Copywriting

Copywriting

Agent Behavior

When triggered, follow this process:

1. Infer First, Ask Second

From the user's request, infer as much as possible: product, audience, tone, copy type, awareness level. Only ask about what you truly cannot infer. If you have enough to start, start — deliver a first draft and offer to refine.

Always infer:

• Copy type from context (if they say "landing page," don't ask "what type of copy?")
• Tone defaults to confident, clear, conversational unless specified
• Awareness level defaults to Solution-Aware for organic traffic, Problem-Aware for paid/cold traffic

Only ask when critical info is missing:

• What the product does (if not obvious from context)
• The specific desired action (trial, demo, signup)
• The unique mechanism (if you can't find or infer it)

2. Diagnose and Choose

• Match audience awareness level to framework (see Awareness Levels)
• Select copy length based on price point and decision complexity
• Pick positioning angle based on competitive context

3. Deliver

• Write the full copy in the appropriate format
• Include 3–5 headline variants
• Include 2–3 CTA variants
• Label each section clearly (Hero, Problem, Solution, Proof, CTA)
• Run the Pre-Delivery Checklist before presenting

4. Offer Next Steps

After delivering, offer: A/B variants, shorter/longer version, adaptation for a different channel.

First Principles

1. Copy Is Salesmanship in Writing

Its only purpose is to drive action — a sign-up, a demo booking, a trial start. Your landing page is the first salesperson a cold visitor meets. Treat it like a high-stakes conversation, not a brochure.

2. Write for "You," Not "We"

• Say "you" and "your" more than "we" and "our"
• Describe their problem, not your product history
• Use their words (from reviews, support tickets, calls) — not your jargon

3. Benefits Over Features

Push every feature through this chain:

Feature           →  "AI-powered analytics dashboard"
Advantage         →  "Insights update in real time, unlike manual reporting"
Benefit           →  "Save 15 hours/week on reporting"
Emotional Outcome →  "Make decisions with confidence instead of second-guessing stale numbers"

Lead with benefits and emotional outcomes. Features are supporting evidence.

4. Clarity Beats Cleverness

Short sentences. Active voice. Everyday words. Scannable layout.

The 5-Second Rule (landing pages): Within 5 seconds, the visitor must understand what this does, who it's for, and why it matters.

5. Persuasion Follows a Sequence

1. Attention — headline that speaks to their situation
2. Empathy — show you understand their pain
3. Desire — paint the better future, prove it works
4. Trust — stack proof, remove risk
5. Action — tell them exactly what to do

6. Test Everything

Never assume — test headlines, offers, CTAs. What feels good to you rarely converts best.

7. Copy Before Design

Start with the words. Nail the value proposition, the headline, the persuasion flow. Design the page around the copy, not the reverse.

Audience Awareness Levels

Defaults: Organic/referral traffic → Solution-Aware. Paid/cold traffic → Problem-Aware.

Frameworks

Pick the framework that matches the situation. Combine them — e.g., PAS for the hero, FAB+E for features, BAB for a testimonial.

PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solution)

Best for: Problem-aware audiences, pain-driven products, cold traffic, ads, emails.

PROBLEM:   "You find out customers are unhappy when they cancel."
AGITATE:   "By then it's too late. The signals were there — declining usage, fewer logins —
            but your dashboards don't show who's about to leave."
SOLUTION:  "ChurnGuard flags at-risk accounts 30 days before they cancel, with the exact
            reason why. Customers who get a proactive save retain at 3x the rate."

AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action)

Best for: Product-aware audiences, general-purpose landing pages, strong proof available.

ATTENTION: "Your team wastes 5 hours/week in status update meetings. Kill them."
INTEREST:  "Project updates live in Slack threads, email chains, and people's heads.
            So you schedule another meeting. Then another."
DESIRE:    "One dashboard. Every project's status, blockers, and next steps — updated
            automatically. No more 'quick sync' meetings."
ACTION:    "Start free — your first 3 projects are on us, forever."

