marketing-copywriting v1.1.0A

Immutable. This exact content never changes and is served at /api/v1/blob/0390f1a4832c292f.

---
name: marketing-copywriting
description: >-
  Marketing copywriting: write, rewrite, or improve marketing copy for any page —
  homepage, landing, pricing, feature, about, 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 whenever website text must persuade or convert. NOT
  for: email copy, popup copy, or offer framing (bonuses/guarantees) — those belong to
  dedicated email/popup/offers skills when available.
slug: marketing-copywriting
version: 1.1.0
displayName: marketing-copywriting
---

# Marketing 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.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, 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)
- **cro**: If page structure/strategy needs work, not just copy
- **emails**: For email copywriting
- **popups**: For popup and modal copy
- **ab-testing**: To test copy variations

---

## How to Invoke (explicit)

There are no flags or arguments — this skill is invoked conversationally. Any of these utterances trigger it, and the most reliable forms name the page or the task:

- "Write copy for my [pricing page / homepage / landing page]"
- "Improve this copy: <paste the copy>" or "Rewrite my hero section"
- "Give me 3 headline options for <page>"
- "Help me describe my product on the feature page"

Vague phrasing like "this copy is weak" also triggers it — the skill will first ask which page and what the primary action is (see Before Writing, #1) before touching a word.

## Worked Example (shortest path)

**Precondition:** none strictly required; if `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists it is read first and unanswered questions are skipped.

**User says:** "Write copy for my pricing page — we're a scheduling SaaS for clinics."

**What happens:** asks the one missing must-know (primary action: "start a trial") → drafts per the Page Structure Framework → returns section-by-section copy with annotations and headline/CTA alternatives.

**Output excerpt (what you get back):**

> **Headline:** Simple per-clinic pricing that scales with your schedule
> **Subheadline:** Every plan includes unlimited appointments and calendar sync. Upgrade when your team grows — not before.
> **Primary CTA:** Start My Free Trial
>
> *Annotation: headline leads with the buyer's unit ("per-clinic") to defuse seat-count anxiety; CTA names what they get (a trial), not the action ("Sign Up").*

## Out-of-Scope Requests: helpful exits (not dead ends)

When the request lands in the NOT-for zone, do this — each exit is observable:

| Request is actually… | Do this |
|----------------------|---------|
| Email copy (sequences, newsletters) | Say "this is email copy — out of my scope", point to the `emails` skill if available, **and** still hand over what transfers: audience framing, benefit lines, and tone pulled from the context doc. |
| Popup / modal copy | Same pattern: name `popups` as the owner, provide the headline + CTA candidates that would live inside the popup. |
| Offer framing (bonuses, guarantees, discounts) | Decline the framing itself, but deliver the benefit statements the offer will attach to. |
| Page strategy/structure is the real problem (copy can't fix it) | Say so explicitly ("the issue is page structure, not wording") and route to `cro` if available, or propose the section restructure before writing copy. |
| Polishing existing copy only | Route to `copy-editing` if available; otherwise run the Quick Quality Check and mark it as an edit pass, not fresh copy. |

Never answer a out-of-scope request with only "use another skill" — the transferable pieces above are always provided.

## FAQ (wrong → fix)

| Wrong move | Fix |
|------------|-----|
| Writing copy before asking for the ONE primary action | Stop; ask Page Purpose #1 first. Copy without a target action can't be evaluated. |
| Ignoring `.agents/product-marketing.md` when it exists | Read it first; re-asking questions it answers is a defect. Only ask what's missing or task-specific. |
| Fabricating stats or testimonials to sound specific | Specific ≠ invented. Use the user's proof points; if none exist, write the claim without a number and flag "[add proof]". |
| Choosing clever over clear | Default to clarity (first principle). Offer the clever option only as an explicit Alternative with the tradeoff named. |
| Delivering one headline with no options | Always return 2-3 headline/CTA alternatives with rationale (Output Format). |
| Writing email/popup copy "just this once" | Use the out-of-scope exits above — scope discipline is what keeps the skill's quality bar. |

## NOT For (each observable)

- Email copy of any kind → output must instead contain the out-of-scope exit from the table above.
- Popup, modal, and offer framing (bonuses/guarantees) → same.
- SEO-only content (blog posts, articles) → this skill optimizes for conversion on product pages, not search content.
- Writing or modifying files: deliverables are returned as copy in the response, unless the user explicitly asks to write them into files.