Imported from okou-ai/vm0-skills (
copywriting/SKILL.md). Install upstream withnpx skills add okou-ai/vm0-skills --skill copywriting. Copyright stays with the author.
Channel Formats and Anatomy
Blog Articles
A well-structured article follows this progression:
- Title: lead with the core benefit or topic; keep under 60 characters for search engine display; weave in the target keyword naturally
- Opening paragraph (100-150 words): immediately establish relevance through a provocative question, a data point, a counterintuitive claim, or a vivid scenario; declare what the reader will gain; place the primary keyword early
- Sections (3-5 with H2 headings; use H3 for nested topics): each section delivers one distinct idea backed by evidence, examples, or data
- Wrap-up (75-100 words): distill the main insights, reinforce the central argument, and direct the reader toward a next step
- Meta description: stay under 160 characters; incorporate the primary keyword; make it compelling enough to earn the click from search results
Social Media Posts
- Opener: arrest attention in the first line with a question, a number, or a bold assertion
- Middle: deliver 2-4 tight points or a brief narrative arc
- Action prompt: tell the reader exactly what to do next (reply, click, share, save)
- Tags: include 3-5 contextual hashtags, adapting to platform norms
Email Campaigns
- Subject line: cap at 50 characters; lean on curiosity, urgency, or obvious value
- Preheader text: extend the subject line's promise without repeating it
- Visual anchor: a hero image or banner paired with a single benefit statement
- Body blocks: 2-3 scannable sections, each introduced by a bolded lead sentence
- Single CTA: one unmistakable action per message
- Footer: unsubscribe option, company details, social profile links
Conversion Pages (Landing Pages)
- Primary headline: communicate the chief benefit in fewer than 10 words
- Supporting line: add nuance or specificity beneath the headline
- Hero area: combine headline, subline, main CTA button, and a visual or demo
- Benefit blocks: 3-4 sections organized around outcomes, using icons or imagery
- Proof elements: customer quotes, partner logos, performance statistics, mini case studies
- Objection resolution: FAQs or trust indicators addressing common hesitations
- Closing CTA: restate the primary action at the bottom of the page
Press Announcements
- Headline: factual and newsworthy, under 80 characters
- Supplementary line (optional): provides additional context
- Dateline: city, state/country, and date
- Lead (2-3 sentences): cover who, what, when, where, and why
- Supporting paragraphs: expand with detail, quotations, and background
- Company boilerplate: standardized organizational description
- Press contact: name, email address, phone number
Customer Success Stories
- Title pattern: "[Client name] achieves [measurable outcome] with [your product]"
- Overview box: client name, sector, company size, product used, headline metric
- Problem: describe the business challenge the client was facing
- Approach: explain what was deployed and the implementation method
- Outcomes: present quantified results with precise figures
- Client quote: a direct testimonial from the customer
- Next step: prompt the reader to explore a demo, contact sales, or browse more stories
Channel-Specific Writing Principles
Blog Articles
- Target an 8th-grade reading level for general audiences; raise complexity for specialized readers
- Keep paragraphs to 2-4 sentences
- Insert subheadings every 200-300 words for scannability
- Alternate between prose, bullet lists, and numbered steps to vary rhythm
- Back every section with at least one proof point — a statistic, an example, or a quote
- Favor active constructions and front-load each section's key takeaway
Social Platforms
- LinkedIn: maintain a professional yet personable register; use line breaks generously; personal anecdotes and professional reflections perform well; the "see more" fold appears around 1,300 characters
- Twitter/X: be sharp and direct; lead with the strongest words; use threads to develop longer arguments; engage in replies
- Instagram: write visually-oriented captions; open with storytelling hooks; use line breaks for readability; place hashtags at the end or in the first comment
- Facebook: adopt a conversational register; questions boost comment engagement; posts under 80 characters tend to outperform for link shares
- Subject lines should provoke curiosity, signal urgency, or promise tangible value
- Personalize where data allows — name, company, past behavior
- A single, visually prominent CTA per message drives higher conversion
- Optimize for scanning: bold key phrases, short paragraphs, bulleted lists
- Treat mobile as the primary viewing context
- Continuously test subject lines, send timing, button copy, and layout
Web Pages (Landing and Product Pages)
- Prioritize outcomes over feature lists
- Address the reader directly with "you" and "your"
- Avoid jargon unless the target audience expects it
- Every section should answer the implicit reader question: "Why does this matter to me?"
