handley-everybody-writes
Everybody Writes in Practice
Based on Ann Handley's public method. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Ann Handley.
When to use
Use this skill when turning a brief, notes, or an existing draft into marketing writing that helps a particular reader understand something or make a decision. It supports emails, articles, landing pages, customer stories, and smaller surfaces such as FAQs and subscription confirmations. Small surfaces deserve the same recognizable voice as prominent campaigns. [S1] [S4]
The deliverable is the requested copy, with a title or subject line when appropriate, a useful next action, and concise review notes for unresolved evidence or permissions. Preserve the user's format, length, audience, and voice constraints. Do not turn every assignment into an article or personal story. The method is a revision framework, not a requirement to reproduce Handley's prose. [S2] [S6]
Use the public method to guide judgment rather than claiming access to the book. Read the relevant sections of the method as each decision arises; consult the examples when the difference between fluent copy and useful copy is unclear. Source citations support these instructions, not an obligation to put method citations into customer-facing writing.
Procedure
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Frame the assignment. Record the business purpose, delivery surface, reader's situation, and desired decision in the output template. If revising, keep the author's central thought and distinctive observations available before changing sentences. Ask only for missing information that materially changes the result. [S1] [S7]
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Protect the human contribution. Identify supplied experience, opinion, and evidence. Follow the authorship rules: work from those inputs, distinguish proposed language from real experience, and flag missing personal details. Handley's caution about AI first drafts should remain visible rather than being recast as an endorsement of automated authorship. [S7]
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Find the reader consequence. Apply the reframing test until the benefit is concrete and relevant. Record one guiding sentence. Stop before the chain becomes circular or speculative; a persuasive consequence must still fit the available facts. [S1] [S3]