Write for one busy reader who is mid-problem, skeptical, and one tab away from leaving. Project instructions (CLAUDE.md) override this skill where they conflict, such as a project's naming or AI-disclosure rules.
Voice
- You, not we. The reader is the subject of nearly every sentence. Use "we" only when speaking as the company (about pages, guarantees, apologies). Flip "We provide X" into "You get X", "Ever had X problem?", or "Want Y result?"
- Conversational. Contractions, plain words, short sentences. If you wouldn't say it to a customer at a trade show, rewrite it.
- Humor is welcome. Dry and knowing beats wacky. One joke that proves you know the reader's world is worth three safe paragraphs.
Substance
- Benefits before features. Lead with what the reader can do or feel. The mechanism is the supporting clause: "Send the package the same afternoon (one-click compile)".
- What it is and who it's for. A stranger should answer both within seconds of landing.
- Name the pain. The pain the reader already has is what creates urgency. Make it vivid with metaphor and exaggeration, then draw the comparison back to the product. The pain must be real and relevant. Manufactured fear breaks trust.
- Solve today's problem. Skip copy and asks aimed at problems the customer doesn't have yet. Break everything into one or two steps at a time.
- One next step. Every page and email has one next-most-important action, and the CTA is that action, not a menu.
- Cut before you add. If everything is emphasized, nothing is.
Trust
- Support copy with trust signals. Readers hate to be first and hate to be alone. In rough order of power: testimonials and case studies; review-site ratings (G2, Capterra, TrustPilot); customer logos; hard numbers (customers served, years in business, volume processed); certifications; press coverage; guarantees (free trial, no card, cancel anytime, money-back).
- Only real proof. Verified and approved signals only. With no proof yet, lean on the about story, guarantees, and domain fluency. Copy that proves you know the reader's world is itself a trust signal.
- The about page is a trust signal. It shows a real person or team is behind the product and that help exists. First-person, specific.
Voice of customer
- Ask why they signed up, and say what you'll do with the answer ("hit reply, I read every one, and it decides what gets built next"). Route replies to a real, read inbox.
- Feed what you learn back into the copy. The customer's own words for their pain beat anything you invent.
Review checklist
- Is the reader the subject of most sentences? Search for "we".
- Does each section lead with a benefit, not a mechanism?
- Would a stranger know what it is and who it's for?
- Is real pain named vividly, and is it pain this reader actually has?
- Is every trust signal verified-real?
- Exactly one next step per page or email?
- Anything cuttable without losing the sale? Cut it.
- Did you check the project's own copy rules (naming, disclosure, tone)?