| name | brand-copy-landing |
| description | The "boring marketer" conversion-copy framework — proven fundamentals for landing pages, sales pages, hero sections, and persuasive marketing copy that sounds like a person and converts. The product-voice sibling of brand-copy (in-app house style). Use when writing or reviewing a landing or sales page, headline, opening line, feature description, or testimonial, or when asked to "use boring marketer copy tips", "boring marketer", "make this convert", "write the landing copy", "write the headline", "fix this marketing copy". Triggers on "use boring marketer copy tips", "boring marketer", "landing page copy", "sales page", "hero copy", "headline formula", "so what chain", "make this convert", "write a testimonial", "pain quantification". |
Boring Marketer Copy
The fundamentals of persuasive marketing copy that haven't changed in 100 years. They're "boring" because they're proven, not clever. This is the constructive framework for writing copy that converts. Pair it with brand-copy (in-app house style) for the line-level pass, and run a de-slop audit before shipping to cut AI-writing tells.
Who's speaking
This is product/brand voice — confident, bold headlines are wanted here. Use it for a product's landing and sales pages.
- In-app strings, errors, empty states, UI microcopy → use the house-style guide (
brand-copy).
- First-person copy bylined to a real person (founder essays, social posts) → use that person's voice guide instead; an undersell / never-cocky stance there overrides this skill's boldness.
Core principle
Write like you're explaining to a smart, skeptical friend. Back every claim with specifics. Make the transformation clear.
The framework
Headlines do 80% of the work. Formula: action verb + specific outcome + timeframe or context. E.g. "Ship your startup in days, not weeks." Write at least five before picking — one will out-perform the others by 2–10x.
Opening lines have one job: get them to read the second sentence. Lead with a direct challenge, a scene-setting story, a specific result, or a confession. Never open with "In today's fast-paced world."
Pain quantification makes vague problems feel solvable. Do the math. "4 hrs for emails + 6 hrs for landing page = 22+ hours of headaches" beats "launching is hard."
The so-what chain is where most copy dies. Go three levels deep until you hit something emotional or financial, then write from the bottom:
"Fast database" → "queries load fast" → "users don't bounce" → "you stop waking up stressed about churn."
Open loops keep readers moving. Tease without revealing — "But that's not even the best part." Use 2–4 per page, no more.
Rhythm is the tell. Real writing alternates punchy short sentences with longer ones that breathe. Same-length paragraphs scream AI.
Testimonials follow a shape: before state + action + specific outcome + timeframe + emotion. "I wanna cry" beats "Great product!"
Avoid
- The words "delve," "utilize," "game-changer," "leverage" (as a verb).
- Excessive em-dashes.
- Anything that starts with "Let's dive in."
Final check: read it out loud. If it sounds like a textbook, rewrite it.
The fundamentals haven't changed in 100 years. The packaging just needs to sound like a person wrote it.
