Base Copywriting Rules

Universal rules for any outbound message — email, LinkedIn invite note, LinkedIn DM — across any persona. These are hard constraints: a message that breaks them is rewritten before it ships.

These rules are channel- and persona-agnostic. Channel specifics live in linkedin-rules.md and email-rules.md. The CTA framework lives in cta-framework.md. The angle method lives in angle-framework.md.

1. Length per channel

Channel	Target	Hard limit
Email body	50–100 words	120 words
Email subject	3–5 words	6 words
LinkedIn invite note	150–200 chars	200 chars (hard limit, no exception)
LinkedIn DM	40–70 words	90 words

Shorter beats longer. If a message exceeds the target, cut before sending.

2. Message structure

Email

Subject: [3–5 words, lowercase, internal-email feel]
[Opening: 10–20 words, names a tension or signal, never a question]
[Body: 2–3 sentences, develop the tension, no product pitch]
[Bridge: 1 sentence, what becomes possible]
[CTA: 1 ask, low-friction, value-framed — see cta-framework.md]

LinkedIn DM (post-acceptance)

[Opening: 10–15 words, an observation about their world, no question]
[1–2 sentences developing the observation]
[Soft close: a genuine question or open door, not a meeting request]

LinkedIn invite note

[1–2 sentences max, 200 chars strict, signal- or tension-based, no pitch, no link]

3. Opening rules

Required: 10–20 words max; names a specific tension, signal or insight the reader recognizes instantly; peer-to-peer tone.

Forbidden:

• Starting with a question
• Starting with "I" (sender-focused, not prospect-focused)
• Starting with a compliment ("Loved your post", "Impressive...")
• "I came across your profile / your company"
• "I hope this finds you well"
• Mentioning your product or company in the first line
• Corporate buzzwords ("leverage synergies", "optimize revenue", "drive impact")

4. Body rules

• One problem per message. Never stack two pains.
• Short sentences. One sentence = one line on mobile, max 20 words.
• Active voice always. "You can track X", not "X can be tracked".
• Pronouns: "you" / "your team" / "your stack" — never "I" as the subject.
• No feature or benefit dumping in a first-touch body.
• Talk in problems and outcomes, not "saving time" or "saving money".
• Concrete over abstract. "skip the manual data entry" beats "we save you time".

5. CTA rules (summary)

• One ask per message. Never two questions or multiple options.
• Low-friction, value-framed: what the prospect gains from the conversation.
• Never ask for a meeting in step 1 — value first, ask later.
• Full framework: see cta-framework.md.

6. Read-aloud test

Before a message ships, read it aloud:

• It must flow in under 15 seconds.
• It must sound like a person talking, not a sales script.
• No sentence should force a breath mid-way.
• If a sentence sounds corporate or plastic, rewrite it.

7. Anti-AI-tells checklist

A message must never contain these patterns — they flag it as machine-written instantly:

AI tell	Why it breaks
Em-dash (—) or en-dash (–) in the body	The most obvious LLM signature
"Furthermore", "Moreover", "Additionally"	Corporate connectors
"Thus", "Hence", "Therefore"	Academic tone
"It is worth noting that..."	Filler hedging
"Imagine a world where..."	ChatGPT signature
Perfect triplets ("X, Y, and Z" repeated across consecutive sentences)	Generative pattern
Long sentences with multiple subordinate clauses	LLM over-formulation
Uniformly polite tone with no variation	"Plastic perfection"
2+ exclamation marks in one message	LLM over-emphasis
ALL CAPS words	Pseudo-emphasis

8. Forbidden phrases — universal

Always rewrite if any of these appear. (This list is universal — it applies to every user. Positioning-specific banned words are separate; see §10.)

Opener clichés: "I hope this finds you well", "I hope you're doing well", "I came across your profile/company", "I noticed you/your company...", "I wanted to reach out because", "I'm reaching out to", "Quick question:".

Follow-up clichés: "Just checking in", "Following up on", "Circling back", "Bumping this", "Did you see my last email?", "Did you have a chance to", "I haven't heard back".

CTA clichés: "Would you be open to a 30-min call?", "Can we jump on a quick call?", "Let me know if interested!", "Click here/link/below", "Book a slot in my calendar", "When works for you?".

Filler / weak verbs: leverage, utilize, optimize, streamline, facilitate, enable, empower, unlock, robust, synergies, best-in-class, world-class, cutting-edge, next-generation. → Use a strong, specific action verb instead.

Hedging: "I believe", "I think", "Perhaps", "It might be possible that", "imagine if you did X". → State it directly or cut it.

9. Creepy / boundary phrases

Technically informative but signal stalking. Avoid even when a real signal exists.

Avoid	Use instead
"Saw you engaged with..."	"[Topic] is a real tension at [stage] right now"
"I noticed you visited our website"	Don't mention it
"I see you opened my last email"	Don't mention it
"Your colleague [Name] mentioned you..."	Don't fabricate name-drops

Reference the theme or content a signal points to, never the individual action.

10. Two things that come from the user, not this file

• Tone of voice — match the user's brand voice, based on whatever the user has told you about how their company writes. Otherwise, default to a clear, confident, peer-to-peer "expert colleague" register and ask the user if a specific tone is required.
• Positioning-specific banned words — some companies ban words tied to their positioning (e.g. a premium brand banning "cheap", a platform banning "tool"). If the user has named such words, enforce them on top of §8. Default: none.

11. Variable / merge-tag rule

The only merge tag assumed safe in a message body is the first-name tag of the user's outreach tool (commonly {{firstname}}). Do not invent custom variables ({{company}}, {{role}}) unless the user states they have configured them. The skill generates full-text messages, not templates with intermediate slots.