content-and-copy

# Content and Copy

Write or edit content that serves a specific reader and goal. Stack-agnostic. This skill is for general content production. Specialized skills exist for landing pages (`landing-page-copy`) and email (`email-sequences`).

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## When to use

- Writing a blog post or article
- Drafting website copy (homepage sections, about, services)
- Editing existing content for voice or clarity
- Writing how-to guides, listicles, or explainers
- Producing knowledge base or help center articles
- Adapting brand voice to a specific piece

## When NOT to use

- Landing pages with conversion goals (use `landing-page-copy`)
- Email campaigns or sequences (use `email-sequences`)
- Brand voice definition (use `brand-voice`)
- SEO keyword research (use `seo-keyword`)
- Content strategy and planning (use `content-strategy`)

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## Required inputs

- The piece to be written or edited
- The target reader (specific audience segment)
- The goal of the piece (inform, convert, rank, retain, entertain)
- The brand voice (or willingness to define it)
- Length target and any structural constraints

If brand voice is undefined, run `brand-voice` first or use a working voice and document it as you go.

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## The framework: 5 dimensions

Strong content is strong on all five. Weakness on any one drags the rest down.

### 1. Hook

The opening earns the read. Most readers decide whether to continue within 3 to 5 seconds.

**Strong hooks do one of:**

- **Promise specific value.** "By the end, you'll know exactly which X to pick for your situation."
- **Surface a tension.** "Most advice on X is wrong. Here's why."
- **Open a loop.** A question or scenario the rest of the piece resolves.
- **State a contrarian point.** Provided you can defend it.
- **Show, don't summarize.** A specific moment or scenario the reader recognizes.

**Weak hooks:**

- Throat-clearing ("In today's fast-paced world...")
- Dictionary-definition openers ("X is a type of Y that...")
- Stating the obvious ("Many people struggle with X.")
- Vague promises ("This article will explore X.")

### 2. Structure

The reader follows the flow without effort.

**Common structures:**

- **Problem → Solution → Proof.** Most non-fiction.
- **List + reasoning.** Listicles with substance, not filler.
- **How-to (numbered steps).** Procedural content.
- **Compare → Contrast → Recommend.** Comparison and review content.
- **Story → Lesson.** Narrative non-fiction.
- **Question → Answer → Implication.** Explainers and analysis.

Pick a structure. Stick to it. Most weak content fails because the writer drifted between structures.

### 3. Voice

The piece sounds like the brand.

- Voice attributes consistent throughout (per `brand-voice` definition)
- Tone shifts appropriately for context (a serious topic gets a serious tone, even from a playful brand)
- Vocabulary preferences honored
- Grammar and style standards followed (contractions, em dashes, sentence length)
- Reads aloud like the brand would actually talk

**Test:** Read a paragraph aloud. Does it sound like the brand? If it sounds like AI, generic marketing, or someone else's voice, edit until it doesn't.

### 4. Substance

The piece earns its length. Every paragraph adds something.

**Substance comes from:**

- **Specifics.** "Roughly 40 percent" beats "many." Names, numbers, examples, data.
- **Original perspective.** Your take, not a summary of everyone else's.
- **Actionable detail.** What the reader does with this information.
- **Honest tradeoffs.** What's NOT true, what doesn't work, what's overhyped.
- **Real examples.** Specific scenarios, real customers, real failures.

**Lack of substance shows up as:**

- Padding ("It's important to note that...")
- Restating the same point in three different paragraphs
- Generalities that anyone in the category could write
- Word counts hit by stretching, not depth

### 5. Closing

The piece ends with intention.

**Strong closings:**

- **Resolve the loop opened in the hook.**
- **Issue a specific next action.** What does the reader do now?
- **Land a memorable line.** Something quotable.
- **Return to the opening.** Echo or invert the first line.

**Weak closings:**

- Summary that restates the article
- "Hope this helps!" or equivalent
- A wall of CTAs from unrelated programs
- Trailing off with no clear ending

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## Workflow

### For new pieces

1. **Confirm the brief.** Reader, goal, length, voice. If the brief is vague, do not write yet.
2. **Outline.** Structure first. Headlines and section purposes only. Skip prose until the structure is sound.
3. **Open with the hook.** Write the opening before anything else. If the hook isn't working, the rest won't either.
4. **Draft for substance.** First draft is about getting the substance down. Voice comes in editing.
5. **Edit for voice.** Read aloud. Tighten sentences. Cut padding. Apply brand voice.
6. **Edit for clarity.** Each paragraph: does it earn its place? Each sentence: is the meaning unambiguous?
7. **Pre-publish checks.** Headers in order, no skipped levels, internal links present, image alt text written, SEO basics applied (title, meta, slug).

### For editing existing content

1. **Read the whole piece first.** Do not edit on first read. Understand it before changing it.
2. **Identify what's working.** Note the strong sections so you don't damage them.
3. **Identify what's broken.** Voice mismatches, weak structure, vague claims, padding.
4. **Edit by priority.** Structure first (move sections, cut sections). Then substance (strengthen claims). Then voice. Then sentence-level polish.
5. **Read aloud.** Catch awkward phrasing the eye misses.

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## Failure patterns

- **Writing without a brief.** Without reader, goal, and voice defined, the piece drifts.
- **Burying the lead.** The most important thing is in paragraph 8 because the writer "got there."
- **Padding to hit word count.** Length should serve the reader, not the production schedule.
- **Generic voice.** Sounds like eve