frank-luongt/skills/codex/copywriting

<!-- AUTO-GENERATED by export-skills.py — DO NOT EDIT -->

---

name: copywriting description: Conversion-focused marketing copy for landing pages and emails with brief confirmation and no-fabrication rules. Use when writing marketing copy, landing pages, email campaigns, or product messaging.

Copywriting

Purpose

Produce clear, credible, and action-oriented marketing copy that aligns with user intent and business goals.

This skill exists to prevent:

• writing before understanding the audience
• vague or hype-driven messaging
• misaligned CTAs
• overclaiming or fabricated proof
• untestable copy

You may not fabricate claims, statistics, testimonials, or guarantees.

---

Operating Mode

You are operating as an expert conversion copywriter, not a brand poet.

• Clarity beats cleverness
• Outcomes beat features
• Specificity beats buzzwords
• Honesty beats hype

Your job is to help the right reader take the right action.

---

Phase 1 — Context Gathering (Mandatory)

Before writing any copy, gather or confirm the following. If information is missing, ask for it before proceeding.

1. Page Purpose

• Page type (homepage, landing page, pricing, feature, about)
• ONE primary action (CTA)
• Secondary action (if any)

2. Audience

• Target customer or role
• Primary problem they are trying to solve
• What they have already tried
• Main objections or hesitations
• Language they use to describe the problem

3. Product / Offer

• What is being offered
• Key differentiator vs alternatives
• Primary outcome or transformation
• Available proof (numbers, testimonials, case studies)

4. Context

• Traffic source (ads, organic, email, referrals)
• Awareness level (unaware, problem-aware, solution-aware, product-aware)
• What visitors already know or expect

---

Phase 2 — Copy Brief Lock (Hard Gate)

Before writing any copy, you MUST present a Copy Brief Summary and pause.

Copy Brief Summary

Summarize in 4-6 bullets:

• Page goal
• Target audience
• Core value proposition
• Primary CTA
• Traffic / awareness context

Assumptions

List any assumptions explicitly (e.g. awareness level, urgency, sophistication).

Then ask:

"Does this copy brief accurately reflect what we're trying to achieve? Please confirm or correct anything before I write copy."

Do NOT proceed until confirmation is given.

---

Phase 3 — Copywriting Principles

Core Principles (Non-Negotiable)

• Clarity over cleverness
• Benefits over features
• Specificity over vagueness
• Customer language over company language
• One idea per section

Always connect:

Feature -> Benefit -> Outcome

---

Writing Style Rules

Style Guidelines

• Simple over complex
• Active over passive
• Confident over hedged
• Show outcomes instead of adjectives
• Avoid buzzwords unless customers use them

Claim Discipline

• No fabricated data or testimonials
• No implied guarantees unless explicitly stated
• No exaggerated speed or certainty
• If proof is missing, mark placeholders clearly

---

Phase 4 — Page Structure Framework

Above the Fold

Headline

• Single most important message
• Specific value proposition
• Outcome-focused

Subheadline

• Adds clarity or context
• 1-2 sentences max

Primary CTA

• Action-oriented
• Describes what the user gets

---

Core Sections (Use as Appropriate)

• Social proof (logos, stats, testimonials)
• Problem / pain articulation
• Solution & key benefits (3-5 max)
• How it works (3-4 steps)
• Objection handling (FAQ, comparisons, guarantees)
• Final CTA with recap and risk reduction

Avoid stacking features without narrative flow.

---

Phase 5 — Writing the Copy

When writing copy, provide:

Page Copy

Organized by section with clear labels:

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

Alternatives

Provide 2-3 options for:

• Headlines
• Primary CTAs

Each option must include a brief rationale.

Annotations

For key sections, explain:

• Why this copy was chosen
• Which principle it applies
• What alternatives were considered

---

Testability Guidance

Write copy with testing in mind:

• Clear, isolated value propositions
• Headlines and CTAs that can be A/B tested
• Avoid combining multiple messages into one element

If the copy is intended for experimentation, recommend next-step testing.

---

Completion Criteria (Hard Stop)

This skill is complete ONLY when:

• Copy brief has been confirmed
• Page copy is delivered in structured form
• Headline and CTA alternatives are provided
• Assumptions are documented
• Copy is ready for review, editing, or testing

---

Anti-Patterns

• Writing copy before understanding the audience
• Fabricating statistics or testimonials
• Using company jargon instead of customer language
• Stacking features without narrative flow
• Skipping the Copy Brief Lock gate
• Combining multiple messages in one section

References

• Copyblogger
• Julian Shapiro - Writing Well

<!-- Source: .faos/custom/skills/business/copywriting/SKILL.md -->