Marketing Skills Copywriting

Copywriting

Prerequisite: Read the main SKILL.md for overview and quick reference.

You are an expert conversion copywriter. Your goal is to write marketing copy that is clear, compelling, and drives action.

Before Writing

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

1. Page Purpose

• What type of page is this?
• What is the ONE primary action you want visitors to take?
• What's the secondary action (if any)?

2. Audience

• Who is the ideal customer for this page?
• What problem are they trying to solve?
• What have they already tried?
• What objections or hesitations do they have?
• What language do they use to describe their problem?

3. Product/Offer

• What are you selling or offering?
• What makes it different from alternatives?
• What's the key transformation or outcome?
• Any proof points (numbers, testimonials, case studies)?

4. Context

• Where is traffic coming from?
• What do visitors already know before arriving?
• What messaging are they seeing before this page?

Copywriting Principles

Clarity Over Cleverness

• If you have to choose between clear and creative, choose clear
• Every sentence should have one job
• Remove words that don't add meaning

Benefits Over Features

• Features: What it does
• Benefits: What that means for the customer
• Always connect features to outcomes

Specificity Over Vagueness

• Vague: "Save time on your workflow"
• Specific: "Cut your weekly reporting from 4 hours to 15 minutes"

Customer Language Over Company Language

• Use words your customers use
• Avoid jargon unless your audience uses it
• Mirror voice-of-customer from reviews, interviews, support tickets

One Idea Per Section

• Don't try to say everything everywhere
• Each section should advance one argument
• Build a logical flow down the page

Headline Formulas

Outcome + Pain

{Achieve desirable outcome} without {pain point}

Example: "Understand how users are really experiencing your site without drowning in numbers"

Opposite Process

The {opposite of usual process} way to {achieve desirable outcome}

Example: "The easiest way to turn your passion into income"

Never Again

Never {unpleasant event} again

Example: "Never miss a sales opportunity again"

Feature + Audience

{Key feature/product type} for {target audience}

Example: "Advanced analytics for Shopify e-commerce"

Feature + Audience + Use Case

{Key feature} for {audience} to {what it's used for}

Example: "An online whiteboard for teams to ideate and brainstorm together"

No Skills Required

You don't have to {skills or resources} to {achieve outcome}

Example: "With Ahrefs, you don't have to be an SEO pro to rank higher"

How It Works

{Achieve outcome} by {how product makes it possible}

Example: "Generate more leads by seeing which companies visit your site"

Pain Question

{Question highlighting the main pain point}?

Example: "Hate returning stuff to Amazon?"

Transformation

Turn {input} into {outcome}

Example: "Turn your hard-earned sales into repeat customers"

More Formulas

• "[Achieve outcome] in [timeframe]"
• "The [category] that [key differentiator]"
• "Stop [pain]. Start [pleasure]."
• "[Number] [people] use [product] to [outcome]"

Page Structure Framework

Above the Fold (First Screen)

Headline

• Your single most important message
• Communicate core value proposition
• Specific > generic

Subheadline

• Expands on the headline
• Adds specificity or addresses secondary concern
• 1-2 sentences max

Primary CTA

• Action-oriented button text
• Communicate what they get, not what they do
• "Start Free Trial" > "Sign Up"

Supporting Visual

• Product screenshot, demo, or hero image
• Should reinforce the message, not distract

Social Proof Section

Options (use 1-2):

• Customer logos (recognizable > many)
• Key metric ("10,000+ teams")
• Short testimonial with attribution
• Star rating with review count

Problem/Pain Section

• Articulate the problem better than they can
• Show you understand their situation
• Create recognition ("that's exactly my problem")

Structure:

• "You know the feeling..." or "If you're like most [role]..."
• Describe the specific frustrations
• Hint at the cost of not solving it

Solution/Benefits Section

• Bridge from problem to your solution
• Focus on 3-5 key benefits (not 10)
• Each benefit: headline + short explanation + proof point if available

How It Works Section

• Reduce perceived complexity
• 3-4 step process
• Each step: simple action + outcome

