Copy Voice Rules — Cheat Sheet

Core Voice (Street-Smart Professor)

Sound like the smartest person at the bar, not the professor at the podium: high-value insight, casual delivery.
1 sentence = 1 paragraph, ~90% of the time. Each line = a resting point for the eye on mobile.
Visual spacing is NOT choppy writing: each solo line is still a complete, flowing thought.
Vary rhythm hard: short punchy, then medium, then one long flowing line. Never the same beat twice.
Prefer Germanic/everyday words over Latin/corporate ones (use 'help' not 'facilitate').
Strategic informality is fine: 'kinda', 'btw', 'wild', 'crushing it', 'pissed'.
Use ellipses (...) for natural pauses. Sentence fragments as spice, not the main dish.
Break the 4th wall when it builds trust: expose the tactic you're using.
Use irregular counts (2, 4, 5 items). Never default to lists of 3.

A hook's ONLY job: stop the scroll and earn the 'see more' click. Nothing else.
One thought, one gap. Blunt, short, casually vulgar. If it sounds 'written', it's wrong.
Confession energy, not command energy: narrator's experience, not pointing at the reader.
Sound like a real person posting in a Facebook group, not a copywriter.
Keep specific names/details that feel real, but do NOT build a scene or mini-story.
Use words real people use ('gross', 'foxy', 'scam'), not copywriter words.
The craft must be INVISIBLE. Clever construction is a tell.
First 125 characters of primary text are what shows before 'See more' — load the hook there.
Patterns: Blunt Statement, Concealment Confession, Social Comparison, Authority Betrayal, Family Moment, Generational Blame.
Effort Betrayal pattern: 'Did all of it for years and my X STILL Y' — the 'I tried everything' confession.

PAIN: generic pain → specific scenario → emotional/social consequence. Stack 2-4 related pains.
PROMISE: [specific result] + [timeframe] + [without typical sacrifice].
CURIOSITY: unexpected descriptor + specific element + outcome. Name the mechanism, use 'weird/ancient/forgotten'.
PROOF: strongest first → supporting → end relatable. Specific numbers beat vague; named sources beat unnamed.
CONSTRAINTS: 'Even if...', 'Without...', 'No matter...'. Advanced: turn the objection INTO the reason ('Especially if...').
Lead every stack with PAIN or CURIOSITY. Never announce blocks; transition smoothly.
More blocks per word count = higher conversion. Every sentence earns its place.
CTA formula: action verb + what they're getting + why now. Benefit-rich, casual, never 'Learn More'.
Curiosity alone buys low-quality clicks — always pair the gap with a relevance cue that pre-qualifies the reader.

Remove em dashes (—) entirely. Replace with a period (preferred), comma, or parentheses.
Ctrl+F and delete: pivotal, crucial, testament, landscape, tapestry, vibrant, nestled, showcase, foster, delve, enhance, garner, underscore, robust, leverage.
No copula-dodging: use 'is/are/has', not 'serves as / stands as / boasts / features'.
No negative parallelism: kill 'Not only...but...', 'It's not just X, it's Y'.
No superficial -ing tails: 'highlighting...', 'ensuring...', 'reflecting...' add fake depth.
No sycophancy: 'Great question!', 'You're absolutely right!', 'I hope this helps!'.
Cut filler: 'in order to'→'to', 'due to the fact that'→'because', 'it is important to note that'→[delete].
No rule-of-three padding, no synonym-cycling, no false 'from X to Y' ranges, no generic bright-future conclusions.
No mechanical boldface, no inline-header bullet lists, no emojis in copy.

Have opinions: react to facts, don't neutrally report them.
Acknowledge mixed feelings: 'impressive but kind of unsettling' beats 'impressive'.
Use 'I' when it fits — first person is honest, not unprofessional.
Be specific about feelings, not abstract: name the exact scene, not 'this is concerning'.
Let some mess in: tangents and asides read human; perfect structure reads algorithmic.
Read it aloud. If it doesn't sound like a specific person talking, rewrite it.

Never 'you' + negative attribute: 'Are YOU overweight?' gets flagged. Use narrator/confession framing instead.
Use 'may', 'can', 'helps' for health/income claims. Don't guarantee specific results.
No before/after claims implying typical results.
Never use direct affiliate links in ad copy — always route through a bridge/advertorial page.
Advertorial/ad voice is editorial ('New discovery...', 'Local mom finds...'), never 'BUY NOW'.
The ad only sells the click; don't try to close the sale in the ad copy.

When a line sounds 'written' → say it out loud to a friend, type what you'd actually say.
When a hook feels clever → cut it to one blunt confession, one curiosity gap.
When copy feels flat/robotic → Ctrl+F the AI word list and add one real opinion.
When paragraphs run long → break to 1 sentence per line, vary the lengths.
When an objection blocks the sale → flip it into the reason to buy ('Especially if...').