direct-response-copy

Note: Examples below use fictional brands (Acme, Lumi, Helm). Replace with your own brand context.

Direct Response Copy

Here's what separates copy that converts from copy that just exists: the good stuff sounds like a person talking to you. Not a marketing team. Not a guru. Not a robot. A person who figured something out and wants to share it.

That's what this skill does. It writes copy that feels natural while deploying the persuasion principles that actually work. The reader shouldn't notice the technique. They should just find themselves nodding along and clicking the button.

Modes

This skill operates in three modes. Select based on what the user needs:

On Activation

1. Read brand/voice-profile.md if it exists — match tone, vocabulary, rhythm
2. Read brand/positioning.md if it exists — use the chosen angle as the copy's foundation
3. Read brand/audience.md if it exists — match awareness level to headline approach
4. Read brand/creative-kit.md if it exists — visual consistency for landing pages
5. If brand/ does not exist, proceed without it. This skill works standalone.
6. Read brand/landscape.md if it exists — check the Claims Blacklist before making ecosystem or competitive claims. If stale (>14 days) or missing, warn that market claims may be outdated.
7. Check marketing/campaigns/ for existing copy — if found, ask: revise, add new, or start fresh?

The Core Principle

Write like you're explaining to a smart friend who's skeptical but curious. Back up every claim with specifics. Make the transformation viscerally clear.

Brand Integration

Brand files shape every piece of copy:

• voice-profile.md → Tone, vocabulary, rhythm. If voice is casual/founder-led, use contractions, fragments, first person. If professional/corporate, complete sentences, third person. Copy that doesn't match voice fails regardless of technique.
• positioning.md → The chosen angle becomes the copy's foundation. Every headline, every CTA, every proof point reinforces the positioning angle. Don't drift.
• audience.md → Awareness level determines headline approach (see Schwartz's 5 Levels in references). Pain points become the "agitate" section. Language from the persona goes directly into copy.
• creative-kit.md → Visual consistency for landing pages. Color palette, imagery style, layout preferences.

Mode: Generate (Default)

Execution Flow

Follow this sequence for every Generate task:

1. Establish format — What are we writing? (table below)
2. Identify awareness level — Match to Schwartz's 5 Levels (see references)
3. Generate 5-10 headline variants — Using different frameworks
4. Write opening lines — Match format and awareness level
5. Write body copy — Follow the full sequence for the format
6. Apply the So What? Chain — Feature → Functional → Financial → Emotional
7. Write CTAs — Benefit-oriented, friction reducers below
8. Score with rubric — Must hit 56+ to ship
9. Suggest A/B tests — 3-5 tests with priority
10. Output to files — With frontmatter

What Are We Writing?

Before diving into frameworks, establish the format:

Headlines

The headline does 80% of the work. One headline can outpull another by 19.5x.

The master formula: [Action verb] + [specific outcome] + [timeframe or contrast]

• "Ship your startup in days, not weeks"
• "Save 4 hours per person every single week"

Generate 5-10 variants using different frameworks:

1. Direct Benefit — master formula, maximum clarity
2. Curiosity Gap — opens a loop, implies hidden knowledge
3. Social Proof — leads with a number or result
4. Contrarian — challenges conventional wisdom
5. Story — setup, tension, resolution implied

Present with a QUICK PICK summary and mark recommended with a star.

Opening Lines

The first sentence has one job: get them to read the second sentence.

• Direct challenge: "You've been using Claude wrong."
• Story opening: "Last Tuesday, I opened my laptop and saw $47,329 in one day."
• Confession: "I'll be honest. I almost gave up three times."
• Specific result: "In 9 months, we did $400k+ using these exact methods."
• Short sentence (Sugarman): "It's simple." / "Here's the truth."