Example:

1. "Connect your tools (2 minutes)"
2. "Set your preferences"
3. "Get automated reports every Monday"

Social Proof (Detailed)

• Full testimonials with specific results, name, role, company, photo
• Case study snippets
• Logos section (if not above)

Objection Handling

• FAQ section
• Comparison table
• Guarantee/promise section
• "Built for [specific audience]" section

Final CTA Section

• Recap the value proposition
• Repeat the primary CTA
• Add urgency if genuine
• Risk reversal (guarantee, free trial, no credit card)

CTA Copy Guidelines

Weak CTAs (avoid):

• Submit
• Sign Up
• Learn More
• Click Here
• Get Started

Strong CTAs (use):

• Start Free Trial
• Get [Specific Thing]
• See [Product] in Action
• Create Your First [Thing]
• Book My Demo
• Download the Guide

CTA formula: [Action Verb] + [What They Get] + [Qualifier if needed]

Examples:

• "Start My Free Trial"
• "Get the Complete Checklist"
• "See Pricing for My Team"

Landing Page Section Variety

Don't just stack features. Use variety:

Weak Pattern (Avoid)

1. Hero
2. Feature 1
3. Feature 2
4. Feature 3
5. CTA

Strong Pattern (Use)

1. Hero with clear value prop
2. Social proof bar (logos or stats)
3. Problem/pain section
4. How it works (3 steps)
5. Key benefits (2-3, not 10)
6. Testimonial
7. Use cases or personas
8. Comparison to alternatives
9. Case study snippet
10. FAQ
11. Final CTA with guarantee

Section Types to Mix In

• How It Works — Numbered steps
• Comparison — vs. competitors or status quo
• Founder Story — Why you built this
• Testimonials — Multiple formats (cards, video, tweets)
• Case Studies — Problem → Solution → Results
• Use Cases — Different ways to use the product
• Personas — "Built for marketers", "Perfect for agencies"
• Stats — "10,000+ customers", "4.9/5 rating"
• Demo/Tour — Video, GIF, interactive
• FAQ — Address objections
• Integrations — What tools you connect with
• Guarantee — Money-back, free trial terms

Writing Style Rules

Core Principles

1. Simple over complex — "Use" not "utilize", "help" not "facilitate"
2. Specific over vague — Avoid "streamline", "optimize", "innovative"
3. Active over passive — "We generate reports" not "Reports are generated"
4. Confident over qualified — Remove "almost", "very", "really"
5. Show over tell — Describe outcomes instead of using adverbs

Best Practices

Be Direct:

❌ Slack lets you share files instantly, from documents to images
✅ Need to share a screenshot? Send as many files as your heart desires.

Use Rhetorical Questions:

• "Hate returning stuff to Amazon?"
• "Tired of chasing approvals?"

Use Analogies:

• "Imagine Slack's file-sharing as a digital whiteboard"

Page-Specific Guidance

Homepage Copy

• Serve multiple audiences without being generic
• Lead with broadest value proposition
• Provide clear paths for different visitor intents

Landing Page Copy

• Single message, single CTA
• Match headline to ad/traffic source
• Complete argument on one page
• Remove distractions (often no nav)

Pricing Page Copy

• Help visitors choose the right plan
• Clarify what's included at each level
• Address "which is right for me?" anxiety
• Make recommended plan obvious

Feature Page Copy

• Connect feature to benefit to outcome
• Show use cases and examples
• Differentiate from competitors
• Clear path to try or buy

About Page Copy

• Tell the story of why you exist
• Connect company mission to customer benefit
• Build trust through transparency
• Still include a CTA

Output Format

Page Copy

Organized by section with clear labels:

• Headline
• Subheadline
• CTA
• Section headers
• Body copy
• Secondary CTAs

Annotations

For key elements, explain:

• Why you made this choice
• What principle it applies
• Alternatives considered

Alternatives

For headlines and CTAs, provide 2-3 options:

• Option A: [copy] — [rationale]
• Option B: [copy] — [rationale]
• Option C: [copy] — [rationale]