/funnel

LP Copy Authoring Reference

Purpose: Author LP copy that converts — headline, hero body, value prop, benefit blocks, microcopy. Copy is the LP's load-bearing element; layout is scaffolding for words. This reference covers headline formulas (PAS / BAB / 4U), hero-section copy anatomy, value-prop clarity tests, microcopy patterns (button text, tooltips, helper text), readability targets, and LP-context tone and voice.

2026 traffic mix: LPs are read by AI agents, not only humans. A meaningful share of LP visits comes from generative engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Google AI Overviews) summarising the page to answer a user query elsewhere. Published 2025–2026 retail data shows AI-driven traffic up ~693% YoY and ChatGPT referrals converting ~31% higher than non-branded organic. Two implications for LP copy:

1. Lead with the answer. The headline + sub-head + first benefit block must be self-contained enough to be quoted verbatim by an AI engine without context. PAS / BAB / 4U formulas still apply; the cut-off for "summarisable answer" is the first 80–120 visible words.
2. Attribute every claim. Statistics need a named source, testimonials need a real name + title + company. Unsourced claims are silently demoted by AI summarisers and never make it into the citation. See trust-signal-placement.md for the source-attribution rules.

Scope Boundary

• Funnel copy: LP headline, sub-head, hero body, benefit-block copy, section-level framing, CTA label drafting, and microcopy shells authored to conversion goals.
• Prose (elsewhere): authoritative microcopy voice/tone system, design-system-wide error/empty/success copy, exact final wording polished to brand-voice guidelines.
• Growth (elsewhere): copy frameworks applied across funnel stages (ads → LP → email nurture), SEO-driven headline formulas, keyword integration, GEO/AI-citation copy optimization.
• Muse (elsewhere): typographic tokens (font size, weight, line-height, text-wrap: balance) — not the words themselves.
• Vision (elsewhere): brand positioning, master-narrative, category framing upstream of any LP copy.

If the question is "what does the headline need to do?" → copy. If it's "what is our brand voice across every surface?" → Prose. If it's "how do we say this same benefit in the Google Ad and nurture email?" → Growth.

Headline Formulas

Pick one formula. Generate 5+ candidates before selecting. The winner is the one that passes the 5-second test: can a stranger restate the value prop after 5 seconds of exposure?

PAS — Problem · Agitate · Solution

Use when audience is problem-aware (knows the pain, searching for relief).

[Problem statement] → [Consequence / urgency] → [Solution framing]

Example:

• Problem: Your team is still chasing invoices in spreadsheets.
• Agitate: Every lost invoice is revenue that walks away.
• Solution: [Product] automates collections so you get paid on time.

Headline candidate: "Stop losing revenue to lost invoices."

BAB — Before · After · Bridge

Use when transformation is tangible and demonstrable (before-state and after-state are visually or numerically different).

[Before — current painful state] → [After — desired state] → [Bridge — the product]

Example:

• Before: 4 hours of weekly reporting.
• After: Reports auto-generated in 3 minutes.
• Bridge: AI-driven reporting that learns your metrics.

Headline candidate: "From 4-hour reports to 3 minutes."

4U — Urgent · Unique · Useful · Ultra-specific

Use when competing in a crowded category and differentiation is the blocker.

Headline candidate: "Ship a production Stripe integration in 30 minutes — without touching webhooks."

Formula Selection by Audience State

Hero-Section Copy Anatomy

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [Eyebrow]  ← optional category / social proof│
│ [Headline] ← main value prop, ≤ 8 words      │
│ [Sub-head] ← expansion, ≤ 20 words, who + how│
│ [CTA copy] ← value-restating action          │
│ [Trust line] ← optional, "no credit card" etc│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Headline constraints:

• ≤ 8 words / ≤ 44 characters (forces clarity, removes jargon).
• Answers "What's in it for me?" in one pass.
• No brand name in the headline unless the brand itself is the value (e.g., "Notion for teams" only works when Notion is already known).
• Use text-wrap: balance in CSS so line breaks favor readability.