The Full Sequence (Landing Pages)

1. Hook — Outcome headline with specific number or timeframe
2. Problem — Quantify the pain (hours wasted, money lost)
3. Agitate — Scenario or story that makes the problem vivid
4. Credibility — Founder story, authority endorsements, proof numbers
5. Solution — What the product does, framed as transformation
6. Proof — Testimonials with specific outcomes
7. Objections — FAQ or "fit/not fit" section
8. Offer — Pricing with value justification
9. Urgency — Only if authentic
10. Final CTA — Benefit-oriented, friction reducers below

The So What? Chain

For every feature, ask "so what?" until you hit something emotional or financial:

Feature → Functional → Financial → Emotional

Write from the bottom of the chain. Not "saves 4 hours" but "close your laptop at 5pm instead of 9pm."

Pain Quantification

Don't just describe pain. Do the math:

"4 hrs setting up emails + 6 hrs designing a landing page + 4 hrs for Stripe webhooks = 22+ hours of headaches. There's an easier way."

Body Copy Variants

Generate at least 2 variants for landing/sales pages:

• Variant A (Control): Strongest primary angle, most proven framework
• Variant B (Contrarian): Counterintuitive take, pattern interrupt
• Variant C (Proof-Led): Opens with strongest evidence, no warmup

CTAs

Below the CTA: [Risk reversal] + [Social proof] + [Speed/ease]

Flow Techniques

• Bucket brigades: "Here's the thing:" / "Turns out" / "The result?"
• Vary paragraph length: Short. Then medium with more context. Then short again.
• Open loops: Tease without revealing, close within 1-3 paragraphs
• Short first sentences: "It's simple." Low friction to start.

Mode: Cold-Email

B2B cold outreach that sounds like it came from a sharp, thoughtful human, not a sales machine.

Before Writing

Understand the situation:

1. Who are you writing to? — Role, company, why them specifically
2. What do you want? — Meeting, reply, intro, demo
3. What's the value? — The specific problem you solve for people like them
4. What's your proof? — A result, case study, credibility signal
5. Research signals? — Funding, hiring, LinkedIn posts, company news, tech stack

Writing Principles

Write like a peer, not a vendor. Use contractions. Read it aloud. If it sounds like marketing copy, rewrite it.

Every sentence must earn its place. Cold email is ruthlessly short. Under 75 words = 83% more replies.

Personalization must connect to the problem. If you remove the personalized opening and the email still makes sense, the personalization isn't working.

Lead with their world, not yours. "You/your" dominates over "I/we."

One ask, low friction. Interest-based CTAs ("Worth exploring?") beat meeting requests.

Voice Calibration by Seniority

• C-suite: Ultra-brief, peer-level, understated. "Curious?" or "Worth 2 min?"
• Mid-level: More specific value, slightly more detail
• Technical: Precise, no fluff, respect their intelligence

Subject Lines

Short, boring, internal-looking. 2-4 words, lowercase, no punctuation tricks.

• Look like they came from a colleague: "reply rates" / "hiring ops" / "Q2 forecast"
• No product pitches, no urgency, no emojis, no prospect's first name

See references/subject-lines.md for full data.

Common Frameworks

• PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solution) — Default workhorse
• QVC (Question, Value, CTA) — Best for C-suite
• 3C's (Compliment, Case Study, CTA) — Agency/services
• Mouse Trap (Observation + binary question) — Maximum brevity

See references/frameworks.md for all frameworks with examples.

Follow-Up Sequences

3-5 total emails with increasing gaps (Day 0, 3, 7-8, 14, 21-28). Each must add new value, not just "checking in."

Angle rotation: core value → different benefit → social proof → industry insight → breakup email

Breakup email: Acknowledge silence, validate their lack of interest, leave door open. Honor it.

See references/follow-up-sequences.md for cadence and templates.

What to Avoid

• "I hope this email finds you well" / "My name is X and I work at Y"
• Jargon: "synergy," "leverage," "best-in-class," "leading provider"
• Feature dumps, HTML/images, fake "Re:" / "Fwd:" subjects
• Identical templates with only {{FirstName}} swapped
• Asking for 30-minute calls in first touch

Mode: Edit

Systematic improvement of existing copy through focused editing passes.

