| name | conversion-copywriting |
| description | Use when writing or editing marketing copy. Covers the principles of conversion copywriting, the formulas that work (PAS, AIDA, etc.), the patterns to avoid (jargon, puffery), and headline + subhead crafting.
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Conversion Copywriting
Copy is the highest-leverage design decision. A great headline can 2x conversion. A bad one can 10x it down.
Core principles
- Specificity wins. "Cut audit prep from 3 weeks to 3 days" > "Save time"
- Outcome-led. What the user gets, not what the product does.
- Reader-first language. "You" 2x more than "we" / "our".
- Plain English. A 12-year-old should be able to read it.
- One idea per sentence. No conjunctions stacking 3 thoughts.
Headline formulas
Outcome-led
"[Quantified outcome] in [time period]"
Example: "Cut your CSA score 30% in 12 months"
Pain-led
"Stop [pain] with [solution category]"
Example: "Stop paying for safety compliance software you can't understand"
Strikethrough anchor
"Stop paying $old price. [Pay something less for an upgrade]."
Example: "Stop paying $130K/year for a Safety Director. Hire the AI one for $79."
Comparison
"What you'd get from [familiar] for [fraction of cost]"
Example: "What you'd hire from JJ Keller, but $79/month and 10x smarter."
Question-led
"[Question that reframes the buyer's problem]?"
Example: "Why are you paying $1200/month for compliance software you barely use?"
Subhead formulas
The subhead extends the headline. One sentence, max two.
Pattern: [Product noun] + [for whom] + [the unique angle].
Example: "X3 Compass is the AI Safety Director for small motor carriers — and the safety consultants who serve them. Every answer cites 49 CFR. $79/month."
Words to avoid
- Revolutionary / disruptive — meaningless puffery
- Powerful — vague, doesn't communicate
- World-class — relative to whose world?
- Best-in-class — provable claim that you can't prove
- Seamless / seamlessly — overused
- Game-changing — almost never true
- Cutting-edge — almost always cliché
- AI-powered — increasingly meaningless
Words that work
- Specific outcomes ("30% reduction in 12 months")
- Action verbs ("cut", "ship", "catch", "remove", "find")
- Concrete nouns ("driver file", "audit prep", "CSA percentile")
- Real numbers ("$79/month", "100 skills", "10K inspections")
- Comparative ("vs JJ Keller", "vs hiring a Safety Director")
The PAS formula (problem-agitate-solution)
For longer-form sections:
- Problem — name the buyer's pain
- Agitate — make it tangible
- Solution — your product
Example:
"DOT audits sneak up. (Problem)
By the time the letter arrives, you have 60 days to assemble a binder of records you may not even have. (Agitate)
Compass scans your fleet on day 1 of the notice, drafts every missing document, and assembles the binder. (Solution)"
Read aloud test
If you can't say the copy in a conversation without sounding like marketing, rewrite.
Example fails: "Our platform leverages cutting-edge AI to optimize your compliance posture."
Example wins: "We use AI to handle your DOT paperwork. Every answer cites the regulation."
Common mistakes
- Adjective stacking ("powerful, intuitive, seamless platform")
- We-led ("Our product offers..." vs "You get...")
- Long sentences (>20 words)
- Vague outcomes ("save time" with no number)
- Industry jargon without explanation
- Pricing language ("starting at" without ending number)
Where this fits in X3 Compass
X3 Compass copy uses outcome-led + strikethrough anchor on the hero, PAS for "Compliance is happening WITH you or TO you", numbers on every page.
