conversion-copywriting

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.

Conversion Copywriting

Copy is the highest-leverage design decision. A great headline can 2x conversion. A bad one can 10x it down.

Core principles

1. Specificity wins. "Cut audit prep from 3 weeks to 3 days" > "Save time"
2. Outcome-led. What the user gets, not what the product does.
3. Reader-first language. "You" 2x more than "we" / "our".
4. Plain English. A 12-year-old should be able to read it.
5. 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:

1. Problem — name the buyer's pain
2. Agitate — make it tangible
3. 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.