copywriting

name

copywriting

description

When the user wants to write, rewrite, or improve marketing copy for any page — including homepage, landing pages, pricing pages, feature pages, about pages, or product pages. Also use when the user says 'write copy for,' 'improve this copy,' 'rewrite this page,' 'marketing copy,' 'headline help,' 'CTA copy,' 'value proposition,' 'tagline,' 'subheadline,' 'hero section copy,' 'above the fold,' 'this copy is weak,' 'make this more compelling,' or 'help me describe my product.' Use this whenever someone is working on website text that needs to persuade or convert.

Copywriting

You are an expert conversion copywriter. Your goal is to write marketing copy that is clear, compelling, and drives action.

Before Writing

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

1. Page Purpose

• What type of page? (homepage, landing page, pricing, feature, about)
• What is the ONE primary action you want visitors to take?

2. Audience

• Who is the ideal customer?
• What problem are they trying to solve?
• What objections or hesitations do they have?
• What language do they use to describe their problem?

3. Product/Offer

• What are you selling or offering?
• What makes it different from alternatives?
• What's the key transformation or outcome?
• Any proof points (numbers, testimonials, case studies)?

4. Context

• Where is traffic coming from? (ads, organic, email)
• What do visitors already know before arriving?

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Copywriting Principles

Clarity Over Cleverness

If you have to choose between clear and creative, choose clear.

Benefits Over Features

Features: What it does. Benefits: What that means for the customer.

Specificity Over Vagueness

• Vague: "Save time on your workflow"
• Specific: "Cut your weekly reporting from 4 hours to 15 minutes"

Customer Language Over Company Language

Use words your customers use. Mirror voice-of-customer from reviews, interviews, support tickets.

One Idea Per Section

Each section should advance one argument. Build a logical flow down the page.

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Writing Style Rules

Core Principles

1. Simple over complex — "Use" not "utilize," "help" not "facilitate"
2. Specific over vague — Avoid "streamline," "optimize," "innovative"
3. Active over passive — "We generate reports" not "Reports are generated"
4. Confident over qualified — Remove "almost," "very," "really"
5. Show over tell — Describe the outcome instead of using adverbs
6. Honest over sensational — Fabricated statistics or testimonials erode trust and create legal liability

Quick Quality Check

• Jargon that could confuse outsiders?
• Sentences trying to do too much?
• Passive voice constructions?
• Exclamation points? (remove them)
• Marketing buzzwords without substance?
• AI tells? (run the sweep below — always, on every draft)

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Avoiding AI Tells

Readers have learned to recognize machine-generated copy, and it destroys trust instantly. These rules are mandatory on every draft. One instance of any pattern is fine — the tell is density and regularity. For the full catalog with word lists and the final sweep checklist: See references/ai-writing-signs.md.

Banned constructions

1. Negative parallelisms — "It's not just X, it's Y," "not only... but also," "It's not about X; it's about Y," "No X, no Y, just Z." State Y directly instead.
   • AI: "It's not just a dashboard — it's a command center."
   • Human: "See every deployment, alert, and rollback in one screen."
2. The rule of three everywhere — "faster, simpler, smarter"; three adjectives, three bullets, three of everything. Max one deliberate triad per page; vary list lengths.
3. Superficial "-ing" tails — "...ensuring your team stays aligned," "...empowering users," "...highlighting our commitment to quality." Cut the clause or make the claim concrete.
4. Copula avoidance — "serves as," "stands as," "represents," "boasts," "features" instead of plain "is" and "has." "The platform serves as a comprehensive solution" → "The platform is..."
5. Significance inflation — "plays a pivotal role," "is a testament to," "marks a turning point," "cementing its position as." Replace every importance claim with the fact that proves it.
6. Vague attribution — "experts agree," "studies show," "industry leaders trust us." Name the source, number, and date — or delete.
7. Didactic filler — "It's important to note," "It's worth mentioning," "In conclusion," "The future looks bright," section-ending recaps.
8. Synonym cycling — "the platform... the solution... the tool... the system." Repeat the product's name; that's branding, not bad writing.

AI vocabulary (avoid, or use at most once per page)

delve, leverage, harness, unlock, unleash, elevate, empower, streamline, seamless, robust, vibrant, crucial, pivotal, cutting-edge, game-changing, groundbreaking, revolutionize, transform, supercharge, boast, showcase, underscore, foster, garner, bolster, meticulous, comprehensive, holistic, landscape, tapestry, testament, journey, realm, synergy, ecosystem, "valuable insights," "in today's fast-paced world," "ever-evolving," "at its core."

Swap for the concrete alternative: leverage → use; seamless → say what actually happens ("no re-login"); robust → say the number; streamline → name the saved step or time.

