Modern Copywriting Principles

Core Principles

1. Write like you talk

Read it out loud. If it sounds weird, rewrite it. Corporate speak fails this test instantly.

Corporate	Human
"Leverage our solution to optimize your workflow"	"Get more done"
"Pre-call intelligence platform"	"Meeting prep"
"Utilize the insights"	"Use what you learn"

2. Short > long

Short sentences. Short paragraphs. Short words. Respect attention.

Not: "Our platform provides you with comprehensive research capabilities that enable you to be fully prepared."

But: "We do the research. You show up ready."

3. Specific > vague

Vague feels like marketing. Specific feels like truth.

Vague	Specific
"Save time"	"5 minutes before your call"
"Better meetings"	"Know what to ask"
"AI-powered insights"	"Their last 3 LinkedIn posts"

4. You, not we

Make the reader the subject. They don't care about you.

"We built an AI that..." → "You get a brief that..."
"Our product does..." → "You'll know..."

5. Questions > statements

Questions pull people in. Statements push at them.

"The best meeting prep tool" → "What if you walked into every call prepared?"
"Never be underprepared again" → "Know that scramble before a call?"

Modern Sensibility

6. Lowercase, calm punctuation

All caps = yelling. Exclamation marks = trying too hard. Modern copy is calm, confident.

"SAVE TIME TODAY!" → "your prep, handled."
"Amazing AI!!!" → "it just works."

7. Fragments. Fine.

Grammar rules are for essays. Copy has rhythm.

"Research done. Brief sent. You're ready."

8. Acknowledge reality

Don't pretend problems don't exist. Call out what everyone's thinking.

"You've got 5 minutes before the call. You know nothing about them. Sound familiar?"
"Winging it isn't a strategy."

9. Trust the reader

Don't over-explain. Don't hedge. Don't add "in order to" or "helps you to."

"Helps you to prepare for meetings" → "Prep your meetings"
"In order to be more effective" → cut entirely

10. Remove filler

Kill these words on sight: just, really, very, actually, basically, simply, easily.

"Simply connect your calendar" → "Connect your calendar"
"Easily find what you need" → "Find what you need"

Persuasion Levers (Blair Warren)

"People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help throw rocks at their enemies."

Lever	What it does	Copy example
Encourage dreams	Paint the future they want	"Imagine walking into every call prepared"
Justify failures	Remove blame, create relief	"It's not your fault — you don't have time to prep"
Allay fears	Reduce anxiety about outcome	"Never feel underprepared again"
Confirm suspicions	Validate what they already believe	"You already know winging it doesn't work"
Throw rocks at enemies	Name the villain, create solidarity	"Stop scrambling. Stop Googling. Stop guessing."

Most effective copy hits 2-3 of these. Landing pages often: justify failure (the problem) → confirm suspicion (why it persists) → encourage dream (the solution).

CTA Formula (Milk Road)

"Copywriting is more like math than you suspect."

Objection Handle + Social Proof + Actionable Outcome

Element	What it does	Example
Objection handle	Pre-empt the "but..."	"Free forever" / "No credit card" / "Takes 2 min"
Social proof	Others already did this	"Join 50,000 subscribers" / "Used by teams at Stripe"
Actionable outcome	What they get	"Get smarter about crypto" / "Get your first brief"

Before: "Subscribe to our newsletter" After: "Join 250,000 readers. Get smarter in 5 minutes. Free."

Two minute tweak. Thousands of extra subscribers.

Quality Tests

The friend test: Would you say this to a friend?
The cringe test: Read it out loud. If you cringe, rewrite.
The "so what" test: After every sentence, ask "so what?" If you can't answer, cut it.
The 5-year-old test: Could a smart kid understand it? If not, simplify.

The Vibe Spectrum

Corporate ←——————————————————————→ Human
formal          professional          casual          playful
"utilize"       "use"                 "grab"          "snag"
"inquire"       "ask"                 "find out"      "dig in"
"comprehensive" "complete"            "everything"    "the whole thing"

Copy Classification in Apps

Different copy serves different jobs. Classify by purpose and location.