FAB+E (Feature, Advantage, Benefit, Emotional Outcome)

Best for: Solution-aware audiences comparing options, feature-heavy products.

FEATURE:   "Real-time event streaming with sub-second latency."
ADVANTAGE: "Most tools batch-process hourly. You're always looking at stale data."
BENEFIT:   "Spot issues the moment they happen. Fix a broken checkout in minutes,
            not after a day of lost revenue."
EMOTION:   "Sleep easy knowing you'll know before your customers do."

BAB (Before, After, Bridge)

Best for: Compelling transformation stories, hero sections, email copy.

BEFORE:  "40% of new users never complete setup. You're paying to acquire users
          you never activate."
AFTER:   "80% complete onboarding on day one. They hit their first 'aha moment'
          in under 5 minutes. They come back tomorrow."
BRIDGE:  "OnboardKit builds personalized setup flows based on what each user needs.
          No code. Just users who get to value fast — and stay."

PASTOR (Person, Amplify, Story, Transformation, Offer, Response)

Best for: Long-form sales pages, high-ACV products, full persuasion arc needed.

PASTOR is PAS expanded with story, proof, and offer. Use PAS when concise, PASTOR when you have room.

Copy Length

Rules of thumb:

• Free/freemium: Hero + 3–4 feature blocks + proof + CTA
• $50–200/mo self-serve: Full page — hero, problem, solution, features, proof, objections, CTA
• Enterprise/sales-led: Long page with case studies, ROI proof, multiple CTAs

Positioning Angles

The key question: When a visitor sees your page after a competitor's, what ONE thing should make them think "this is different"? That goes in the headline.

Headlines

Formulas

Rules

• Be specific. "Grow your business" → "Add $10K MRR in 90 days."
• Lead with outcome, not method. "Save 10 hours/week" beats "Use our automation tool."
• Use customer language. If they say "nightmare," your headline says "nightmare."
• Always generate 3–5 variants.

Subheadline Formula

[What it does] + [How fast / how it works] + [Proof or scale]

Headline:    "Client reporting on autopilot."
Subheadline: "Connect your data sources in 2 minutes. Send branded reports to
              every client — automatically, every week. Trusted by 2,000+ agencies."

CTAs

Formula

[Action Verb] + [What They Get] + [Urgency or Ease]

Placement

1. Hero section — above the fold, always
2. After problem section — pain is felt, offer the fix
3. After proof/testimonials — trust is highest
4. Sticky nav or floating button — always accessible
5. Final section — paired with risk reversal

Button + Surrounding Copy

"Join 4,000+ SaaS teams saving 10+ hours/week"
[Start My Free Trial]
"No credit card required. Setup takes 2 minutes."

Line above → desire. Line below → friction removal.

Emotional Triggers

One primary emotion per section. Don't mix frustration and hope in the same paragraph.

Objection Handling

Place objection-handling: in FAQ sections, inline near CTAs, in testimonials ("I was worried about X but..."), woven into feature sections.

Proof

Types (by persuasive power)

1. Specific customer results: "Acme Corp reduced churn by 34% in 60 days." Names, numbers, timeframes.
2. Recognizable logos: 4–5 logos above the fold changes perception instantly.
3. Aggregate data: "Trusted by 5,000+ teams" or "2M+ hours saved."
4. Testimonials with context: Name + title + company + specific outcome.
5. Case studies: Problem → attempt → your solution → result in timeframe.
6. Third-party validation: G2 badges, Product Hunt, press, certifications.
7. Live metrics: "12,847 reports sent this week."

