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252 changes: 252 additions & 0 deletions .agents/skills/copywriting/SKILL.md
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---
name: copywriting
description: When the user wants to write, rewrite, or improve marketing copy for any page — including homepage, landing pages, pricing pages, feature pages, about pages, or product pages. Also use when the user says "write copy for," "improve this copy," "rewrite this page," "marketing copy," "headline help," "CTA copy," "value proposition," "tagline," "subheadline," "hero section copy," "above the fold," "this copy is weak," "make this more compelling," or "help me describe my product." Use this whenever someone is working on website text that needs to persuade or convert. For email copy, see email-sequence. For popup copy, see popup-cro. For editing existing copy, see copy-editing.
metadata:
version: 1.1.0
---

# Copywriting

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

## Before Writing

**Check for product marketing context first:**
If `.agents/product-marketing-context.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

### 1. Page Purpose
- What type of page? (homepage, landing page, pricing, feature, about)
- What is the ONE primary action you want visitors to take?

### 2. Audience
- Who is the ideal customer?
- What problem are they trying to solve?
- 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? (ads, organic, email)
- What do visitors already know before arriving?

---

## Copywriting Principles

### Clarity Over Cleverness
If you have to choose between clear and creative, choose clear.

### Benefits Over Features
Features: What it does. Benefits: What that means for the customer.

### 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. Mirror voice-of-customer from reviews, interviews, support tickets.

### One Idea Per Section
Each section should advance one argument. Build a logical flow down the page.

---

## 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 the outcome instead of using adverbs
6. **Honest over sensational** — Fabricated statistics or testimonials erode trust and create legal liability

### Quick Quality Check

- Jargon that could confuse outsiders?
- Sentences trying to do too much?
- Passive voice constructions?
- Exclamation points? (remove them)
- Marketing buzzwords without substance?

For thorough line-by-line review, use the **copy-editing** skill after your draft.

---

## Best Practices

### Be Direct
Get to the point. Don't bury the value in qualifications.

❌ Slack lets you share files instantly, from documents to images, directly in your conversations

✅ Need to share a screenshot? Send as many documents, images, and audio files as your heart desires.

### Use Rhetorical Questions
Questions engage readers and make them think about their own situation.
- "Hate returning stuff to Amazon?"
- "Tired of chasing approvals?"

### Use Analogies When Helpful
Analogies make abstract concepts concrete and memorable.

### Pepper in Humor (When Appropriate)
Puns and wit make copy memorable—but only if it fits the brand and doesn't undermine clarity.

---

## Page Structure Framework

### Above the Fold

**Headline**
- Your single most important message
- Communicate core value proposition
- Specific > generic

**Example formulas:**
- "{Achieve outcome} without {pain point}"
- "The {category} for {audience}"
- "Never {unpleasant event} again"
- "{Question highlighting main pain point}"

**For comprehensive headline formulas**: See [references/copy-frameworks.md](references/copy-frameworks.md)

**For natural transition phrases**: See [references/natural-transitions.md](references/natural-transitions.md)

**Subheadline**
- Expands on headline
- Adds specificity
- 1-2 sentences max

**Primary CTA**
- Action-oriented button text
- Communicate what they get: "Start Free Trial" > "Sign Up"

### Core Sections

| Section | Purpose |
|---------|---------|
| Social Proof | Build credibility (logos, stats, testimonials) |
| Problem/Pain | Show you understand their situation |
| Solution/Benefits | Connect to outcomes (3-5 key benefits) |
| How It Works | Reduce perceived complexity (3-4 steps) |
| Objection Handling | FAQ, comparisons, guarantees |
| Final CTA | Recap value, repeat CTA, risk reversal |

**For detailed section types and page templates**: See [references/copy-frameworks.md](references/copy-frameworks.md)

---

## 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]
- Download the Guide

**Formula:** [Action Verb] + [What They Get] + [Qualifier if needed]

Examples:
- "Start My Free Trial"
- "Get the Complete Checklist"
- "See Pricing for My Team"

---

## Page-Specific Guidance

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

### Landing Page
- Single message, single CTA
- Match headline to ad/traffic source
- Complete argument on one page

### Pricing Page
- Help visitors choose the right plan
- Address "which is right for me?" anxiety
- Make recommended plan obvious