By Purpose

Type	Job	Example
Acquisition copy	Convince to try	Landing page, ads, App Store
Activation copy	Get to "aha" moment	Onboarding, empty states
Engagement copy	Keep using	Notifications, emails, prompts
Conversion copy	Get to pay/act	Paywalls, CTAs, upgrade prompts
Retention copy	Prevent churn	Re-engagement, win-back
Trust copy	Reduce anxiety	Social proof, security, privacy

By Location

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  EXTERNAL (Marketing)                               │
│  ├── Landing page headlines                         │
│  ├── Value props / KSPs                             │
│  ├── Social proof                                   │
│  ├── App Store / Play Store                         │
│  └── Ads                                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  THRESHOLD (Conversion moments)                     │
│  ├── CTAs                                           │
│  ├── Signup forms                                   │
│  ├── Paywalls                                       │
│  └── Upgrade prompts                                │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  IN-APP (UX Writing)                                │
│  ├── Onboarding flows                               │
│  ├── Empty states                                   │
│  ├── Button labels                                  │
│  ├── Tooltips / hints                               │
│  ├── Error messages                                 │
│  ├── Success states                                 │
│  ├── Confirmation dialogs                           │
│  └── Navigation labels                              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  OUTBOUND (Re-engagement)                           │
│  ├── Emails (welcome, digest, transactional)        │
│  ├── Push notifications                             │
│  └── SMS                                            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Different Rules for Each

Type	Priority	Tone	Length
KSPs / Value props	Clarity + differentiation	Confident, benefit-focused	5-15 words
CTAs	Action + urgency	Direct, active verbs	2-5 words
Onboarding	Motivation + guidance	Encouraging, clear	Short sentences
Empty states	Prompt action	Helpful, not sad	1-2 sentences
Error messages	Fix the problem	Calm, specific	What happened + what to do
Tooltips	Explain without friction	Neutral, brief	1 sentence max
Notifications	Earn the tap	Relevant, specific	10-15 words
Paywalls	Justify the cost	Value-focused, confident	Scannable bullets

Key Differences

Marketing copy (external):

Job: Persuade, differentiate
Allowed: Personality, bold claims, emotion
Risk: Being ignored

UX copy (in-app):

Job: Guide, clarify, reduce friction
Allowed: Brevity, neutrality, utility
Risk: Confusing the user

Threshold copy (conversion):

Job: Get the click/tap/purchase
Allowed: Urgency, benefit stacking, social proof
Risk: Feeling pushy

Reading List

Tier 1: Must-Read

Julian Shapiro — Writing Well Handbook 300 hours distilled into a free handbook. His "novel ideas" framework (counter-intuitive, counter-narrative, elegant articulations) is useful. Also has a landing page guide.

Paul Graham — Essays Clear thinking = clear writing. Start with Write Simply and How to Write Usefully. His rule: "Write in spoken language."

Harry Dry — Marketing Examples Bite-sized, visual breakdowns. Three rules: make it concrete, make it visual, make it falsifiable. "A great sentence is a good sentence made shorter."

Tier 2: Voice & Personality

Laura Belgray — Talking Shrimp How to inject personality without being annoying. "Your business should be 100% expression of your personality."

Steph Smith — Blog Indie hacker on writing. "What can I uniquely contribute?" and "Your blog should solve a problem, like a product."

Tier 3: Tactical

Henneke Duistermaat — Enchanting Marketing Deep dives on rhythm, sensory language, making boring topics interesting.

VeryGoodCopy Short posts, one principle each. Good for daily drip learning.

Why Personal Blogs > Company Blogs

Personal blogs	Company blogs
One voice, consistent POV	Multiple writers, diluted
Written to teach	Written to rank
Opinions, frameworks	Safe, consensus takes
Personality	Corporate-approved

Case Studies

Linear Landing Page

Hero:

Headline: "Linear is a purpose-built tool for planning and building products"
Subhead: "Meet the system designed for modern software teams"
CTA: "Start building"

Why it works:

"Purpose-built" = specific, not generic
"System" > "tool" — implies more than a point solution
"Modern" = you're outdated if not using this
CTA is active verb ("Start building"), not "Sign up"

Social proof: "Trusted by the world's most innovative companies" — Vercel, Ramp, Arc, Cash App. Builder-admired companies, not Fortune 500. Signals "this is what the best teams use."

Feature headlines pattern:

"Issue tracking you'll enjoy using" — bold emotional claim
"Move faster with projects" — outcome, not feature
"Focus on what matters" — benefit, not description

Confidence signals: "Built for speed" then proves it with "50ms interactions." Specific numbers, not vague claims.

Vercel Landing Page