| name | icpro-blog-editing |
| description | Use when finalizing an Internal Comms Pro (internalcommspro.com) blog draft — runs a two-pass editing process (structural edit, sentence-level rewrite, line edit, score) to remove AI writing patterns and tighten prose. Produces a publication-ready `_live.md`; Drive upload and Jira CSV handoff happen in the separate `icpro-blog-publishing` skill. Triggers on phrases like "edit the [slug] ICP draft", "run editing on this ICPro post", "finalize this ICP draft", "score this ICP draft". Prerequisite: a draft at `blog-posts-draft/`. Output: `blog-posts-live/YYYY-MM-DD_[slug]_live.md`. |
ICPro Blog Editing
A two-pass editing process for removing AI writing patterns and tightening prose before a post is published to internalcommspro.com.
Input and output
- Input:
/Users/travisfoster/claude-code/cerkl/marketing/channels/icpro-blog/blog-posts-draft/YYYY-MM-DD_[slug]_draft.md
- Output:
/Users/travisfoster/claude-code/cerkl/marketing/channels/icpro-blog/blog-posts-live/YYYY-MM-DD_[slug]_live.md
Do not modify or delete the original draft. Read it, run the process below, then write the final version to blog-posts-live/ with the _live.md suffix. Preserve the original date and slug from the draft filename.
Pass 1 — Structural edit
Read the full draft before touching any sentences. Flag issues at the structure level first.
- Argument order: Does the most important insight come first, or is it buried? Move it up.
- Paragraph length: No single-sentence paragraphs except for deliberate emphasis. No paragraphs longer than 5–6 sentences without a break.
- List overuse: If two or more consecutive sections are bulleted lists, rewrite at least one as prose. Lists should not be the default for open-ended points.
- Section balance: Are any H2 sections thin (one paragraph)? Either expand them or fold them into an adjacent section.
- Tone consistency: Flag any section that shifts register — formal to casual, direct to hedging, confident to over-qualified. Pick one and hold it. ICPro voice is peer expert, not vendor — flag any sentence that drifts toward sales register.
- Redundancy: Mark any paragraph that repeats a point already made. Cut the weaker version.
- Brand mention check (ICPro-specific): Flag any mention of Cerkl that goes beyond "tools like Cerkl Broadcast" in a list context. Flag any mention of Cerkl competitors (Simpplr, LumApps, Firstup, Workvivo, Poppulo, Staffbase, Haiilo, etc.) — these must be removed or genericized to "modern intranet platforms" / "newer-generation internal comms tools."
Do not rewrite yet. Finish the structural pass, then rewrite.
Rewrite pass
Fix everything flagged in Pass 1. Then work through the sentence-level issues below.
Banned phrases and words
Cross-reference references/phrases.md for the full list. Key categories:
Throat-clearing openers — cut and state the point directly.
- "Here's the thing:", "The truth is,", "It turns out", "Let me be clear"
Emphasis crutches — delete entirely.
- "Full stop.", "Let that sink in.", "Make no mistake"
Adverbs — kill all of them.
- "really", "just", "genuinely", "simply", "actually", "fundamentally", "crucially", "importantly"
Filler phrases — cut.
- "At its core", "In today's [X]", "It's worth noting", "At the end of the day", "When it comes to", "In a world where"
LLM tell word list — replace with plain language.
- delve, explore, underscore, highlights, crucial, robust, pivotal, empower, revolutionize, transformative, seamless, leverage, navigate, unpack, landscape, game-changer, deep dive
Transition word overuse — use sparingly. "Furthermore," "moreover," "in addition," and "additionally" signal AI pacing. Cut or restructure so the connection is implied.
Elegant variation — do not substitute synonyms to avoid repeating a word.
Vague attributions — never write "studies show," "research suggests," or "modern experts say" without a specific source.
Banned structures
Cross-reference references/structures.md for the full list. Key patterns:
Binary contrasts — "It's not X, it's Y" → just say Y.
Negative listing — "Not A. Not B. C." → just say C.
False agency — name the human actor.
Passive voice — find the actor and put them first.
Dramatic fragmentation — no staccato sentences for manufactured emphasis.
Rule of three — two items beat three. If you have three, cut the weakest.
Colon overuse — colons belong in headings only when the format genuinely requires it.
Line-level checks
Use references/examples.md as before/after anchors when unsure what a fix should look like.
- Any adverbs remaining? Kill them.
- Any passive voice? Find the actor, make them the subject.
- Inanimate thing doing a human verb? Name the person.
- Sentence starts with a Wh- word? Restructure it.
- Any "not X, it's Y" contrasts? State Y directly.
- Three consecutive sentences match length? Break one.
- Em-dash anywhere? Remove it. Use a comma or period.
- Vague declarative? Name the specific implication.
- Narrator-from-a-distance? Put the reader in the scene.
- Meta-joiners ("The rest of this post...")? Delete.
- Safe or opinion-free take? Add a clear point of view. ICPro readers want a recommendation, not a survey of perspectives.
- Vendor drift? Any sentence reads like product copy? Rewrite as practitioner-perspective.
Pass 2 — Line edit and score
Re-read the rewritten draft. Run the line-level checklist one more time, then score.
| Dimension | Question | Score (1–10) |
|---|
| Directness | Statements or announcements? | |
| Rhythm | Varied or metronomic? | |
| Trust | Respects reader intelligence? | |
| Authenticity | Sounds human? Has a point of view? | |
| Density | Anything still cuttable? | |
Exit condition: 35/50 or higher. If below, identify which dimensions are failing and rewrite only those sections. Re-score. Do not run the full checklist again.
Finalize
Once the post scores 35/50 or higher:
- Save the final version to
blog-posts-live/YYYY-MM-DD_[slug]_live.md (preserve the date and slug from the draft filename).
- Leave the original draft unchanged.
- Append a brief edit log to the bottom of the live file:
---
**Edit log**
- Final score: XX/50 (Directness X, Rhythm X, Trust X, Authenticity X, Density X)
- Major structural changes: <one line>
- Notable phrase/structure fixes: <one line>
- Brand-mention check: <pass / list of changes made>
- Return: the
_live.md path + the final score line + brand-mention check result. The downstream icpro-blog-publishing skill handles Drive upload (with ICP segment naming) and Jira CSV row update — editing's job ends at a publication-ready file on disk.
