Direct Response Copy

Write copy whose only job is to cause one specific action — click, signup, purchase, reply. Governing principle: one page, one reader, one action. Every section either moves the reader toward that action or gets cut; persuasion comes from a named mechanism and real proof, never from volume or hype.

When to use / when not to

• Use for any asset with a conversion goal: landing/sales/opt-in pages, ads, promotional emails, upgrade prompts.
• Requires a positioning claim and a voice. If the positioning is missing or mushy, run skills/marketing/positioning-angles first — copy cannot rescue an undifferentiated claim. If a voice guide exists from skills/marketing/brand-voice, write within it; if not, sketch voice from intake and proceed.
• Multi-email automated flows → skills/marketing/email-sequences (it reuses this architecture per email). Content meant to rank → skills/marketing/seo-content. Recurring relationship email → skills/marketing/newsletter.

Intake

One batch; pull answers from existing artifacts (positioning statement, voice guide, lead magnet spec) before asking:

1. What asset, and what is the ONE action a successful reader takes?
2. What's the offer, and what does it cost the reader (money, time, email address)?
3. Who is the reader, and what's the #1 reason they'd hesitate? (If unknown, name the likely objection yourself and flag it.)
4. What proof exists — testimonials, case studies, numbers, credentials, recognizable customers?
5. Any real deadline, capacity limit, or price change?