### Feature Page
- Connect feature → benefit → outcome
- Show use cases and examples
- Clear path to try or buy

### About Page
- Tell the story of why you exist
- Connect mission to customer benefit
- Still include a CTA

---

## Voice and Tone

Before writing, establish:

**Formality level:**
- Casual/conversational
- Professional but friendly
- Formal/enterprise

**Brand personality:**
- Playful or serious?
- Bold or understated?
- Technical or accessible?

Maintain consistency, but adjust intensity:
- Headlines can be bolder
- Body copy should be clearer
- CTAs should be action-oriented

---

## Output Format

When writing copy, provide:

### Page Copy
Organized by section:
- Headline, Subheadline, CTA
- Section headers and body copy
- Secondary CTAs

### Annotations
For key elements, explain:
- Why you made this choice
- What principle it applies

### Alternatives
For headlines and CTAs, provide 2-3 options:
- Option A: [copy] — [rationale]
- Option B: [copy] — [rationale]

### Meta Content (if relevant)
- Page title (for SEO)
- Meta description

---

## Related Skills

- **copy-editing**: For polishing existing copy (use after your draft)
- **page-cro**: If page structure/strategy needs work, not just copy
- **email-sequence**: For email copywriting
- **popup-cro**: For popup and modal copy
- **ab-test-setup**: To test copy variations
111 changes: 111 additions & 0 deletions .agents/skills/copywriting/evals/evals.json
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{
"skill_name": "copywriting",
"evals": [
{
"id": 1,
"prompt": "Write homepage copy for a SaaS tool that automates employee onboarding. Target audience is HR directors at mid-size companies (200-2000 employees). Main differentiator is that it integrates with all major HRIS systems and cuts onboarding time from 2 weeks to 2 days.",
"expected_output": "Should check for product-marketing-context.md first. Should write full page copy organized by section: Headline, Subheadline, CTA (above the fold), then Social Proof, Problem/Pain, Solution/Benefits, How It Works, Objection Handling, and Final CTA. Should follow copywriting principles: clarity over cleverness, benefits over features, specificity (use the '2 weeks to 2 days' stat), customer language. Headline should communicate core value proposition. CTAs should be action-oriented ('Start Free Trial' not 'Submit'). Should provide 2-3 headline alternatives with rationale. Should include annotations explaining key copy choices. Should include meta content (SEO page title and meta description).",
"assertions": [
"Checks for product-marketing-context.md",
"Writes full page copy organized by section",
"Includes Headline, Subheadline, and CTA above the fold",
"Includes Social Proof, Problem/Pain, Solution/Benefits, How It Works sections",
"Uses the '2 weeks to 2 days' specificity in copy",
"CTAs are action-oriented, not generic",
"Provides 2-3 headline alternatives with rationale",
"Includes annotations explaining copy choices",
"Includes meta content (SEO title and meta description)"
],
"files": []
},
{
"id": 2,
"prompt": "Rewrite this headline: 'An Innovative AI-Powered Platform for Streamlined Business Operations' — it's for a B2B SaaS tool that helps small businesses manage invoicing and payments.",
"expected_output": "Should identify problems: jargon ('innovative,' 'AI-powered,' 'streamlined,' 'business operations'), too vague, company language not customer language. Should apply copywriting principles — specificity over vagueness, benefits over features, customer language over company language. Should provide 2-3 alternative headlines using formulas like '{Achieve outcome} without {pain point}' or 'The {category} for {audience}'. Each alternative should include rationale. Should also suggest a subheadline that adds specificity.",
"assertions": [
"Identifies jargon in original headline",
"Identifies vagueness as a problem",
"Identifies company language vs customer language issue",
"Provides 2-3 alternative headlines",
"Alternatives use headline formulas from the skill",
"Each alternative includes rationale",
"Suggests a subheadline"
],
"files": []
},
{
"id": 3,
"prompt": "i need copy for my pricing page. we have three plans: starter ($29/mo), pro ($79/mo), business ($199/mo). it's a social media scheduling tool for marketers",
