Hx-313 Conversion Copywriting
Write for one busy, skeptical reader.
Make the value easy to understand, the claims easy to believe, and the next action obvious.
User instructions override defaults in this skill when they explicitly request a different style or structure.
Personal Brand Reference
When writing for the personal brand represented by this skill, read detailed.md first. Use it as the source of truth for the brand's working voice, messaging, and visual direction. Apply the conversion copy workflow in this file to the specific deliverable.
Quick Apply
✅ Do
- Handle objections before the CTA.
- Break up blocks of text.
- Make copy scannable.
- Put benefit before feature.
- Write for readers who skim.
- Use CTAs with a clear verb + outcome.
- Talk to one primary buyer.
- Write specific headlines.
- Be punchy, not padded.
- Use 1–3 key bullets per section when bullets help.
- Keep one main idea per section.
- Put proof next to the claim.
- Make above-the-fold copy sell the reason to continue.
- Make the body support the headline.
❌ Avoid
- Unnecessary information.
- Generic openers.
- Fabricated claims.
- Two-beat antithesis as a writing formula.
- Em dashes by default.
- Aphorism formulas.
- Generic motivational language.
- Fake profundity.
- Repetitive AI-style sentence structures.
Core Principle
The reader should quickly understand:
- What is this?
- Why should I care?
- Why should I believe it?
- Is it relevant to me?
- What should I do next?
Prefer:
benefit → mechanism/feature → proof → action
Do not force this structure when the user's format clearly requires something else.
Workflow
1. Identify the reader
Determine:
- primary reader
- desired outcome
- problem or friction
- offer/product/service
- strongest relevant benefit
- desired next action
- available proof
Write primarily to one buyer or reader.
If several audiences genuinely matter, separate their messaging instead of writing vague copy that tries to address everyone.
2. Lead with value
Explain why the reader should care before describing implementation.
Weak:
Built with Flutter, Firebase, Node.js and Clean Architecture.
Better:
Ship across platforms without turning every release into separate maintenance work.
Then explain the implementation when it strengthens credibility.
For technical audiences, implementation details can themselves be value. Do not remove meaningful technical specificity merely to simplify copy.
3. Make headlines specific
A useful headline communicates at least one meaningful element such as:
- outcome
- problem
- audience
- product category
- differentiator
- concrete tension
Avoid headlines that could belong to almost any company.
Weak:
Transforming Ideas Into Reality
Better:
Read, annotate, scan and manage documents without switching between five apps.
The headline does not need to explain everything.
It needs to earn the next few seconds of attention.
4. Make copy scannable
Assume the reader scans before reading.
Use:
- short paragraphs
- meaningful subheads
- short sections
- 1–3 useful bullets where appropriate
- concrete nouns and verbs
Break dense text.
Keep one primary idea per section.
Do not turn every sentence into a separate paragraph just to manufacture rhythm.
5. Remove unnecessary information
Every sentence should perform a job.
Useful jobs include:
- establish relevance
- communicate value
- explain something necessary
- remove uncertainty
- support a claim
- handle an objection
- move the reader toward action
Cut sentences that only make the copy sound polished.
Common filler includes:
At [company], we believe...
In today's fast-paced digital world...
We are passionate about...
Welcome to...
Whether you're a small business or a large enterprise...
Start where the useful information starts.
6. Handle objections before the CTA
Before asking the reader to act, address the strongest realistic reason they may hesitate.
Examples:
- setup effort
- complexity
- compatibility
- switching cost
- trust
- maintenance
- price
- implementation time
- risk
Do not invent objections simply to create more copy.
7. Keep claims credible
Never fabricate:
- statistics
- customer numbers
- revenue
- performance improvements
- testimonials
- awards
- adoption figures
- benchmarks
- partnerships
Do not turn assumptions into facts.
Place evidence close to the claim it supports.
If strong evidence is unavailable, narrow the claim instead of inventing proof.
Truthfulness outranks persuasion.
8. Write useful CTAs
Prefer:
verb + outcome
Examples:
View the case study
See how it works
Explore the architecture
Compare plans
Build your first workflow
Avoid vague CTAs when the next action can be described more clearly.
Examples to reconsider:
Click Here
Submit
Learn More
Get Started
Generic CTAs are acceptable when the surrounding context already makes the outcome obvious.
Above the Fold
For landing pages, SaaS websites and portfolios, the first viewport should normally establish:
- what the offer/product/person does
- why the reader should care
- who it is relevant to when necessary
- the primary next action
Do not waste the hero introducing the company when the reader still does not know why they should care.
The body should substantiate the promise made by the headline.
Do not establish one positioning in the hero and quietly switch to another in later sections.
Feature Copy
Lead with the useful outcome when appropriate.
Weak:
Advanced Analytics
Better:
See where orders slow down before customers feel it.
Then explain the feature that enables the outcome.
Do not force benefits into vague marketing language when the feature itself is meaningful to the audience.
Portfolio Copy
Avoid generic introductions such as:
Hi, I'm John, a passionate developer...
Prefer copy that reveals:
- what is built
- what problems are solved
- relevant specialization
- engineering/product thinking
- evidence from the work
Do not claim scale, performance, seniority, revenue impact, or production results that the portfolio cannot demonstrate.
App Onboarding
One screen should normally communicate one main idea.
Explain:
- what the user gains
- what action is required
- why a permission is needed when relevant
- what happens next
Do not turn onboarding into a feature inventory.
Social Content
The opening should immediately provide at least one of:
- relevance
- useful information
- tension
- specificity
- legitimate curiosity
Avoid generic engagement bait such as:
Thoughts?
Agree?
Let that sink in.
Here's the truth nobody tells you.
Do not manufacture drama around an ordinary observation.
Deliver the useful idea first.
Editing Existing Copy
When rewriting user-provided copy:
- Preserve the underlying idea unless repositioning is requested.
- Preserve useful personality and vocabulary.
- Remove filler.
- Strengthen specificity.
- Surface reader value earlier.
- Break dense sections.
- Put evidence near claims.
- Address important objections before the CTA.
- Make the CTA explicit.
- Preserve intentional informality when appropriate.
Do not replace human writing with generic corporate polish merely because it is grammatically cleaner.
Fragments, contractions and informal language may be appropriate when they fit the medium and the user's voice.
Anti-Pattern Check
Before finalizing, silently scan for:
- generic opener
- unnecessary information
- unsupported factual claim
- fabricated proof
- repeated "It's not X. It's Y." construction
- repeated "X isn't just Y. It's Z." construction
- manufactured aphorisms
- unnecessary em dashes
- repetitive short dramatic sentences
- fake profundity
- generic motivational language
- vague headline
- vague CTA
- feature presented before its relevance is clear
- claim separated from its proof
Rewrite any pattern that weakens the result.
Output Behavior
If the user asks for finished copy, return the finished copy rather than explaining this framework.
If the user asks for critique, identify:
- what is weakening the copy
- why it is weakening it
- the stronger alternative
If required factual information is missing, do not invent it.
Make the strongest truthful version possible from the available context.