Sub-head constraints:

• ≤ 20 words, one sentence.
• Completes the picture: who it's for + how it works + why it's different.
• Do not restate the headline — expand it.

Example pairing:

• Headline: "Ship Stripe in 30 minutes."
• Sub-head: "For indie devs and 2-person startups who need payments live today — no webhook handling, no compliance tickets, one SDK call."

Value-Prop Clarity Tests

Run the draft through all four before committing.

Benefit vs Feature Conversion

Every feature statement must be rewritten as a benefit. A feature describes the product; a benefit describes the reader's post-purchase life.

Rule: Feature is fine as a supporting detail under the benefit, never as the benefit itself.

Microcopy Patterns

Button text

• State the value, not the mechanism. "Get my report" beats "Submit form".
• Possessive framing ("my") outperforms neutral ("your" / none) by ~10% in LP A/B.
• Under 5 words; verb-first.

Helper text (under input labels)

• Tell the reader what format to use before they guess.
• Example: We'll send your receipt here. Use a work email for team access.
• Never duplicate the label. If the label is "Email", do not also write "Enter your email".

Tooltip copy

• One sentence. If it needs two, redesign the UI.
• Start with the answer, not context. Annual billing saves 20% beats About annual billing: you save 20%.

Trust-line copy (near CTA / form)

• Remove specific risk objections: No credit card required · Cancel anytime · We never share your email.
• Keep to 3 items max, pipe-separated. More reads as defensive.

Error-message shells

Funnel drafts the shell. Prose polishes the final wording.

Readability Targets

LP copy is skimmed, not read.

Rule: If the headline Flesch score is below 50, rewrite. Technical LPs (dev tools, finance) may reach 50-60, but never below.

Tone and Voice for LP Context

LPs live on a compressed trust timeline — every word must earn the next. Default LP tone:

Voice shifts by LP type:

• B2B SaaS → confident, data-specific, outcome-framed.
• Consumer product → warmer, sensory, story-adjacent.
• Developer tool → precise, code-literate, jargon-OK when accurate.
• Enterprise → measured, compliance-aware, risk-reducing.

Anti-Patterns

• ❌ Headline with two value props connected by "and" — forces the reader to choose what matters.
• ❌ Starting the headline with the company name.
• ❌ Adjective-stacked benefits: "revolutionary, innovative, best-in-class platform" (all three words do zero work).
• ❌ "The [category] for [audience]" as the only positioning. Copies every competitor.
• ❌ Sub-head that repeats the headline with different words.
• ❌ Feature-listing where benefits are required (pricing page is fine; LP hero is not).
• ❌ "We" / "our" dominance — count pronouns; if "we" > "you", rewrite.
• ❌ Passive-voice testimonials: "This product was found useful" → "I cut my close time in half."
• ❌ CTA copy as a direction ("Click here", "Scroll down") — direction is the UI's job, not the copy's.
• ❌ Jargon in the first paragraph of the LP. Jargon in paragraph 3 under a features heading is acceptable.

Handoff

To Prose (voice polish):

• Draft copy with section-by-section rationale (what each block must accomplish).
• Tone calibration notes (B2B SaaS / consumer / dev-tool / enterprise).
• Terms deliberately chosen vs brand-voice defaults (flag for review).
• Error/empty/success shells needing final wording.

To Growth (cross-stage framework):

• Headline formula selected (PAS / BAB / 4U) and the one-sentence value prop.
• Primary benefit list ranked by importance — Growth reuses in Google Ads, social, nurture email.
• SEO-target keywords that must appear in H1 / H2 (if constrained).

To Artisan (implementation):

• Final copy with section anchors (#hero, #benefits, #cta-final).
• Character-count budget per field (for responsive truncation handling).
• text-wrap: balance flag on headline and sub-head.