Placement

• Hero: Logo bar + one strong stat
• After problem section: Testimonial validating the pain
• After solution section: Testimonial validating the outcome
• Near CTA: Strongest proof — makes clicking feel safe

Templates

SaaS Landing Page Structure

1. HERO
   - Headline (outcome-focused, specific)
   - Subheadline (what + how fast + proof)
   - Primary CTA
   - Logo bar or key stat
   - Hero image / screenshot / demo video

2. PROBLEM
   - Dramatize the pain (customer language)
   - 2–3 specific symptoms they'll recognize
   - Cost of inaction

3. SOLUTION
   - Your product as the fix
   - Unique mechanism (WHY it works, not just WHAT)
   - Screenshot or product visual

4. FEATURES / HOW IT WORKS
   - 3–4 features, each: name + 1-line benefit + visual
   - Or: Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 (reduces complexity)
   - Weave in proof: "Saves our users an average of X hours/week"

5. SOCIAL PROOF
   - 2–3 testimonials with specific outcomes
   - Mini case study or G2/Capterra badges

6. OBJECTION HANDLING
   - FAQ addressing top 4–6 objections

7. FINAL CTA
   - Restate core promise
   - Risk reversal
   - CTA button + supporting copy

Email Sequences

Welcome / Onboarding Sequence (5 emails)

EMAIL 1: Welcome (send immediately)
  Subject: "You're in — here's your first step"
  Body:    One clear action to get started. No feature dumps.
           CTA: the single most important first action.
  Tone:    Warm, direct, zero friction.

EMAIL 2: Quick Win (Day 1–2)
  Subject: "[First name], try this in 2 minutes"
  Body:    Walk them to their first "aha moment." One specific use case,
           step-by-step. Show the outcome they'll get.
  CTA:     "Do this now" — link directly to the feature.

EMAIL 3: Social Proof (Day 3–4)
  Subject: "How [Company] got [result] in [timeframe]"
  Body:    Short customer story. Problem → tried your product → result.
           Make it relatable to their situation.
  CTA:     "See how it works for your use case"

EMAIL 4: Objection Buster (Day 5–7)
  Subject: "The #1 question new users ask"
  Body:    Address the biggest hesitation. Answer it directly. Use proof.
  CTA:     "Start your first [key action]"

EMAIL 5: Urgency / Upgrade (Day 10–14)
  Subject: "Your trial ends in [X] days — here's what you'll lose"
  Body:    Recap what they've done/could do. Paint the loss of going back
           to the old way. Make upgrading feel easy and safe.
  CTA:     "Keep your progress — upgrade now"

Cold Outreach Sequence (3 emails)

EMAIL 1: The Hook
  Subject: Short, curiosity-driven, no salesy language.
           Examples: "quick question about [their process]"
                     "[mutual connection] suggested I reach out"
                     "noticed [specific thing about their company]"
  Body:    2–3 sentences max.
           Line 1: Observation about them (shows research).
           Line 2: The problem you solve, framed as a question.
           Line 3: Soft CTA — "Worth a 10-min chat?"
  Rules:   No attachments. No "I hope this finds you well." No feature lists.

EMAIL 2: The Value Add (Day 3–4)
  Subject: "Re:" previous subject (keeps thread)
  Body:    Share something useful — a stat, insight, or resource relevant
           to their problem. No pitch. Build credibility.
           End with: "Happy to share how [similar company] handled this."

EMAIL 3: The Breakup (Day 7–10)
  Subject: "closing the loop"
  Body:    2 sentences. Acknowledge they're busy. Leave the door open.
           "If this isn't a priority right now, no worries. If it becomes one,
           here's my calendar: [link]."

Re-engagement / Win-back (3 emails)

EMAIL 1: "We miss you" (gentle)
  Subject: "It's been a while, [name]"
  Body:    Acknowledge they've been away. Highlight 1–2 new things since
           they left. No guilt. Make coming back easy.
  CTA:     "See what's new" — link to changelog or key feature.

EMAIL 2: Incentive (Day 5)
  Subject: "Come back and get [offer]"
  Body:    Specific incentive — extended trial, discount, free migration help.
           Restate the core benefit they're missing.
  CTA:     "Reactivate with [X% off / free month]"

EMAIL 3: Final (Day 14)
  Subject: "Should I close your account?"
  Body:    Loss aversion trigger. "Your data/settings are still saved, but
           we'll archive your account on [date]." One-click reactivate.

