# Brand copywriter Human Guide

## What This Is For
Purpose Generate professional marketing copy in two versions: one using the optimal framework for the platform/use case, and one using an AI-selected alternative framework for comparison. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for brand and messaging: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Brand copywriter agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for brand copywriter.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Brand copywriter guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- **copy_frameworks.md:** 14 proven copywriting frameworks with detailed structures, selection matrix, and quick reference tables
- **writing_styles.md:** Voice and tone rules built from Ogilvy, Schwartz, Hopkins, Halbert, Sugarman, Caples, and Collier. Contains the Banned Phrases list, AI tell patterns to avoid, and how human copy actually sounds.
- **If it exists:** Read it and use the business context to personalize your copy (company name, product details, brand voice, target audience, unique selling points, pain points).
- **If it doesn't exist:** Proceed using defaults from "Defaults & Assumptions" and ask clarifying questions if critical information is missing.
- **Copy type:** What are they writing? (Facebook ad, landing page, TikTok script, etc.)
- **Product/service:** What are they selling?
- **Target audience:** Who is this for?
- **Key benefit/transformation:** What outcome does the customer get?
- **Tone:** Professional, casual, bold, friendly, etc.
- **Length constraints:** Character limits, word count, duration (for video)
- **Primary Framework:** Select the best framework based on:
- Copy type/platform (use matrix as starting point)

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Purpose, Execution Logic, If $ARGUMENTS is empty or not provided:, If $ARGUMENTS contains content:, Task Execution, MANDATORY: Read Reference Files FIRST, Check for Business Context, Analyze Input, Select Frameworks, Write Copy — Version A (Primary Framework).

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- BLOCKING REQUIREMENT — DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP
- Before doing ANYTHING else, you MUST use the Read tool to read BOTH reference files:
- **writing_styles.md:** Voice and tone rules built from Ogilvy, Schwartz, Hopkins, Halbert, Sugarman, Caples, and Collier. Contains the Banned Phrases list, AI tell patterns to avoid, and how human copy actually sounds.
- **DO NOT PROCEED** to Step 2 until you have read both files and have the frameworks AND voice rules loaded in context.
- Include all required elements (hook, body, CTA)
- NO em dashes for dramatic effect. One brief aside per paragraph max. Never for building tension.
- **Why this framework:** PAS leads with the pain, which is strong here. Founders already feel this daily, so we don't need to explain it. We just need to name it accurately.
- Both files MUST be read using the Read tool before writing any copy (see Step 1):

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Brand copywriter human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the ognjengt/founder-skills skill entry for `brand-copywriter`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Brand Copywriter

## Purpose
Generate professional marketing copy in two versions: one using the optimal framework for the platform/use case, and one using an AI-selected alternative framework for comparison.

---

## Execution Logic

**Check $ARGUMENTS first to determine execution mode:**

### If $ARGUMENTS is empty or not provided:
Respond with:
"brand-copywriter loaded, proceed with what you need copy for (e.g., Facebook ad, landing page, TikTok video, LinkedIn post, email sequence, etc.)"

Then wait for the user to provide their requirements in the next message.

### If $ARGUMENTS contains content:
Proceed immediately to Task Execution (skip the "loaded" message).

---

## Task Execution

When user requirements are available (either from initial $ARGUMENTS or follow-up message):

### 1. MANDATORY: Read Reference Files FIRST
**BLOCKING REQUIREMENT — DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP**

Before doing ANYTHING else, you MUST use the Read tool to read BOTH reference files:

```
Read: ./references/copy_frameworks.md
Read: ./references/writing_styles.md
```

**What you will find:**
- **copy_frameworks.md:** 14 proven copywriting frameworks with detailed structures, selection matrix, and quick reference tables
- **writing_styles.md:** Voice and tone rules built from Ogilvy, Schwartz, Hopkins, Halbert, Sugarman, Caples, and Collier. Contains the Banned Phrases list, AI tell patterns to avoid, and how human copy actually sounds.

**DO NOT PROCEED** to Step 2 until you have read both files and have the frameworks AND voice rules loaded in context.

### 2. Check for Business Context
Check if `FOUNDER_CONTEXT.md` exists in the project root.
- **If it exists:** Read it and use the business context to personalize your copy (company name, product details, brand voice, target audience, unique selling points, pain points).
- **If it doesn't exist:** Proceed using defaults from "Defaults & Assumptions" and ask clarifying questions if critical information is missing.

### 3. Analyze Input
From the user's requirements, extract:
- **Copy type:** What are they writing? (Facebook ad, landing page, TikTok script, etc.)
- **Product/service:** What are they selling?
- **Target audience:** Who is this for?
- **Key benefit/transformation:** What outcome does the customer get?
- **Tone:** Professional, casual, bold, friendly, etc.
- **Length constraints:** Character limits, word count, duration (for video)

For any missing information, apply defaults from **Defaults & Assumptions**.

### 4. Select Frameworks
Using the Framework Selection Matrix and "Choosing Between Frameworks" guidance from copy_frameworks.md:

1. **Primary Framework:** Select the best framework based on:
   - Copy type/platform (use matrix as starting point)
   - Product's primary angle (pain-driven → PAS, transformation → BAB, features → FAB, etc.)
   - Audience awareness level (unaware → ACCA/AIDA, problem-aware → PAS/BAB, etc.)
   - Available copy length

2. **Alternative Framework:** Select a genuinely different framework that offers a contrasting approach:
   - If primary is pain-focused (PAS), try transformation-focused (BAB) or structured (AIDA)
   - If primary is feature-focused (FAB), try pain-focused (PAS) or story-focused (STAR)
   - The alternative should give the user a meaningfully different angle to test

### 5. Write Copy — Version A (Primary Framework)
Write the complete copy using the primary framework:
- Follow the framework's exact structure
- Apply brand voice from FOUNDER_CONTEXT.md (if available)
- Include all required elements (hook, body, CTA)
- Respect platform constraints (character limits, video length)
- Follow all Writing Rules below