Writing Content Versions for Multiple Languages, Marketplaces, and More

In This Article

• Overview
• Approach 1: Generate One Version at a Time (Recommended)
• Approach 2: Use Custom Fields to Store Multiple Versions Side by Side
• Which Approach Is Right for You?
• Pro Tips for Multi-Version Content

Overview

If you sell products across multiple markets, storefronts, sales channels, or regions — say, one version for your US Shopify store, another for Amazon, and a third in French for your Canadian store — you may need multiple versions of content for the same product.

The natural question is: can I do that without paying for the same product twice, and without losing one version when I generate another?

The short answer is yes. The slightly longer answer is that there are two ways to do it in Describely, and this article walks you through both so you can pick what fits your setup.

How Describely Handles Versions Today

Each product in Describely holds one set of active content at a time. This means that when you generate new content, it overwrites whatever was there before.

There are two solid ways to generate different content versions depending on your needs, your workflow, and how many fields you're working with.

Approach 1: Generate One Version at a Time (Recommended)

The simplest workflow is to fully complete each version's content before moving on to the next — generate, review, approve, and export or publish before switching versions.

Because each activated product in Describely can be generated an unlimited number of times within 30 days, you can cycle through as many versions as you need within that window, all under the same product — no extra charges.

Here's the step-by-step flow:

1. In your ruleset, configure the settings for your first version (for example, US English Shopify content).
2. Run your bulk generation.
3. Review and approve the content.
4. Export or publish that version's content before moving on.
5. Go back to your ruleset and update the instructions for your next version (for example, French Canadian content, Amazon marketplace content, or another storefront-specific version), OR clone the entire ruleset for your new channel's requirements.
6. Regenerate, review, approve, and export or publish.
7. Repeat for any additional versions.

This approach keeps things straightforward. Customers who've tried it — including retailers managing content across multiple storefronts — stand by this workflow (see how Ryderwear used it to create copy for markets in the USA, UK, and Australia in this case study).

Approach 2: Use Custom Fields to Store Multiple Versions Side by Side

If you need multiple content versions to live on the same product at the same time (for example, because you want to export them together in one CSV), custom fields are the way to go.

The idea is to create a separate custom field for each version of a given content type. For example:

• description_us_shopify (custom field, US Shopify ruleset)
• description_amazon (custom field, Amazon ruleset)

Or:

• description_en (custom field, English ruleset)
• description_fr (custom field, French ruleset)

Each custom field gets its own instructions tailored to that version. When you generate, each field populates independently — so nothing overwrites anything else.

Here's how to set this up:

1. In your account, go to Account → Content Rulesets → Add Rule and create a custom field for each version you need (for example, Description – Shopify, Description – Amazon).
2. Add the appropriate version-specific instructions in the prompt.
3. When generating, select each version's corresponding custom field.
4. Export all fields together in your CSV when you're ready.

This approach is more powerful — everything lives on the same product and can be exported together — but it involves more setup upfront and requires careful organization, especially if you're working with many content fields and versions. It's best suited for teams who are comfortable with Describely's ruleset and custom fields setup.

Which Approach Is Right for You?

Go with Approach 1 (one version at a time) if:

• You're working with standard content fields (title, description, meta fields)
• You want the simplest possible workflow
• You're comfortable exporting each version before regenerating

Go with Approach 2 (custom fields) if:

• You need multiple versions accessible and exportable at the same time
• Your workflow requires a single CSV export with all versions included
• You're prepared to invest time in the initial ruleset and custom field setup

When in doubt, start with Approach 1. It's lower-complexity and has worked well for customers generating content across multiple storefronts, marketplaces, regions, and channels. You can always evolve to Approach 2 as your catalog workflow matures.

Pro Tips for Multi-Version Content

• Create a unique ruleset per version. Building dedicated rulesets for each version — whether that's a language, marketplace, retailer, region, audience segment, or storefront — with the appropriate target audience details, tone of voice, formatting requirements, and channel-specific instructions will produce stronger, more differentiated output.
• Include version-specific context in your prompts. Beyond telling Describely what language to write in, tell it where the content will be used and who it's for. Adding details about the target marketplace, storefront, audience, regional personas, retailer requirements, or formatting preferences (like HTML requirements) helps Describely produce content that actually fits the destination — not just a variation of the same copy.
• Don't wait on the 30-day window. If you're planning to generate multiple versions of content, map out your sequence before you activate products. You'll want to complete all versions within the 30-day generation window. Versions added as an afterthought months later will require a new activation.
• Export before you regenerate. Whether you're using Approach 1 or testing output quality before committing to Approach 2, always export or publish approved content before running a new generation pass. This is your safety net.