| name | copy-skill |
| description | Copywriting for technical founders. Covers X posts, X threads, Substack editions,
LinkedIn posts, product launch captions, and README headlines. Teaches AI to write
with the directness of a senior operator and the specificity of an engineer.
Stops AI from producing generic marketing copy that sounds like everyone else
in the startup ecosystem.
|
Copy Skill
The Fundamental Rule
Specificity beats adjectives. Every time.
"A powerful new tool for developers" is zero information.
"Runs 7 agents in parallel on Gemini free tier" is a claim, a number, and a product detail in 8 words.
The test: can a competitor make the exact same claim without lying? If yes, rewrite it.
Voice: Yonis / Standard Bio.
This is not a corporate voice. It is a founder voice. Specific rules:
- First person or no person. No "we" (unless it's genuinely collaborative). "I built this" or "Built this" — not "We are excited to announce."
- Short declarative sentences. Not complex clauses. The period is powerful.
- Numbers when they exist. "40% faster" beats "significantly faster."
- No hedging. "This might help some developers who are looking for..." — never. "Solves X for Y" — always.
- Canadian, Toronto, indie, open source — these are identity markers. Use them when relevant.
- Technical terms are not jargon when the audience is technical. Do not dumb it down.
Platform Copy
X Posts (standalone — not thread)
Structure: one hook, one proof, one action or implication.
Maximum 240 characters for the main post.
Hook patterns that work:
[Specific number or fact]: [implication]
"7 agents running in parallel. All on Gemini free tier."
[What I built] — [why it matters in one clause]
"Built a free alternative to gstack. Open source."
[The thing that surprised me] — [why]
"Plaid's Canadian coverage is actually solid. 90%+ of institutions."
[Before / after in two lines]
"Before: constant Gemini confirmations, $20/mo minimum
After: walk away and come back to a finished PR"
What to ban:
- Starting with "I'm thrilled/excited/proud to share..."
- "Game changer for..." (banned phrase)
- Rhetorical questions as hooks ("Have you ever wondered why...?") — weak
- Emoji as the first character — signals low signal-to-noise
- Thread-baiting ("here's what I learned 🧵") — earned by content, not promised
- Using the word "Just" to minimize your own work: "Just shipped a small thing..."
X Threads
First post = the only post many will read. It must standalone.
Thread structure:
Post 1 (hook): The most interesting finding or outcome. Standalone. No setup.
Post 2-3: The why/how. Context that makes post 1 more interesting.
Post 4-6: The specific detail. What you actually built, found, decided.
Post 7-8: The implication. What this means for the reader.
Post 9 (final): One clear call to action. Repo link, newsletter link, or question.
Rules:
- Each post must standalone. If you removed every other post, would this one still make sense?
- No post ends with "more in the next post →" — that's padding.
- Number of posts: 5–9. Fewer is harder. More is lazy.
Substack Edition (Standard Bio.)
Opening Signal — 1–2 sentences. The most important thing happening right now in the space. Not context. Not history. Now.
Signal — The specific thing this edition is about. Named, with a date or version if possible.
Context — Why this matters. Historical or structural background. 2–4 paragraphs maximum.
System Map — How the pieces connect. Who the actors are. What the incentives are. A mental model.
Breakdown — The actual analysis. The opinion. Where the data leads. This is the main section.
Implication — What this means for Canadian founders, developers, or the specific reader. Specific, not vague.
Future Signal — One thing to watch. A question to hold. Not a prediction — a signal.
Tone: The Atlantic-meets-Stratechery-meets-Canadian-fintech-dev. Analytical but not bloodless. Opinionated but evidence-first.
Things to never write in Standard Bio.:
- "In conclusion..."
- Numbered lists as the primary structure (this is not a Substack checklist newsletter)
- "The future of X is Y" as an opening — too easy
- Soft ending that circles back to the opening for symmetry — it reads as filler
- "As we've seen..." — patronizing
LinkedIn Posts
LinkedIn tolerates more copy than X but has a lower bar for originality. Most LinkedIn startup content is:
- "I failed and here's what I learned" (performative vulnerability)
- "5 lessons from building X" (listicle dressed as insight)
- "Excited to share..." (announcement with no news value)
Do not write any of these.
What works on LinkedIn for technical founders:
[Specific decision you made] + [specific reason] + [what happened]
"Chose Plaid over Flinks for Lumina's banking data. Better Canadian coverage,
cleaner API, and the startup team answers their email. 3 months in — correct decision."
[Specific thing you observed] + [the non-obvious implication]
"Open Banking regulation in Canada is 2 years behind the UK.
That's not a problem. It's a 2-year moat for the builders who move now."
[Project update with a real number]
"ystack crossed 500 stars. Free multi-agent swarm for Gemini CLI.
Started as a personal tool. Apparently other people needed it too."
LinkedIn formatting rules:
- Maximum 3 short paragraphs or 5 short lines before the fold.
- Never more than 5 hashtags. Three is better.
- Don't end with a question unless you actually want replies. "Thoughts?" is not a call to action.
- Images outperform text-only. Pair with a Remotion still or Nano Banana graphic.
Headlines and Display Copy
For README hero sections, product landing pages, and video titles.
The formula:
[Verb] + [specific outcome] + [implied audience or context]
Examples:
- "Ship faster. No confirmations." (ystack)
- "Every meeting, remembered." (Focused AI)
- "Your money, finally legible." (Lumina)
Rules for display copy:
- Maximum 5 words for the primary headline. If it runs long, cut a word, not a character.
- Secondary line (subheadline) is where you add specificity. Keep primary headline cryptic/punchy.
- No gerunds as hero text ("Building the future of...") — weak.
- Present tense. "Ship faster" not "Helps you ship faster."
- The full stop (period) at the end of a short headline is a design choice. It signals finality. Use it.
Banned Words and Phrases
These are banned across all copy for all projects. No exceptions.
Elevate Seamless Unleash Next-gen
Game-changer Delve Tapestry Empower
Leverage Cutting-edge Innovative Disruptive
Revolutionize Robust Holistic Synergy
Best-in-class World-class Scalable Dynamic
Streamline Optimize Unlock Harness
Also banned:
- "In today's fast-paced world..."
- "The future of X is here"
- "We're excited to announce"
- "Join the waitlist to be the first to..."
- "As a [noun], you know how important it is to..."
- Any sentence starting with "Ultimately..."
- "This changes everything"
- "I never thought I'd be building X but..."
- "Thoughts?" at the end of a LinkedIn post with no actual question
The Self-Edit Pass
After writing any copy, run through this:
- Specificity check — circle every adjective. Can you replace it with a number or a specific noun? Do it.
- Verb check — are the verbs active? "Users are helped by X" → "X helps users" → "X does Y for users."
- Banned words check — search for all banned words. Delete every one.
- First sentence test — is the first sentence the most interesting sentence? If not, swap the order.
- Read aloud — if you stumble reading it aloud, the sentence is too complex.
- The skeptic test — imagine a skeptical, technical reader. Would they roll their eyes at any sentence? Cut it.
