landing-page-copy

---
name: landing-page-copy
description: Write landing page copy with attention to the hero, value proposition, social proof, objection handling, and conversion-focused CTAs. Use this skill whenever the user wants to write a landing page, sales page, hero section, or any conversion-focused web copy. Triggers on landing page, sales page, hero copy, value proposition, headline, subheadline, hero section, CTA copy, conversion copy, opt-in page, squeeze page. Also triggers when the user has a marketing campaign or product launch needing dedicated conversion copy. Use `cro-optimization` instead when the page already exists and the ask is to lift its conversion rate through testing rather than to write the copy.
license: MIT
---

# Landing Page Copy

Write copy for pages with a single conversion goal: signup, purchase, demo request, download, lead capture. Stack-agnostic.

This skill is narrower than `content-and-copy`. Landing pages exist to drive a specific action, not to inform broadly.

---

## When to use

- Writing a hero section for a homepage or product page
- Writing a sales page or long-form sales letter
- Drafting opt-in or lead-capture page copy
- Campaign-specific landing pages
- Pricing page copy
- Demo or signup CTAs

## When NOT to use

- Long-form blog content (use `content-and-copy`)
- Email sequences (use `email-sequences`)
- Brand voice definition (use `brand-voice`)
- Page design and layout decisions (use `design-standards`)

---

## Required inputs

- The product, service, or offer
- The target audience and the specific objection they bring
- The conversion goal (one specific action)
- Brand voice
- Existing customer language (testimonials, support tickets, sales calls)
- Any constraints (length, format, regulatory)

If audience is unclear or objections are unknown, run `brand-discovery` or pull from sales call recordings before writing.

---

## The framework: 7 sections

A landing page does seven things in sequence. The structure can flex (combine, reorder, expand), but the elements stay constant.

### 1. Hero

The first 3 to 5 seconds. Decides whether the visitor stays.

**Three components:**

- **Headline.** The promise. Specific, outcome-focused, free of cliche.
- **Subheadline.** The mechanism. How you deliver the promise.
- **Primary CTA.** The action. One button, descriptive label.

**Strong hero patterns:**

- **Outcome + audience + mechanism.** "Ship features 3x faster, for engineering teams who hate meetings, with our async-first project tool."
- **Pain reversal.** "Stop losing customers to slow page loads."
- **Surprising claim.** "The note-taking app that gets used. We have data."
- **Direct address.** "You have 47 unread Slack messages. Here's what to do about it."

**Weak hero patterns:**

- Generic adjective stacking ("Powerful, intuitive, scalable")
- "Welcome to our platform"
- Brand-name-only headlines ("Acme: The Future of X")
- Vague benefits ("Streamline your workflow")

### 2. Social proof (early)

Within the first scroll, prove someone else trusts you.

**Forms:**
- Customer logos (recognizable beats unknown)
- Quantitative trust signal ("Over 10,000 teams")
- One strong testimonial with name and role
- Press mentions (logos of where you've been featured)

**Placement:** Right below the hero, before the visitor invests in reading more.

### 3. Problem / promise

Establish that you understand the visitor's situation.

**Pattern:**
- 1 to 3 paragraphs naming the specific problem
- Use the visitor's language (mined from research, not your marketing language)
- Stop before you sell. Resonate first.

**Test:** Read the problem section aloud. Does the target audience nod? If they don't, you don't understand them yet.

### 4. Solution / mechanism

How you solve the problem. The "what we actually do" section.

**Effective structure:**
- One headline summarizing the solution
- 3 to 5 specific features or capabilities, each with a 1-2 sentence explanation
- Each feature framed as the benefit it produces, not the technical detail
- Visual support (screenshots, illustrations, video clips)

**Failure mode:** Listing features without translating to outcomes. "Real-time collaboration" is a feature. "Edit together without copying-pasting from email" is the outcome.

### 5. Proof and detail

The expanded social proof and case studies section.

**Components:**
- 1 to 3 detailed case studies (specific customer, specific outcome, specific numbers)
- Multiple testimonials with attribution
- Specific data points (usage stats, success metrics, growth)
- Awards, certifications, or third-party validation

The deeper proof section is where committed visitors convert. Skim-readers won't make it here, but the ones who do are ready to buy.

### 6. Objection handling

Anticipate the reasons people say no. Address them directly.

**Common objection types:**
- **Price.** "Is this worth it?"
- **Time.** "Will this take forever to set up?"
- **Trust.** "Will this actually work for my situation?"
- **Risk.** "What if I commit and it's wrong?"
- **Comparison.** "How is this different from [competitor]?"
- **Implementation.** "Can my team handle the change?"

**Handling formats:**
- **FAQ section.** Structured, scannable.
- **Comparison table.** Vs. competitors or vs. alternatives.
- **Risk reversal.** Money-back guarantee, free trial, no-contract terms.
- **Proof of effort needed.** "Setup takes 5 minutes, not 5 weeks."

