copy-interview

Copy Interview

Extract authentic marketing copy through a structured buyer interview, then refine it using line-by-line analysis.

Arguments: $ARGUMENTS

Why This Exists

Your verbal pitch is always better than what you write from a blank page. This skill gets you talking naturally by simulating a real buyer conversation, then turns that raw material into polished copy.

Before Starting

Read the style guide at .claude/skills/voice-guide/style-guide.md -- this is the voice bible
Check for product marketing context at .claude/product-marketing-context.md if it exists
Read the existing page if rewriting (get the current copy so you know what to improve)

Phase 1: Setup

Ask the user (or infer from arguments):

What are we writing copy for? (page type: homepage, service page, landing page, email)
What's the offer? (product, service, price point)
Who's the buyer? (title, company size, what they're feeling when they land on this page)

If the user provides a page URL or file path, read it first.

Phase 2: The Buyer Interview

You are now a prospect. Not a copywriter, not a consultant -- a skeptical buyer who's interested but not sold. Your job is to push until the user gives you their most authentic, compelling language.

Ask one question at a time. Wait for the answer before asking the next.

The Interview Sequence

These are not a rigid script -- adapt to what the user says. But cover these angles:

Opening (get them talking naturally):

"Tell me why I should buy [the thing]. Like straight up, just to me. Don't sell it -- just tell me."

Price objection (forces value framing):

"That seems like a lot of money. What do you think?"

If they rationalize with hourly comparisons or competitor pricing, push back:

"I don't care what McKinsey charges. What's it worth to ME? What happens if I don't do this?"

Trust objection (extracts credentials):

"How can I be sure this will actually help me?" "Why else should someone trust you?"

Deliverable clarity (gets specific):

"What exactly will I get?" "And then what happens after that?"

Outcome vision (the aspirational close):

"If this goes really well, what's the best thing that can happen for me?"

Differentiation (separates from alternatives):

"How is this different from [obvious alternative]?"

The meta-question (if they're hedging):

"You sound like you're being careful not to oversell. But I need to feel confident enough to spend money. Can you tell me the version where you're proud of what this does?"

Interview Rules

When they say something authentic and compelling, flag it. Say: "That right there -- that's copy. I'm keeping that."
When they hedge or rationalize, push back. Don't accept "it depends" or "it's hard to say."
When they compare to hourly rates, redirect. Frame around outcomes and cost of getting it wrong.
When they downplay credentials, call it out. "You're underselling yourself. That credential matters to a buyer -- it's what makes them feel safe."
Stop after 6-10 questions or when you have enough raw material.

Phase 3: Draft Copy

Take the raw material from the interview and write the copy. Rules:

Use their actual words wherever possible. The verbal pitch is the copy -- just tightened.
Apply the style guide. Run every line through the banned words list and voice rules.
Apply direct response principles from ugly-ads and positioning-basics:
- Enter the existing mental conversation the prospect is having
- Lead with the emotional struggle, not the product description
- Credentials are safety, not bragging -- make them prominent
- Frame price around the cost of getting it wrong
- Don't call time-bound things by their time ("60-minute call") -- call them by their outcome ("strategy work")
Flag transcript-sourced language with [from interview] annotations
Structure by priority: Headline > Subheadline > Intro > Pricing/risk reversal

Phase 4: Line-by-Line Analysis (Jason Adams' Method)

After drafting -- or when reviewing existing copy -- run this analysis:

The Method

Read each line of the copy individually. After each line, answer two questions:

"What am I thinking or feeling as the reader right now?"
"Are those thoughts and feelings conducive to the goal of this page?"

Scoring

Reader reaction	Grade	Action
"Hell yeah, exactly"	Keep	This line is working
"Interesting, tell me more"	Keep	Momentum is good
"Is that true?" / "Do I believe that?"	Rewrite	Making them think, not feel
"So what?" / skimming	Rewrite	Not earning attention
"This feels like AI" / "This feels corporate"	Rewrite	Lost the authentic voice
"F*ck this guy" (if CEO sends to CTO)	Delete	Alienating the wrong people

Priority Order

Spend the most time on these, in this order:

Headline -- must clearly articulate value AND make them feel why it's beneficial. Ten seconds.
Subheadline -- expands on headline, adds specificity
Intro paragraph -- should trigger "hell yeah" not "is that true?"
Pricing and risk reversal -- frame around outcome value, never hourly comparisons

Specific Checks

Disqualifying statements: Only use them if the entire page reads "I'm in demand." Selling and qualifying at the same time is incongruent.
Credentials placement: Should be prominent and easy to find, not buried in small text.
Social proof: Should be a core feature, not an afterthought.
Price framing: "What happens if your team spends the next three months building the wrong thing?" not "Less than what McKinsey charges per hour."

Phase 5: Present and Iterate

Present the draft with:

The copy, organized by section
Line-by-line analysis results for the top 4-5 most important lines
Annotations showing which phrases came from the interview
2-3 alternative headlines

Ask: "Read through this. Flag anything that doesn't sound like you, anything that sounds like AI, or anything where you'd say it differently."

Related Skills

copywriting -- general copywriting principles and frameworks
ugly-ads -- direct response ad copy (shares the "enter their mental conversation" principle)
positioning-basics -- value proposition and differentiation
copy-editing -- for polishing after the draft
de-ai-ify -- for catching AI-tell patterns
interview-me -- similar Socratic method but for product/technical specs, not marketing copy