"expected_output": "Should trigger on the casual phrasing. Should ask or infer audience context. Should apply Pricing Page guidance: help visitors choose the right plan, address 'which is right for me?' anxiety, make recommended plan obvious. Should write plan names, descriptions, feature lists with benefit-oriented copy (not just feature names). Should include a page headline that addresses the pricing decision. CTAs should be specific per plan. Should handle objection handling (FAQ copy). Should provide alternatives for key elements.",
"assertions": [
"Triggers on casual phrasing",
"Applies Pricing Page guidance",
"Addresses 'which plan is right for me' anxiety",
"Makes recommended plan obvious",
"Writes benefit-oriented feature copy, not just feature names",
"Includes page headline",
"CTAs are specific per plan",
"Includes FAQ or objection handling copy",
"Provides alternatives for key elements"
],
"files": []
},
{
"id": 4,
"prompt": "Write copy for our About page. We're a 3-person startup that built a developer tool for database migrations. Founded because we kept losing data during migrations at our last jobs. Tone should be professional but human.",
"expected_output": "Should apply About Page guidance: tell the story of why you exist, connect mission to customer benefit, still include a CTA. Should adapt voice and tone to 'professional but human' as specified. Should tell the founder origin story authentically. Should connect the personal pain to the customer's pain. Should include a CTA even on the About page. Copy should follow style rules: active voice, confident, specific. Should NOT be overly corporate or generic.",
"assertions": [
"Applies About Page guidance",
"Tells the story of why the company exists",
"Connects mission to customer benefit",
"Includes a CTA",
"Adapts tone to professional but human",
"Uses the founder origin story",
"Connects personal pain to customer pain",
"Uses active voice",
"Avoids corporate jargon"
],
"files": []
},
{
"id": 5,
"prompt": "Can you improve this CTA? We currently have 'Learn More' on our feature page for our analytics dashboard product.",
"expected_output": "Should immediately identify 'Learn More' as a weak CTA per the guidelines. Should apply the CTA formula: [Action Verb] + [What They Get] + [Qualifier]. Should provide 2-3 strong alternatives like 'See the Dashboard in Action,' 'Start Your Free Trial,' or 'Explore Analytics Features.' Each alternative should include rationale and context for when it works best. Should also consider CTA hierarchy — whether this is a primary or secondary CTA, and suggest complementary CTAs if relevant.",
"assertions": [
"Identifies 'Learn More' as a weak CTA",
"Applies the CTA formula from the skill",
"Provides 2-3 strong alternatives",
"Each alternative includes rationale",
"Considers CTA hierarchy (primary vs secondary)",
"Suggests complementary CTAs"
],
"files": []
},
{
"id": 6,
"prompt": "Write me a 5-email welcome sequence for new trial users of our project management tool.",
"expected_output": "Should recognize this is an email copywriting task, not page copywriting. Should defer to or cross-reference the email-sequence skill, which specifically handles email sequences, drip campaigns, and lifecycle emails. May provide brief general guidance but should make clear that email-sequence is the right skill for this task.",
"assertions": [
"Recognizes this as email sequence work",
"References or defers to email-sequence skill",
"Does not attempt to write a full email sequence using page copywriting patterns"
],
"files": []
},
{
"id": 7,
"prompt": "Review this copy and tell me what's wrong: 'We are extremely excited to announce our revolutionary, cutting-edge platform that will totally transform how businesses optimize their workflows! Sign up now!!'",
"expected_output": "Should apply the Quick Quality Check. Should identify: exclamation points (remove them), marketing buzzwords without substance ('revolutionary,' 'cutting-edge,' 'totally transform,' 'optimize'), passive/weak constructions ('we are excited to announce'), vague language ('workflows'). Should apply writing style rules: simple over complex, specific over vague, confident over qualified, show over tell. Should rewrite the copy following these principles. Should provide 2-3 alternatives.",
"assertions": [
"Identifies exclamation point overuse",
"Identifies marketing buzzwords without substance",
"Identifies vague language",
"Applies writing style rules",
"Rewrites the copy following principles",
"Provides alternatives",
"Result is specific, clear, and jargon-free"
],
"files": []
}
]
}
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