When the user wants to edit, review, or improve existing marketing copy, or refresh outdated content. Also use when the user mentions 'edit this copy,' 'review my copy,' 'copy feedback,' 'proofread,' 'polish this,' 'make this better,' 'copy sweep,' 'tighten this up,' 'this reads awkwardly,' 'clean up this text,' 'too wordy,' 'sharpen the messaging,' 'refresh this content,' 'update this page,' 'this content is outdated,' or 'content audit.' Use this when the user already has copy and wants it improved or refreshed rather than rewritten from scratch. For writing new copy, see copywriting.
Instructions your experts follow when using this skill.
Packaging adaptation by AutoGPT, 2026-09-25. Original authorship and licence are retained. Changes are limited to the recorded name, metadata and file references; see ATTRIBUTION.md in this skill package.
You are an expert copy editor specializing in marketing and conversion copy. Your goal is to systematically improve existing copy through focused editing passes while preserving the core message.
Check for product marketing context first:
If .agents/product-marketing.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing.md, or the legacy product-marketing-context.md filename, in older setups), read it before editing. Use brand voice and customer language from that context to guide your edits.
Good copy editing isn't about rewriting—it's about enhancing. Each pass focuses on one dimension, catching issues that get missed when you try to fix everything at once.
Key principles:
Edit copy through seven sequential passes, each focusing on one dimension. After each sweep, loop back to check previous sweeps aren't compromised.
Focus: Can the reader understand what you're saying?
What to check:
Common clarity killers:
Process:
After this sweep: Confirm the "Rule of One" (one main idea per section) and "You Rule" (copy speaks to the reader) are intact.
Focus: Is the copy consistent in how it sounds?
What to check:
Common voice issues:
Process:
After this sweep: Return to Clarity Sweep to ensure voice edits didn't introduce confusion.
Focus: Does every claim answer "why should I care?"
What to check:
The So What test: For every statement, ask "Okay, so what?" If the copy doesn't answer that question with a deeper benefit, it needs work.
❌ "Our platform uses AI-powered analytics" So what? ✅ "Our AI-powered analytics surface insights you'd miss manually—so you can make better decisions in half the time"
Common So What failures:
Process:
After this sweep: Return to Voice and Tone, then Clarity.
Focus: Is every claim supported with evidence?
What to check:
Types of proof to look for:
Common proof gaps:
Process:
After this sweep: Return to So What, Voice and Tone, then Clarity.
Focus: Is the copy concrete enough to be compelling?
What to check:
Specificity upgrades:
| Vague | Specific |
|---|---|
| Save time | Save 4 hours every week |
| Many customers | 2,847 teams |
| Fast results | Results in 14 days |
| Improve your workflow | Cut your reporting time in half |
| Great support | Response within 2 hours |
Common specificity issues:
Process:
After this sweep: Return to Prove It, So What, Voice and Tone, then Clarity.
Focus: Does the copy make the reader feel something?
What to check:
Emotional dimensions to consider:
Techniques for heightening emotion:
Process:
After this sweep: Return to Specificity, Prove It, So What, Voice and Tone, then Clarity.
Focus: Have we removed every barrier to action?
What to check:
Risk reducers to look for:
Common risk issues:
Process:
After this sweep: Return through all previous sweeps one final time: Heightened Emotion, Specificity, Prove It, So What, Voice and Tone, Clarity.
Use this after completing the Seven Sweeps for an additional quality gate. For high-stakes copy (landing pages, launch emails, sales pages), a multi-persona expert review catches issues that a single perspective misses.
Landing page copy:
Email sequence:
Sales page / long-form:
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 9-10 | Publish-ready. No meaningful improvements. |
| 7-8 | Strong. Minor tweaks only. |
| 5-6 | Functional but has clear gaps. Needs another pass. |
| 3-4 | Significant issues. Major revision needed. |
| 1-2 | Fundamentally broken. Rethink approach. |
Use these for faster reviews when a full seven-sweep process isn't needed.
Cut these words:
Replace these:
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Utilize | Use |
| Implement | Set up |
| Leverage | Use |
| Facilitate | Help |
| Innovative | New |
| Robust | Strong |
| Seamless | Smooth |
| Cutting-edge | New/Modern |
Watch for:
For a final QA pass before delivering edits, work through the full checklist in — covering all seven sweeps plus pre-start and final-check items.
Symptom: List of what the product does without why it matters Fix: Add "which means..." after each feature to bridge to benefits
Symptom: "Leverage synergies to optimize outcomes" Fix: Ask "How would a human say this?" and use those words
Symptom: Starting with company history or vague statements Fix: Lead with the reader's problem or desired outcome
Symptom: The ask comes after too much buildup, or isn't clear Fix: Make the CTA obvious, early, and repeated
Symptom: "Customers love us" with no evidence Fix: Add specific testimonials, numbers, or case references
Symptom: "We help businesses grow" Fix: Specify who, how, and by how much
Symptom: Copy tries to speak to everyone, resonates with no one Fix: Pick one audience and write directly to them
Symptom: Listing every capability, overwhelming the reader Fix: Focus on 3-5 key benefits that matter most to the audience
When editing collaboratively:
This iterative process ensures each edit doesn't create new problems while respecting the author's ownership of the copy.
Copy editing isn't just for new content. Existing pages decay over time — outdated stats, stale examples, and drifted brand voice. Use the content refresh framework when traffic is declining, data is stale, or the product has changed.
For the full refresh checklist, refresh vs. rewrite decision matrix, and cadence guide: See
| Task | Skill to Use |
|---|---|
| Writing new page copy from scratch | copywriting |
| Reviewing and improving existing copy | copy-editing (this skill) |
| Editing copy you just wrote | copy-editing (this skill) |
| Structural or strategic page changes | cro |
Files installed alongside these instructions.
When the user wants to create or update their product marketing context document. Also use when the user mentions 'product context,' 'marketing context,' 'set up context,' 'positioning,' 'who is my target audience,' 'describe my product,' 'ICP,' 'ideal customer profile,' or wants to avoid repeating foundational information across marketing tasks. Use this at the start of any new project before using other marketing skills — it creates `.agents/product-marketing.md` that all other skills reference for product, audience, and positioning context.
When the user wants to research, profile, or analyze competitors from their URLs. Also use when the user mentions 'competitor profile,' 'competitor research,' 'competitor analysis,' 'profile this competitor,' 'analyze competitor,' 'competitive intelligence,' 'competitor deep dive,' 'who are my competitors,' 'competitor landscape,' 'competitor dossier,' 'competitive audit,' or 'research these competitors.' Input is a list of competitor URLs. Output is structured competitor profile markdown files. For creating comparison/alternative pages from profiles, see competitors. For sales-specific battle cards, see sales-enablement.
When the user wants to conduct, analyze, or synthesize customer research. Use when the user mentions "customer research," "ICP research," "talk to customers," "analyze transcripts," "customer interviews," "survey analysis," "support ticket analysis," "voice of customer," "VOC," "build personas," "customer personas," "jobs to be done," "JTBD," "what do customers say," "what are customers struggling with," "Reddit mining," "G2 reviews," "review mining," "digital watering holes," "community research," "forum research," "competitor reviews," "customer sentiment," "PMF survey," "product/market fit survey," "customer interview questions," "interview outreach," "Sales Safari," or "find out why customers churn/convert/buy." Use for analyzing existing research assets, mining online sources, AND running primary research (interviews and surveys). For writing copy informed by research, see copywriting. For acting on research to improve pages, see cro.