need to evaluate the product. For example, for an LED luminaire, describe its lumens, wattage, CCT, CRI, rated life, etc. Focus on what makes it innovative, with factual evidence of that innovation. For example, if the product is very compact compared to its competition, give some numbers backing that up.
3. Avoid language such as, “At long last,” “first,” “best,” “most,” etc. The description should be a very concise statement about how the product performs, without hyperbole or “marketingese.” Do not try to sell the product or write an ad; simply describe the product.
4. Avoid assertions that we can’t verify. Some manufacturers claim their product is the first to do such and such. Since we can’t verify this, those assertions are typically cut.
5. Avoid the non-essential. Generally, descriptions of how a product is made and what goes into it are cut in favor of facts expressing how the product performs, unless the feature is essential to understanding its performance. Similarly, avoid including listings (such as UL), where the product can be purchased, referencing users (e.g., “now, specifiers and designers can …”) (that is, unless the product is intended for the OEM channel), application laundry lists (“great for retail, office, industrial”), patents, warranty, etc.–unless one of these items is specific, non-standard and essential to understanding how the product performs, with that performance factually expressed.
Good luck in the Awards. See you at LIGHTFAIR!
