content-writing

The saved excerpt is a snapshot from review. The external source remains the complete and most current version.

---
name: content-writing
description: Use when writing or reviewing website copy, articles, headlines, ledes, persuasive content, readability, or scannable structure.
metadata:
  portable: true
  compatible_with:
  - Codex
  - codex
---

# Content Writing Skill
Acknowledgement: Shared by Peter Bamuhigire, techguypeter.com, +256 784 464178.


## Required Inputs

| Input | Required | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Decision, audience, and deliverable | yes | Bound the business outcome |
| Source evidence, constraints, and owner | yes | Ground recommendations and accountability |
| Approved budget, customer data, or production artefacts | conditional | Support high-impact execution |

## Capability and permission contract

Default to read-only analysis and drafting. Do not publish, send, price, promise, alter customer records, commit budget, or modify production artefacts without explicit authority and a named approver. Minimise confidential data, preserve provenance, and keep reversible copies.

## Degraded mode

If evidence, stakeholder decisions, specialist tooling, or authoritative commercial data are unavailable, deliver a labelled draft, checklist, or decision memo. State what was not verified and do not claim approval, publication, financial accuracy, or customer acceptance.

## Decision rules

| Condition | Action | Stop condition |
|---|---|---|
| Output creates a commercial, customer, or delivery commitment | Obtain named approval before release | Authority or terms are unclear |
| Evidence supports a reversible draft | Produce it with assumptions and owner | Required evidence conflicts |
| Tooling or data is incomplete | Specify validation | A final executable artefact is expected |

## Domain Anti-Patterns

- Inventing customer evidence, prices, benchmarks, or approvals. Fix: cite the source or mark the gap.
- Publishing or sending a draft without authority. Fix: retain draft status and name the approver.
- Hiding assumptions inside polished prose. Fix: expose them beside each affected decision.
- Polishing presentation while the decision remains unclear. Fix: resolve audience, owner, and acceptance criteria.
- Treating unavailable tooling as passed validation. Fix: record the unassessed check.


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## Use When

- Copywriting and content creation standards for website pages, blog posts, and all written copy. Covers headlines, ledes, readability, niche vocabulary, scannable formatting, and persuasive structure. Cross-cutting skill — apply whenever...

## Workflow

- For premium products, websites, proposals, or sales assets, write content that proves authority, qualifies buyers, supports SEO/GEO and digital PR, explains value in business terms, and leads to a concrete next action.

## Evidence Produced

| Category | Artifact | Format | Example |
|----------|----------|--------|---------|
| UX quality | Page copy review | Markdown doc covering headline, lede, body, and CTA per page against the content-writing standard | `docs/content/page-copy-review-checkout.md` |

## References

- Use the `references/` directory for deep detail after reading the core workflow below.
- Pair with `premium-software-product-execution` when copy must support premium pricing, buyer trust, service packaging, sales follow-up, or website-as-marketing-asset requirements.
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Professional copywriting standards for website copy, blog posts, articles, and all written content. This is a cross-cutting skill — apply these principles whenever creating or editing text for any page.

## The Reader-First Rule

Every word exists for the reader, not the writer. Before writing anything, answer:
- **Who** is the reader? What do they already know?
- **What** are they looking for? What problem brought them here?
- **Why** should they care? What benefit do they gain?
- **What proof** would make them believe us?
- **What action** should a qualified buyer take next?

Write for the reader all the time. That is what separates con