The Seven Sweeps Framework

Edit through seven sequential passes, each focused on one dimension:

After each sweep, loop back to check previous sweeps aren't compromised.

Quick-Pass Word Checks

Cut: very, really, extremely, just, actually, basically, in order to Replace: utilize→use, implement→set up, leverage→use, facilitate→help, robust→strong, seamless→smooth, cutting-edge→new

See references/plain-english-alternatives.md for the full list.

Copy Scoring Rubric

Rate on 7 dimensions (1-10 each):

Thresholds

AI Tells to Avoid

Words: delve, comprehensive, robust, cutting-edge, utilize, leverage, crucial, unlock, unleash, supercharge, game-changer, landscape, navigate, streamline

Phrases: "In today's fast-paced world..." / "It's important to note..." / "Whether you're a... or a..." / "Let's dive in"

Punctuation: Too many em-dashes (limit 1-2 per piece). Long sentences with 4+ commas. Every paragraph same length.

Voice: Passive throughout. No "I" or "you." Hedging: "some may find," "can potentially." No contractions.

Real humans use contractions, write fragments sometimes, have opinions without hedging, and make unexpected word choices.

Worked Example

Landing page hero — Generate mode

Before (generic): 'The best verified meal delivery platform' After (positioned):

Headline: Order verified-source food you actually trust. Subhead: Every restaurant on Acme is verified by certified source inspectors. Not algorithms. Not self-reported labels. Real people checking real kitchens. CTA: Find verified-source restaurants near me →

Scoring: Hook (9/10) — specific trust angle. Clarity (8/10) — one idea per line. CTA (9/10) — benefit-focused, not 'Sign Up'.

A/B Testing Suggestions

After generating copy, suggest 3-5 tests:

1. Headlines (HIGH) — Direct Benefit vs Story vs Curiosity Gap. +15-50% CTR difference.
2. Opening line (HIGH) — Story vs Direct challenge vs Specific result. +10-30% scroll depth.
3. CTA copy (MEDIUM) — Benefit-oriented vs command. +5-20% CTR.
4. Proof structure (MEDIUM) — Testimonial-first vs data-first. +5-15% conversion.
5. Length (LOW) — Short vs long, depends on awareness level. +5-25% conversion.

File Output

Write completed copy to marketing/campaigns/{campaign-name}/:

marketing/campaigns/{name}/
├── landing-page.md
├── emails/
│   └── {subject-slug}.md
├── ads/
│   └── {platform}-{variant}.md
└── social/
    └── {platform}-{description}.md

Every copy file includes this frontmatter:

---
type: landing-page | sales-page | email | ad | social-post
campaign: "{campaign-name}"
target_audience: "{segment}"
awareness_level: unaware | problem-aware | solution-aware | product-aware | most-aware
variant: a | b | c
platform: web | email | facebook | instagram | linkedin | twitter
word_count: 0
date: 2026-03-20
status: draft
score: 0
---

References

• COPYWRITING_PLAYBOOK.md: Deep-dive frameworks from Schwartz, Hopkins, Ogilvy, Halbert, Caples, Sugarman, Collier
• benchmarks.md: Cold email reply rates, conversion funnels, expert methods
• personalization.md: 4-level personalization system, research signals
• subject-lines.md: Subject line data and optimization
• follow-up-sequences.md: Cadence, angle rotation, breakup emails
• frameworks.md: All cold email copywriting frameworks with examples
• plain-english-alternatives.md: Replace complex words with plain alternatives

Related Skills

• email-sequences: For lifecycle/nurture email sequences (not cold outreach)
• content-atomizer: Break copy into social posts, email snippets, ad hooks
• lead-magnet: Create lead magnets for top of funnel
• creative: Build landing page visuals, ad creative
• marketing-psychology: Understanding why certain copy converts