Assets & tasks / PUBLISHING WORKFLOW
Why does my AI product description show stars instead of formatting?
A writing draft and a store editor can interpret formatting differently. Identify the destination format, move the approved words into its native editor, and check the saved storefront. Asterisks in a draft do not prove that a product description will display bold text.
Identify what you actually copied
In this fictional exercise, an organizer draft contains **Three compartments**, a dash list and a bracketed link. When pasted into a product description, the stars remain visible. The wording may be correct while the formatting handoff is incomplete. Keep the approved draft unchanged so you can distinguish a text revision from a display repair.
CommonMark describes Markdown syntax; Shopify documents a rich text editor with an HTML view. Treat these as separate authoring formats. Before converting anything, ask the store owner whether the intended placement accepts plain text, editor formatting or reviewed HTML. A feed description and a storefront description may need separate exports.
Choose a deliberate handoff
| Destination input | Practical action | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Plain text | Remove formatting markers, preserve words | No stray stars or bracket syntax |
| Rich text editor | Paste clean text and use native formatting controls | Headings and lists appear as intended |
| HTML view | Use a reviewed HTML version | Tags become structure, not visible text |
| Unknown connector | Test one authorized draft record | Inspect the processed field |
These options describe a manual publishing decision. Itemlume does not automatically convert, sanitize or upload your description to an external store. Avoid pasting an entire AI answer that also contains instructions, an introduction or an explanation of the draft.
Rebuild one small description
- Copy only the approved organizer wording into a draft record.
- Create a short heading and three factual bullets with the destination editor controls.
- Add the approved link using that editor, then inspect its actual destination.
- Save and view the description as a shopper on a phone.
Compare the rendered text with the approved draft word by word, including quantities and exclusions. For this fictional organizer, the three compartments remain a product fact; turning a heading into bold type must not create a fourth compartment or turn styling props into included goods.
Approve the saved result
Record which format was delivered, the draft version and the page you inspected. Ask a reviewer to find the included contents without relying on the editing screen. A correct preview in the writing tool is only the starting point; the store page is the communication the buyer receives.
If literal tags, stars or an empty list remain, repair the handoff before rewriting the copy. Preserve a clean text master and the final destination version separately. Later editors can then update a factual sentence without trying to reconstruct it from decorated HTML. This check establishes correct presentation, not a search ranking or sales improvement.
Sources and further reading
Sources for this page were checked on . Platform rules can change; verify the current source before publishing. Prompt examples and workflow recommendations are Itemlume editorial guidance, not independently measured results.
Frequently asked questions
Should I delete every asterisk?
Remove formatting markers deliberately; keep a symbol when it is part of the approved product wording.
Can I paste HTML into an ordinary text field?
Only use a destination that explicitly supports the intended HTML input.
Does Itemlume publish the corrected description?
No. This guide describes a manual handoff in your separate store editor.
BUILD FROM A PRODUCT YOU KNOW
Put this workflow into practice with your own product.
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