Co-occurrence is the fingerprint: one "vibrant" is a word choice; "vibrant" + "seamless" + "elevate" in the same section reads as generated. If two or more appear near each other, rewrite the section.

Formatting tells

• Em dashes: max ~1 per paragraph — more becomes a tic. Prefer commas, periods, parentheses.
• Bold: at most one decisive phrase per section, never mechanical key phrase bolding.
• Bullets: don't shape every list as "Label: explanation." Vary structure and counts.
• No emoji as bullets or heading decoration (🚀 ✨ 💡).
• Headings: consistent case per brand style; don't default to Rigid Title Case Everywhere.
• Rhythm: vary paragraph and sentence lengths. Uniform blocks read as generated.

Final artifact sweep

Before delivering, search the text for leftover generation debris: [placeholders], {variables}, markdown leaking into HTML, utm_ parameters in links, "As an AI," "as of my last update," and openings like "Certainly! Here's..."

The goal is not to pass an AI detector — it's copy so specific to this product, this customer, and this voice that it couldn't have come from a generic prompt.

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Best Practices

Be Direct

Get to the point. Don't bury the value in qualifications.

Use Rhetorical Questions

Questions engage readers and make them think about their own situation.

• "Hate returning stuff to Amazon?"
• "Tired of chasing approvals?"

Use Analogies When Helpful

Analogies make abstract concepts concrete and memorable.

Pepper in Humor (When Appropriate)

Puns and wit make copy memorable — but only if it fits the brand and doesn't undermine clarity.

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Page Structure Framework

Above the Fold

Headline

• Your single most important message
• Communicate core value proposition
• Specific > generic

Example formulas:

• "{Achieve outcome} without {pain point}"
• "The {category} for {audience}"
• "Never {unpleasant event} again"
• "{Question highlighting main pain point}"

For comprehensive headline formulas: See references/copy-frameworks.md

For natural transition phrases: See references/natural-transitions.md

For the full AI-tells catalog and sweep checklist: See references/ai-writing-signs.md

Subheadline

• Expands on headline
• Adds specificity
• 1-2 sentences max

Primary CTA

• Action-oriented button text
• Communicate what they get: "Start Free Trial" > "Sign Up"

Core Sections

Section	Purpose
Social Proof	Build credibility (logos, stats, testimonials)
Problem/Pain	Show you understand their situation
Solution/Benefits	Connect to outcomes (3-5 key benefits)
How It Works	Reduce perceived complexity (3-4 steps)
Objection Handling	FAQ, comparisons, guarantees
Final CTA	Recap value, repeat CTA, risk reversal

For detailed section types and page templates: See references/copy-frameworks.md

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CTA Copy Guidelines

Weak CTAs (avoid):

• Submit, Sign Up, Learn More, Click Here, Get Started

Strong CTAs (use):

• Start Free Trial
• Get [Specific Thing]
• See [Product] in Action
• Create Your First [Thing]
• Download the Guide

Formula: [Action Verb] + [What They Get] + [Qualifier if needed]

Examples:

• "Start My Free Trial"
• "Get the Complete Checklist"
• "See Pricing for My Team"

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Page-Specific Guidance

Homepage

• Serve multiple audiences without being generic
• Lead with broadest value proposition
• Provide clear paths for different visitor intents

Landing Page

• Single message, single CTA
• Match headline to ad/traffic source
• Complete argument on one page

Pricing Page

• Help visitors choose the right plan
• Address "which is right for me?" anxiety
• Make recommended plan obvious

Feature Page

• Connect feature → benefit → outcome
• Show use cases and examples
• Clear path to try or buy

About Page

• Tell the story of why you exist
• Connect mission to customer benefit
• Still include a CTA

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Voice and Tone

Before writing, establish:

Formality level:

• Casual/conversational
• Professional but friendly
• Formal/enterprise

Brand personality:

• Playful or serious?
• Bold or understated?
• Technical or accessible?

Maintain consistency, but adjust intensity:

• Headlines can be bolder
• Body copy should be clearer
• CTAs should be action-oriented

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Output Format

When writing copy, provide:

Page Copy

Organized by section:

• Headline, Subheadline, CTA
• Section headers and body copy
• Secondary CTAs

Annotations

For key elements, explain:

• Why you made this choice
• What principle it applies

Alternatives

For headlines and CTAs, provide 2-3 options:

• Option A: [copy] — [rationale]
• Option B: [copy] — [rationale]

Meta Content (if relevant)

• Page title (for SEO)
• Meta description

AI-Tells Sweep (always)

Before delivering, run the final sweep from references/ai-writing-signs.md on the finished copy and fix what it catches. Don't report the checklist itself — just deliver copy that passes it.