- Minimize conversion friction: fewer form fields, explicit next steps, trust badges adjacent to CTAs
Search Optimization for Writers
Keyword Approach
- Assign one primary keyword and 2-3 related terms to each piece of content
- Place the primary keyword in: the title, the first paragraph, at least one subheading, the meta description, and the URL slug
- Distribute secondary terms through body copy and subheadings organically
- Never sacrifice readability for keyword density — always write for the human reader first
On-Page SEO Checklist
- Title tag: under 60 characters, contains the primary keyword
- Meta description: under 160 characters, includes the primary keyword, written to earn the click
- URL slug: concise, readable, keyword-inclusive
- H1: exactly one per page, closely aligned with the title tag
- H2/H3 tags: descriptive, incorporating secondary keywords where it feels natural
- Image alt attributes: describe the image accurately, include a keyword when genuinely relevant
- Internal links: 2-3 links pointing to related pages on your own site
- External links: 1-2 references to credible third-party sources
Making Content Search-Friendly
- Cover topics thoroughly — search engines reward comprehensive, in-depth treatment
- Address adjacent questions readers are likely asking (mine "People Also Ask" for inspiration)
- Regularly refresh and update your top-performing content
- Format for featured snippet eligibility: definition-style paragraphs, step-by-step numbered lists, comparison tables
Headline and Opening Techniques
Headline Patterns
- How to [get result] [without common pain] — "How to Double Your Open Rates Without Increasing Send Volume"
- [Number] [descriptor] methods for [outcome] — "7 Tested Methods for Reducing Customer Churn"
- Why [popular assumption] is wrong (and the better path) — "Why Publishing More Content Misses the Point (And What Actually Works)"
- The [modifier] guide to [subject] — "The Definitive Guide to B2B Content Marketing"
- [Do X], not [Y] — "Build a Community, Not Just a Following"
- What [notable result] revealed about [topic] — "What 10,000 Split Tests Revealed About Email Subject Lines"
- [Subject]: what [audience] should know in [year] — "SEO: What Marketing Teams Should Know in 2025"
Opening Line Formulas
- Unexpected data point: "73% of marketing leaders say their top obstacle is not budget — it is prioritization."
- Against-the-grain assertion: "The most effective marketing campaigns begin by eliminating most channels."
- Direct question: "When did a promotional email last genuinely influence your buying decision?"
- Hypothetical scenario: "Picture launching a campaign already knowing which messages will resonate."
- Provocative claim: "Most landing pages hemorrhage half their visitors within three seconds."
- Narrative lead: "Last quarter our team burned 20 hours a week on reporting. Here is what we changed."
Calls to Action
Guiding Principles
- Open with an action verb: "Get", "Start", "Download", "Join", "Try", "Explore"
- Specify the outcome: "Start your free trial" outperforms vague labels like "Submit"
- Inject authentic urgency: "Join the 500 teams already onboard" or "Spots are limited"
- Lower perceived risk: "No credit card needed", "Cancel anytime", "Free for 14 days"
- Limit each page or email to one primary CTA — multiple competing options suppress conversion
CTA Phrasing by Context
- Blog articles: "Explore our full guide to [topic]" / "Get weekly insights in your inbox"
- Conversion pages: "Start free trial" / "Request a demo" / "View pricing"
- Email: "Read the full breakdown" / "Reserve your seat" / "Hit reply and tell us"
- Social posts: "Share your take in the comments" / "Bookmark this for later" / "Link in bio"
- Case studies: "See what [product] can do for your team" / "Connect with our team"
Where to Position CTAs
- Above the fold on landing pages so visitors can act without scrolling
- After you have delivered value in emails — not in the opening line
- At the conclusion of blog articles once you have earned reader trust
- Inline within content when a related resource is contextually appropriate
- Repeated at the bottom of long-form pages for readers who scroll to the end