Email Copy Rules

• Subject lines: 6 words or fewer. No clickbait. Lowercase often outperforms title case.
• Preview text: treat it as a second subject line — don't waste it.
• One CTA per email. Multiple CTAs = no clicks.
• P.S. lines get read — put your strongest proof or secondary CTA there.
• Plain text outperforms HTML for cold outreach. Use HTML for product emails.

Ad Copy

Google Search Ads

STRUCTURE:
  Headline 1 (30 chars): Primary keyword + benefit
  Headline 2 (30 chars): Differentiator or proof
  Headline 3 (30 chars): CTA or offer
  Description 1 (90 chars): Expand on the benefit, add specifics
  Description 2 (90 chars): Proof point + CTA + friction removal

EXAMPLE (project management tool):
  H1: "Project Management Made Simple"
  H2: "Trusted by 5,000+ Teams"
  H3: "Start Free — No Card Required"
  D1: "See every project's status in one dashboard. No more status meetings."
  D2: "Setup takes 5 minutes. Join teams at Spotify, Stripe & Shopify. Try free."

RULES:
- Include the search keyword in Headline 1 (quality score)
- Numbers and specifics outperform vague claims
- Match the ad copy to the landing page headline (message match)
- Use all available headline and description slots
- Add sitelink extensions for secondary CTAs

Meta (Facebook / Instagram) Ads

PRIMARY TEXT (125 chars visible, up to 1,000):
  Line 1: Hook — the pain point or bold claim (must work in 125 chars)
  Line 2–3: Agitate or expand
  Line 4: Solution — introduce the product
  Line 5: Proof — one specific result
  Line 6: CTA — what to do next

HEADLINE (40 chars): Core benefit or offer
DESCRIPTION (30 chars): Supporting detail

EXAMPLE (analytics tool):
  Primary text:
  "Your analytics dashboard shows you what happened yesterday.
  By then, the damage is done.

  [Product] streams events in real time — so you catch issues
  in minutes, not after a day of lost revenue.

  Acme Corp cut incident response time by 80%.

  Start free → no credit card needed."
  
  Headline: "Real-Time Analytics. Finally."
  Description: "Free 14-day trial"

FORMATS TO WRITE FOR:
- Single image: primary text + headline + description
- Carousel: each card = one benefit or feature, final card = CTA
- Video: script the first 3 seconds (hook) + 15-sec version + 30-sec version

RULES:
- Hook must work in the first line (before "See more")
- Speak to one audience per ad (don't generalize)
- Social proof in ads outperforms benefit claims for retargeting
- For cold audiences: lead with the problem (PAS). For warm: lead with proof.

LinkedIn Ads

SPONSORED CONTENT (150 chars intro visible):
  Line 1: Hook — speak directly to the role ("Engineering leaders:")
  Line 2–3: Problem or insight they'll recognize
  Line 4: Your product as the solution
  Line 5: Proof + CTA

EXAMPLE (DevOps tool):
  "Engineering managers: your team spends 30% of sprint time on deployment issues.

  [Product] automates rollbacks, monitors deploys in real time, and cuts
  failed deployments by 60%.

  Used by engineering teams at [logos].

  Book a 15-min demo →"

RULES:
- Address the job title directly in line 1
- B2B proof (company names, titles, metrics) matters more than emotional hooks
- LinkedIn audiences are skeptical — lead with credibility, not hype
- Offer gated content (report, benchmark, template) for top-of-funnel
- Direct product CTAs work for retargeting and bottom-of-funnel

Product Descriptions

Short-form (for directories, marketplaces, comparison sites)

STRUCTURE (50–100 words):
  Sentence 1: What it is + who it's for
  Sentence 2: The core benefit (outcome, not feature)
  Sentence 3: Differentiator (why this over alternatives)
  Sentence 4: Proof point (scale, logos, or key metric)

EXAMPLE:
  "[Product] is a real-time analytics platform for product and growth teams.
  Spot conversion drops, feature adoption trends, and UX issues the moment
  they happen — not in tomorrow's report. Unlike legacy tools, setup takes
  5 minutes with no engineering resources. Trusted by 3,000+ SaaS companies
  including [logos]."

