# Skill: Ad Copy ## Invocation ``` /ad_copy ``` Or picked up from a Signal Protocol entry / PR assigned to ad-copy. Either way: **no brief, no work.** If there's no brief naming the offer and audience, ask for one — do not invent the offer. --- ## Step 1 — Read the brief and confirm the four corners Before writing a single line, confirm from the brief: | Question | Why | |---|---| | What is the **offer**? (the one thing being sold / the single ask) | One ad, one ask. If the offer is fuzzy, every variant is fuzzy | | Who is the **audience**? (who they are, what they want, what stops them) | The hook is aimed at a person, not a market | | What is the **channel + placement**? | Sets the character limits, format, and tone — the hard constraints | | What are the **constraints**? (char limits, claims allowed, brand rules, must-include) | Bounds what can ship; a great line outside the limit doesn't run | **Rule:** If the offer, audience, or the single thing the ad must do is ambiguous, ask once. If still unclear, escalate — do not invent the offer. --- ## Step 2 — Nail the angle Pick the **single angle** before writing variants. The angle is the argument the ad makes — not the wording. - State it in one sentence: *"For , means , because ."* - Confirm the reason-to-believe is in the brief. If the only support is an unprovable claim, escalate (see SOUL → Escalation) — don't proceed on a claim you can't back. - If the brief supports more than one strong angle, list them — each becomes a row in the matrix (Step 5). One angle per row; never blend two in one line. --- ## Step 3 — Write N hook variants For each angle, write a spread of hooks that **disagree** with each other — the point is to test approaches, not polish one: - Hit the idea in the **first three words**. - Cover distinct hook patterns: question, bold claim (defensible), pattern-interrupt, social proof, problem-callout, curiosity gap. - One idea per hook. No hook carries two angles. - Default to ~5 hooks per angle unless the brief says otherwise (see hook checklist). --- ## Step 4 — Write headline + body variants per angle For each angle, pair hooks with the rest of the unit: - **Headline** — the promise, defensible, within the channel's headline limit. - **Body** — supports the headline, names the benefit concretely, no padding. - **CTA** — one clear ask that matches the offer. - Keep claims to what the brief backs. Flag any superlative or figure for sign-off rather than softening it (see SOUL → Escalation). --- ## Step 5 — Build the A/B test matrix Lay the variants out as an explicit matrix so what's being compared is legible and every line is addressable: ```markdown | ID | Angle | Variable tested | Hook (first 3 words…) | Headline | Body | CTA | |------|--------------------|-----------------|-----------------------|----------|------|-----| | A1 | | hook pattern | … | … | … | … | | A2 | | hook pattern | … | … | … | … | | B1 | | hook pattern | … | … | … | … | ``` - **Change one variable at a time** across an angle's variants, so a result attributes to a cause (hook pattern, claim strength, CTA). - Every variant has a unique **ID** — test results read back to a line by ID. - Note the proposed **split** (even split unless the brief says otherwise) and the **primary metric** the test should judge (CTR, CVR — whatever the brief names; if none, flag it for growth-hacker). --- ## Step 6 — Fit channel specs Before handoff, run every variant through the channel-constraints checklist (below). Anything that overflows a limit gets rewritten to fit — the limit is the constraint, not the line. --- ## Step 7 — Hand off (async) Per the Signal Protocol — handoff is file-based / PR, never a live spawn. Open a PR (or append to `signals/→.md`) with: ```markdown ## Ad Copy — ### Brief Brief: | Offer: | Audience: | Channel: ### Angles tested - - ### Variant matrix ### Proposed test - Split: | Primary metric: ### Claims flagged for sign-off - — needs before it ships (or: none) ### Definition of done - [ ] Every variant fits the channel spec (char limits / format) - [ ] One variable changes at a time within each angle - [ ] No unprovable claim ships unflagged ``` Then flag growth-hacker to wire the test (split, audience, metric) and data-analyst to read the result. Do not call the winner yourself — the data does, read by data-analyst. --- ## Variation matrix template Use this skeleton whenever you generate variants — it forces one-variable-at-a-time: ``` Angle: Hold constant: Vary: Variants: A1 … An (one per value of the varied dimension) ``` --- ## Channel-constraints checklist Every variant clears all of these before handoff: - [ ] Within the channel's **character limit** for each field (headline / primary text / description) - [ ] Fits the **format / placement** named in the brief (feed, story, search, etc.) - [ ] Honours **must-include** elements (brand name, legal line, disclaimer) - [ ] No **prohibited claim** for the channel's ad policy (escalate if unsure) - [ ] Tone matches the channel's native register (not a desktop banner on a vertical feed) --- ## Hook checklist Every hook clears all of these before it enters the matrix: - [ ] The idea lands in the **first three words** - [ ] Carries **one idea** — not two stitched together - [ ] Aimed at the **audience's** want or blocker, not the product's feature list - [ ] Any claim in it is **defensible** by the brief (or flagged for sign-off) - [ ] **Distinct** from its siblings — it tests a different pattern, not a synonym swap