### 7. Final CTA

The closer. Re-state the offer. Re-state the action.

**Strong final CTAs:**
- Repeat the primary CTA from the hero (consistency)
- Frame in terms of the visitor's situation ("Get your team set up in 5 minutes")
- Remove friction ("No credit card required")
- One action only (avoid offering 5 alternatives that paralyze decision)

**Avoid:**
- Multiple CTAs competing for attention at the bottom
- New offers introduced only at the bottom (visitor is now confused)
- Long forms that ask for more information than needed for the action

---

## The CTA itself

Buttons matter. Treat the button copy as a whole-page-worth of attention.

**Strong CTA patterns:**

- **Action + outcome.** "Start your free trial," "Get my pricing," "Send me the guide"
- **First-person.** "Show me how" outperforms "Show you how"
- **Specific.** "Book a 15-minute demo" beats "Contact us"
- **Low-friction.** "Free trial, no credit card" reduces commitment cost

**Weak CTAs:**
- "Submit" (functional but lifeless)
- "Click here" (no value statement)
- "Learn more" (vague; about what?)
- "Get started" (started doing what?)

---

## Workflow

1. **Confirm the offer.** What exactly is being offered? At what price (if any)? What does the visitor get?
2. **Confirm the audience and objection.** Specific segment. The specific worry they bring.
3. **Mine the language.** Customer testimonials, support tickets, sales calls. Use real customer phrases.
4. **Draft the hero.** Headline, subheadline, CTA. Test 5 to 10 variations.
5. **Build the structure.** All 7 sections in order. Sections can combine for shorter pages.
6. **Draft sections.** Section by section. Don't polish until the structure is sound.
7. **Edit for friction.** Remove every word that doesn't earn its place. Landing pages do not have words to spare.
8. **Test the CTA.** Read the page aloud. By the end, is the visitor's next action obvious?
9. **Hand off with a post-import checklist.** The deliverable is a markdown document, not a built page, so step 9 is not something you perform: it is a list you attach for whoever builds the page. Spell-check the copy yourself, then hand over the rest. Every destination URL resolves. Mobile preview of the built page. SEO basics if SEO is a goal. If the page is already built and you are revising it in place, run the checklist yourself instead of handing it over.

---

## Failure patterns

- **Hero that explains instead of sells.** "We're an X for Y" is description. "Get X without Y" is sell.
- **Feature lists with no outcomes.** Features without benefits read as a spec sheet.
- **Generic testimonials.** "Great product!" is worth less than nothing. "We cut onboarding time from 2 weeks to 4 days" is gold.
- **Multiple competing CTAs.** Pick one primary action. Everything else is noise.
- **Walls of text.** Visitors scan. Use short paragraphs, bullet lists, and visual breakpoints.
- **No social proof.** Trust is the first hurdle. Without proof, the rest of the page does not earn the chance to be read.
- **Mismatched headline and CTA.** Hero promises X, CTA asks for Y. Visitor confused.
- **Writing for everyone.** "Our solution works for any business" appeals to no one. Specificity converts.
- **Ignoring mobile.** Most visitors are on mobile. Test the page at 375px first.

---

## Output format

Default output is a structured markdown document for the page, with each section labeled. The markdown is ready to import into the CMS or hand to design.

Structure:

```markdown
# [Page Title]

## SECTION: Hero
- Headline: [text]
- Subheadline: [text]
- Primary CTA: [button text]
- Supporting cue: [optional, e.g., "No credit card required"]
- Hero visual notes: [if any]

## SECTION: Social proof (early)
- Logo bar: [list customer/press logos]
- Trust statistic: [if any]

## SECTION: Problem / promise
[2 to 3 paragraphs]

## SECTION: Solution
- Headline: [text]
- Feature 1: [headline + description]
- Feature 2: [headline + description]
- Feature 3: [headline + description]

## SECTION: Proof
- Case study 1: [customer, outcome, numbers, or state the gap per the data-availability rule]
- Testimonials: [list]
- Data points: [list]

## SECTION: Objection handling
- FAQ: [questions and answers]
- OR Comparison table: [vs alternatives]
- OR Risk reversal: [guarantee, terms]

## SECTION: Final CTA
- Headline: [text]
- Final CTA button: [text]
- Supporting cue: [optional]

## Variants for testing
- [Alternate headlines]
- [Alternate CTAs]
- [Alternate proof framings]
```

---

## If required data is unavailable

This skill's output depends on data, measurements, or tool results it cannot generate on its own. When a required input, tool, or data source is unavailable or unverifiable, the sanctioned output is the deliverable with the gap stated: what was needed, what was actually obtained or verified, and which parts of the output are affected. Fabricating, estimating, or interpolating a required number to complete the deliverable is never sanctioned. A stated gap is a complete answer.

---

## Reference files

- [`references/hero-formulas.md`](references/hero-formulas.md) - Patterns and formulas for hero headlines.
- [`references/objection-library.md`](references/objection-library.md) - Common objections by category, with handling strategies.