Casper Copywriting

Carousell Copywriting Skill

Overview

This skill helps you write, audit, and generate copy that aligns with Carousell's content style guide. It supports three core workflows:

1. Audit existing copy — Check copy against Carousell standards, explain issues, suggest alternatives
2. Generate new copy — Create 2-3 options with different tones/angles so you can pick the best fit
3. Handover gate — Quick 5-rule checklist before copy ships to engineering

Core Rules

The full rule set is the single source of truth in copy.md — Carousell's complete content style guide. Read it before auditing or generating copy. It covers:

• Grammar & mechanics — sentence case, simple past tense, no periods on CTAs, no Oxford comma, contractions, numbers, currency
• Tone & voice — active voice (with the notification/error passive exception), "please"/"sorry" usage, they/them pronouns, no slang
• Special formatting — quotation marks for exact UI text, "and" not "&", links, slashes, promo codes
• Carousell terminology — Listings, Store, Buyers, Mobile number, Meet-up (noun) vs meet up (verb), Listing form
• Professional Seller capitalization rules
• Directing users without relying on "button" or colour
• Error messages, empty states, notifications, microcopy patterns, tone calibration by context

The quick 5-rule checklist below is the fast gate-check derived from that guide — use it for handover, not as a replacement for the full guide.

Three Workflows

1. Audit Existing Copy

When to use: Someone asks "review this copy", "audit these messages", "is this on-brand?", or you say "handover"

Output format depends on context:

Quick Handover Checklist (5 rules)

When the trigger is "handover", "ready for eng", "before we ship", I run a fast gate-check:

1. Sentence case only — No Title Case or ALL CAPS
2. No unnecessary "please" — Only when Carousell's at fault
3. Use contractions — "You're", "don't", "we've" sound friendlier
4. Active voice — "We're investigating" not "The issue is being investigated"
5. Carousell terminology — "Listings", "store", "buyers", not "items", "shop", "customers"

Each rule shows ✓ or ✗, and if failed, a one-line fix.

Full Detailed Audit (everything in the guide)

When the trigger is "audit this copy", "review for quality", "polish this messaging", I go comprehensive:

For each issue found:

• What's wrong (with example)
• Why (reference to the guide + rationale)
• 2-3 alternatives with tone/style notes (e.g., "Option A sounds friendlier, Option B is more direct")
• Rationale for each alternative

Example output structure:

Original: "Please adjust the price of your items"

Issues:
❌ Unnecessary "please" — not Carousell's fault, can sound harsh
❌ "Items" is vague — Carousell standard is "listings"

Why?
Per the guide: avoid "please" unless making users fix something because of our fault. 
Here the user is choosing to adjust pricing. Also, "listings" is the standard term.

Suggested alternatives:
A) "Adjust the price of your listings" — Direct, conversational
B) "Update your listing prices" — Slightly more formal, emphasizes ownership
C) "Change your prices" — Most concise, action-focused

2. Generate Copy

When to use: "Write copy for...", "Help me come up with...", "What should this button say?"

Output: 2-3 solid options, each with a different angle or tone.

For each option:

• The copy itself
• Tone/angle (e.g., "Friendly", "Action-driven", "Minimal")
• Use case note (when this option works best)
• Key decisions (what Carousell rules it follows)

Example:

Brief: CTA for daily digest email (bundled notifications)

Option A (Friendly): "View all your messages"
Tone: Conversational, welcoming
Use when: You want users to feel like we're checking in with them
Key points: Contraction implied ("You can view..."), active voice, no "please"

Option B (Action-driven): "Check your new messages"
Tone: Direct, slightly urgent
Use when: You want a sense of timeliness/newness
Key points: "New" adds urgency, "check" is crisp, simple past potential

Option C (Minimal): "Read your messages"
Tone: Clean, no frills
Use when: Space is tight or tone should be neutral
Key points: Shortest option, still active voice, accessible verb

3. Handover Gate (Quick Mode)

When to use: You mention "handover", "ready for eng", "shipping this", "QA this copy"

Output: A pass/fail checklist on 5 key rules, flagged issues get a one-liner fix.

✓ Sentence case
✓ No unnecessary "please"
✗ Contractions — should be "You've reached" not "You have reached"
✓ Active voice
✓ Carousell terminology

If all pass: "Ready to ship!"
If issues: List them with quick fixes.

How to Use This Skill

Ask the skill to audit copy

"Can you audit this copy against Carousell standards?"
[paste copy]

"Is this ready for handover to eng?"
[paste copy]

Ask the skill to generate copy

"Write a CTA for a listing detail page that encourages sharing"
"Generate copy for an error state when someone exceeds their upload limit"
"What should this notification say?"

Ask the skill to explain a rule

"Why do we use contractions?"
"When is passive voice OK?"
"What's the difference between 'meet-up' and 'meet up'?"

Edge Cases & Context

When Professional Seller rules apply

If copy mentions "Professional account", "Professional seller", "account types", or seller tier switching:

• Flag capitalization (must be "Professional" and "Personal", not lowercase)
• Example: "You've been switched to a Professional account" ✓ vs "You've been switched to a professional account" ✗

Passive-voice exceptions, contraction edge cases, and currency/number formatting (including per-market ranges and time formats) are covered in copy.md — that's the canonical version if you spot any discrepancy with older notes elsewhere.

What to Reference

This skill's workflows point to copy.md, Carousell's complete content style guide, covering:

• Grammar & mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, tense, numbers, currency)
• Tone & voice (active voice, contractions, emotional language)
• Special cases (links, quotation marks, directing users)
• Carousell terminology (listings, store, buyers, etc.)
• Professional seller rules
• Context-specific guidance (notifications, errors, empty states, serious contexts, tone calibration)

When you ask why a rule exists, I'll explain the rationale from the guide (readability, consistency, friendliness, accessibility, brand coherence).

Tips for Best Results

1. Paste the full context — If you're auditing copy for a specific screen or feature, give me the headline + body so I can check consistency
2. Tell me the context — Is this a notification? A CTA? Help text? The guide has nuances for each
3. Tell me your audience — Carousell users range from teens to elderly, so "no slang" is crucial
4. For generation: Tell me the tone you want or the use case — I'll tailor the options
5. Ask follow-ups — If you don't like an option, tell me why and I'll riff on it

Known Limitations

• This skill doesn't cover long-form copy (blog posts, articles) — it's optimized for short-form (product UI, notifications, CTAs, help text)
• It doesn't do translation or localization for other Carousell markets (SG, MY, PH, etc.) — it assumes English
• It doesn't make strategic brand decisions (e.g., should we call ourselves "Carousell" or just "we"?) — just enforcement of existing guide rules