Long-form (for product pages, app store listings)

STRUCTURE:
  1. One-liner: [Product] helps [audience] [achieve outcome] by [mechanism].
  2. The problem (2–3 sentences in customer language)
  3. How it works (3 steps or 3–4 key capabilities, benefit-led)
  4. What makes it different (unique mechanism, 1–2 sentences)
  5. Social proof (key metric, testimonial quote, or logos)
  6. CTA

EXAMPLE:
  "[Product] helps CS teams predict and prevent churn before it happens.

  Most teams find out a customer is unhappy when they cancel. The signals
  were there — declining usage, fewer logins — but buried across dashboards
  that don't connect the dots.

  [Product] flags at-risk accounts 30 days out, tells you exactly why,
  and recommends the right intervention. Three steps: connect your data,
  set your risk thresholds, let the model score every account daily.

  Unlike generic analytics, [Product] was built specifically for B2B SaaS
  retention — trained on patterns from 10M+ subscription events.

  Teams using [Product] retain at-risk accounts at 3x the industry average.

  Start your free trial →"

Social Media Copy

LINKEDIN POST (thought leadership / product):
  Line 1: Hook — bold claim, contrarian take, or surprising stat
  Line 2: [blank line — forces "see more" click]
  Line 3–8: Story or argument (short paragraphs, 1–2 sentences each)
  Line 9: Takeaway or insight
  Line 10: Soft CTA (comment, share, or link)

TWITTER/X THREAD:
  Tweet 1: Hook + promise ("I analyzed 500 SaaS landing pages. Here's what
           the top 1% do differently. 🧵")
  Tweets 2–7: One insight per tweet. Concrete, specific, actionable.
  Final tweet: Summary + CTA (link to product, newsletter, or resource)

RULES:
- First line is everything — it determines if anyone reads the rest
- Write at a 6th-grade reading level
- One idea per post. Don't stack 3 insights into one update.
- Native content (no external links) gets 5–10x more reach on LinkedIn
- Threads outperform single tweets for engagement on X

Research Checklist

Before writing, gather:

• VOC (voice of customer): Exact phrases from reviews, support tickets, sales calls, Reddit, Twitter. Extract: pain descriptions, desired outcomes, objections, emotional language. Use these phrases directly — borrowed language converts better than invented language.
• Competitor copy: Scan 3–5 competitors. Note claims everyone makes (table stakes), claims nobody makes (your opportunity), and the dominant tone.
• Unique mechanism: The underlying method or architecture that makes the product fundamentally different. Not a feature list. If you can't articulate it, the copy will sound generic.

Editing Checklist

BEFORE: "Our platform basically helps teams to easily manage their projects in a
         more efficient way by providing a comprehensive suite of tools."
AFTER:  "Manage every project in one place. No more juggling 5 tools."

A/B Testing

What to Test (by impact)

1. Headlines
2. CTAs — wording, placement
3. Hero structure — copy-first vs. demo-first vs. video
4. Proof framing — logos vs. testimonials vs. metrics
5. Page length

Creating Variants

Change ONE variable. Everything else identical.

HEADLINE VARIANTS:
  A: "Cut client reporting from 10 hours to 10 minutes"     (specific promise)
  B: "Client reporting on autopilot"                          (ease)
  C: "2,000+ agencies automated their reporting. You're next." (proof)

CTA VARIANTS:
  A: "Start my free trial"                     (standard)
  B: "See it work with my data"                (curiosity)
  C: "Start free — no credit card required"    (friction removal)

Run both versions on equal traffic. Wait for 100+ conversions per variant or 7–14 days. Statistical significance > gut feeling.

Pre-Delivery Checklist

Before presenting any copy, verify:

• Headline promises a specific outcome
• Unique mechanism is clear
• Every section passes the "so what?" test
• Benefits lead, features support
• Proof within scroll-distance of every claim
• Objections handled before final CTA
• CTA is specific and low-friction
• Copy uses customer language, not jargon
• Single, clear primary action
• You'd click this if you landed from a Google ad