pixelastic/slack-writer

Slack Message Writer

Overview

Interactive skill for writing concise, authentic Slack announcement messages with the right tone and clear call-to-action. Core principle: Conversational dump → targeted questions → single draft → iterative feedback.

When to Use

Use this skill when user:

• Wants to share personal projects ("I did this" channels)
• Announce events/meetups on internal Slack
• Share blog posts or articles
• Struggles with tone (too modest vs too salesy)
• Can't write concise messages (writes walls of text)
• Doesn't know how to write effective CTAs

Do NOT use for:

• Regular conversational Slack messages
• Direct messages to individuals
• Questions or status updates (different structure)

Workflow

MANDATORY: Follow this exact workflow. Do NOT skip steps even under time pressure.

Step 1: Gather Context (Free Dump)

Ask user to explain in their own words:

Tell me about what you want to share - just brain dump everything:
- What is it?
- Why did you make it?
- Who might be interested?
- What's the link (if any)?

Do NOT write message yet. Even if urgent. Even if they say "NOW".

Step 2: Ask Targeted Questions

CRITICAL: You MUST ask at least ONE question before generating. Even if you think you have all info.

Based on their dump, ask 1-4 clarifying questions:

• What's the project/announcement?
• Why did you create it / why does it matter?
• Who's the audience?
• What's the URL?
• Any specific deadline or timing?
• What are you most proud of about this?

Red Flag: If you're tempted to skip questions because "user emphasized urgency" - STOP. Questions take 30 seconds. Writing wrong message wastes 10 minutes.

You cannot skip to Step 3 without asking questions first. This is non-negotiable.

Step 3: Generate Single Message

Write ONE message following this EXACT structure with blank lines:

[One-line hook describing what it is]

[1-2 sentences context: why you made it/why it matters]

[CTA with link]

REQUIRED blank lines between sections. Not one long paragraph.

Message Requirements:

• Length: 3-4 separate lines (not one long line wrapping)
• Structure: Hook, blank line, context, blank line, CTA
• Tone: Authentic, conversational, casual
• No marketing speak: Avoid "excited to announce", "game-changer", "revolutionary"
• No false modesty: Don't undersell with "just a small thing"
• Economy of words: Every word must earn its place
• Clear CTA: Make it obvious what action to take

Writing Style

Conversational Flow (CRITICAL):

• ❌ Short, punchy sentences that sound written ("Migrated it to Hugo. New design. All updated.")
• ✅ Longer, flowing sentences that sound like spoken English transcribed
• ❌ Phrases that feel like marketing copy or formal writing
• ✅ Phrases that sound like someone naturally talking and you wrote it down

Punctuation for Natural Flow:

• ❌ Space-dash-space separators (e.g., "been doing it as a hobby - it's fun")
• ✅ Commas, semicolons, or parentheses for natural, conversational flow
• ✅ Integrate clauses smoothly like in speech

Emoji Usage:

• ❌ Emoji isolated on its own line or at the very start (feels too formal/staged)
• ✅ Either skip the emoji entirely, or integrate it naturally if it fits
• Default: Skip emoji unless it feels genuinely natural to the content

Context Recognition:

• ✅ When appropriate, acknowledge shared context with "As some of you may know..." or similar
• This works well when the topic is a known hobby or interest

Information Grouping:

• ❌ Mention same info twice (hook mentions "3 years backlog", then details re-mention backlog)
• ✅ Group related information together in one place
• ✅ This is a Slack message, not a blog post with intro/body structure

Tone Principle:

• Think: "If I was speaking this out loud and someone transcribed it, would it sound like this?"
• If no → rewrite to sound more natural and conversational

Link Formatting Logic:

IF URL is clean (< 60 chars, no ? parameters, no hash):

Check it out: https://painting.pixelastic.com

IF URL is ugly (> 60 chars, has ?utm_source=, has hash/UUID):

<https://medium.com/ugly-url-here|Read the article>

Step 4: Iterative Feedback (MANDATORY)

You MUST ask for feedback after generating the message. Do NOT skip this step.

After showing message, ALWAYS ask:

How does this feel? Any adjustments?

Common feedback:

• "Too long" → Cut to 3 lines, remove adjectives
• "Too casual/formal" → Adjust tone
• "CTA unclear" → Make action more explicit
• "Change this part" → Edit specific section

Iterate until user is satisfied. Then STOP. Don't ask "did you post it?"

Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix | |---------|-----| | Skip questions due to "urgency" | Questions take 30s. Wrong message wastes 10min. | | Claim to ask questions but don't | Actually type out the questions. Don't lie. | | Generate 2-3 versions | ONE version. Iterate based on feedback. | | Write message > 5 lines | Cut ruthlessly. 3-4 lines is the target. | | Compress into one long line | Use blank lines between hook/context/CTA. | | Use bullet points | Slack announcements use short sentences, not bullets. | | Skip emoji | Always suggest emoji. User can remove if they want. | | Skip feedback question | Always ask "How does this feel?" | | Ask "want me to send it?" | Just display. User will copy/paste themselves. | | Marketing language | "Excited to announce" → "I made X" | | Show ugly URL | Use <URL\|text> format for links with parameters |

Rationalization Red Flags

If you find yourself thinking:

• "User emphasized NOW - I'll skip questions" → STOP. Follow workflow.
• "Asking questions would delay them" → 30 seconds vs 10 minutes. Ask.
• "I have enough context already" → You don't. Ask anyway.
• "It's easier to iterate on draft" → Iterating without context wastes time.
• "I'll provide multiple versions" → ONE version. User will give feedback.
• "I asked questions [but didn't actually ask them]" → That's lying. Actually ask.
• "I'll compress everything into one line to save space" → NO. Use blank lines for structure.
• "Emoji is optional, I'll skip it" → NO. Always suggest emoji.
• "User will ask if they want changes" → NO. You ask for feedback.

All of these mean: Follow the workflow. No shortcuts. No lying about what you did.

Example

User dump:

J'ai migré mon blog de peinture de figurines vers Hugo. Nouveau design, code refait, 2 ans de retard rattrapé. Je veux le partager sur "I did this" sans avoir l'air de me vanter. https://painting.pixelastic.com

You ask:

What specific aspect are you most proud of? The design, the migration itself, or catching up on documentation?

User: The fact that I finally documented 2 years of projects I'd been procrastinating on.

You generate:

🎨 Finally migrated my miniature painting blog to Hugo

New design, complete rewrite, and I caught up on 2 years of project documentation I'd been putting off.

Check it out: https://painting.pixelastic.com

User: "Feels a bit long"

You adjust:

🎨 Migrated my miniature painting blog to Hugo - new design and 2 years of docs finally written

https://painting.pixelastic.com

User: "Perfect!"

---

Based on research from:

• How to Write Effective Slack Announcements
• Designing and formatting messages in Slack
• Call-to-Action Best Practices