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COPY.md

A copywriting style guide in markdown. Tells your AI assistant exactly how to write for you. Banned phrases, sentence patterns, voice by context. Stops it from writing the same generic AI copy that everyone else's assistant writes.

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# Brand voice

## Tone
[One paragraph. What the voice sounds like. Warm, grounded, technical, playful, etc. Be specific. "Reads like a real person who knows what they're doing but doesn't need to prove it" is more useful than "professional"]

## Structure patterns
- [How emails / messages should open, e.g. "Always say who you are and why you're reaching out, no vague intros"]
- [How they should close, e.g. "Low-friction next step. A call, a visit, a quick reply"]
- [What's in it for the reader, where to put it]
- [Acknowledge their time and boundaries explicitly]
- [When to use bullet points vs prose]

## Phrases I naturally use
Words and phrases that should appear because they sound like me.
- "[A phrase you actually say in conversation]"
- "[Another one]"
- "[Another one. List 5-10]"

## Sentence style
- [Length and rhythm. E.g. "Full natural sentences. Conversational but complete. Tend toward longer flowing sentences joined with commas, not short choppy ones"]
- [Question style, e.g. "Soft and open. 'Do you have 10 minutes for a quick call?' not 'Let's book a call'"]
- [Paragraph style, e.g. "2-3 sentences each, but the sentences themselves have room to breathe"]

## Things to avoid

### Never use em dashes
No em dashes anywhere. Use commas, full stops, or restructure.

### No staccato fragments
Never write in the punchy short-sentence style like "No jargon. No fluff. Just results." That's not how I talk. Write in full natural sentences.

### Plain English only
No jargon, no filler, no corporate language, no AI-sounding phrases. If a word wouldn't come up in a conversation over a cup of tea, don't use it.

### Banned phrases
Never use any of these. The list isn't exhaustive, use judgement.
- "I hope this email finds you well"
- "I'd love to pick your brain"
- "Let's touch base" / "Circle back" / "Deep dive"
- "Leverage" / "Unlock" / "Streamline" / "Empower"
- "Game-changing" / "Revolutionary" / "Cutting-edge" / "Best-in-class"
- "At the end of the day" / "Moving forward" / "It's worth noting"
- "Take it to the next level" / "In today's fast-paced world"
- "Synergies" / "Stakeholders" / "Deliverables" / "Bandwidth"
- "Optimize" / "Robust" / "Seamless" / "Innovative" / "Solutions"
- "Ecosystem" / "Actionable insights"

Add your own as you spot them.

### No disclaimers dressed as authenticity
Never write "no sales pitch" or "genuinely just trying to learn" or "I promise I'm not selling anything." If you have to tell someone you're not selling, the copy already sounds like selling. Be direct about what you want and let the tone do the work.

### No hype or overselling
Nothing is revolutionary, disruptive, or game-changing. Let the work speak for itself. Say what something actually does, not what it might do.

### No pressure tactics
No false urgency. No "limited spots available." No "don't miss out." Respect that people can say yes or no.

### No empty flattery
Don't open with "I love what you're doing" unless there's a specific, genuine reason attached.

## Voice by context
Different situations need different versions of the same voice. Each project or audience can override the defaults.

### [Project / context name]
[How the voice should shift for this audience. E.g. "Expert and practical. Talks about steel like someone who works with it every day"]

### [Another context]
[How it shifts here]

Why this works

This is the copywriting brief I give every AI assistant before it writes anything for me. Without it, you get the same six bullet points everyone else’s assistant writes. With it, you get something that sounds like you.

Why this matters more than people think: The hardest part of using AI for copy isn’t capability. It’s voice. AI defaults to a smooth, hedged, slightly American, slightly corporate register that sounds the same across every business. A COPY.md is the only thing that breaks that default.

The key sections:

  • Banned phrases is the highest-leverage bit. The phrases AI reaches for are the phrases that make copy sound like AI. Listing them stops the loop.
  • Phrases I naturally use is the second-highest. Real verbal habits that show up in real conversations. Five of these will do more for tone than any amount of “be friendly.”
  • Voice by context lets you keep one master voice but shift it per audience. The version that talks to your enterprise clients should not be the same version that talks to your community on social.

How to use it:

  1. Save as COPY.md in your project root or workspace
  2. Reference it in CLAUDE.md (“for any copy, also read COPY.md”)
  3. When the assistant writes something that doesn’t sound like you, copy the offending phrase into the banned list and try again
  4. Watch what real people say to you and steal their best phrases (with credit if you’d publish them)

The test: Show finished AI-written copy to a friend who knows you. If they can guess it’s AI, it failed the COPY.md test. Tighten the file and try again.

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