copywriting

name	copywriting
description	Use when the user wants to write, review, or improve marketing copy — hero headlines, landing page copy, ad copy, or email body. Also use when the user mentions 'copy,' 'headline,' 'CTA,' 'value prop,' 'messaging,' 'write this for me,' or asks for help with any marketing text that needs to convert.

Copywriting

Expertise in writing copy that converts — not copy that sounds good. The difference: converting copy is written for a specific reader at a specific awareness level with a single desired action. Generic copy is written for everyone and converts no one.

Framework Selection

Choose the right framework for the context:

• Cold audience, pain-driven → PAS: Lead with the problem they already feel. Problem → Agitate → Solution.
• Solution-aware, any format → AIDA: Hook them, build desire, one CTA. Attention → Interest → Desire → Action.
• Transformation / testimonial → BAB: Before is where they are, after is where they want to be. Before → After → Bridge.
• Feature announcement → FAB: Features are facts, benefits are why they care. Feature → Advantage → Benefit.
• Long-form / high-ticket → 4Ps: Picture the scenario, promise the outcome, prove it works, push to act.

Brand Voice Adaptation

Before writing, establish tone on these axes (1=left, 5=right):

• Formal ←→ Casual (1-5):

  • Score ≤ 2: full sentences, no contractions, no slang
  • Score ≥ 4: contractions OK, conversational asides, shorter sentences

• Rational ←→ Emotional (1-5):

  • Score ≤ 2: lead with data, outcomes quantified, no adjectives
  • Score ≥ 4: sensory language, identity-based framing ("people like you"), metaphors

• Conservative ←→ Bold (1-5):

  • Score ≤ 2: expected benefit claims, safe CTAs ("Learn more")
  • Score ≥ 4: pattern-interrupt headlines, contrarian claims (back with proof)

If tone hasn't been defined: ask the user for the three axis scores before writing.

The PAS Framework (Cold Audiences)

Problem: Name the pain they already feel — in their language, not yours.

"Your reporting takes 4 hours every Monday."

Agitate: Intensify the pain by showing consequences.

"That's 200 hours a year that could go toward strategy, hiring, or growth — spent in spreadsheets instead."

Solution: Present the product as the natural fix.

"[Product] pulls every metric into one dashboard. Monday reporting: 15 minutes."

The AIDA Framework (Solution-Aware Audiences)

Attention: Stop the scroll with a specific, relevant hook. Interest: Connect to their situation — why does this matter to them specifically? Desire: Paint the after state — what life looks like when the problem is solved. Action: One CTA, specific, with the friction reducer below it.

The BAB Framework (Transformation Stories)

Before: "We used to spend 3 days pulling our monthly report." After: "Now it takes 20 minutes." Bridge: "[Product] automated the data layer. Here's how."

Use BAB for testimonials, case study copy, and email sequences.

Conversion Quality Signals

Copy likely to convert:

• Headline answers "what's in it for me" in ≤ 7 words
• Reader can identify themselves in the first sentence
• One CTA, not three
• Benefit stated before feature

Copy that won't convert:

• "We are [company], we do [thing]" openers — reader doesn't care yet
• Adjectives without proof ("world-class", "best-in-class", "revolutionary")
• CTA that says "Submit" or "Click here"
• Social proof missing or buried below fold

Headline Formulas

Outcome-specific:

• "[Specific result] in [specific timeframe]"
• "How [company/person like them] got [result] without [sacrifice]"

Problem-first:

• "Still [painful problem]?"
• "The real reason [ICP] can't [achieve goal]"

Identity-based:

• "For [specific role] who [specific situation]"
• "Built for teams that [specific behavior]"

Proof-led:

• "[Number] [ICP] switched to [product] this month"
• "[Customer name] went from [before] to [after]"

CTA Writing Rules

Start with a verb. Be specific about what happens next. Add a friction reducer.

Weak CTA	Strong CTA
Submit	Start your free 14-day trial
Learn more	See how it works in 3 minutes
Click here	Get your free report
Sign up	Create your account — no credit card needed

Copy by Format

Hero copy (above the fold):

• H1: The specific outcome for the specific ICP (≤ 10 words)
• Subheadline: How you deliver it + key differentiator (1-2 sentences)
• CTA: Verb + what happens + friction reducer
• Trust signal below CTA: logo bar, rating, or user count

Ad copy (Meta/Google):

• Hook in first line — problem or outcome, never "Introducing..."
• One idea per ad, not three
• Body: problem → bridge → CTA (under 125 words for Meta primary text)
• 3 headline variants per placement, test hook style first

Email body:

• Subject line: specific, under 50 characters, no clickbait
• Preview text: complements subject, doesn't repeat it
• Opening: acknowledge their situation before pitching anything
• One ask per email — link to the next step, don't offer five

Landing page:

• Every section = one message, one supporting proof, one CTA
• Testimonials must be specific: name + company + measurable outcome
• Pricing section: anchored (show highest tier first or recommended plan)

Common Rationalizations

Rationalization	Reality
"We'll write copy after the product is done"	Copy IS the product for the first 90 days. It determines whether anyone clicks to see the product.
"Our audience is sophisticated — they want detail, not short copy"	Short copy fails when it's vague. Long copy fails when it's padded. Length follows complexity of the ask.
"PAS feels too salesy"	PAS is just empathy structured: "I see your problem, here's why it matters, here's what fixes it."
"We can't A/B test copy yet"	Write 3 headline variants by default. Pick one to run now, keep the others for later. Cost is minutes.