Marketing
Plain-language copy check
Use this skill before any outreach or marketing copy goes out: a cold email, a LinkedIn DM, a follow-up, a post, a landing page section, a call script. Produces the copy rewritten to a 5th-grade reading level, with a pass/fail line for each check. Also use for "make this simpler", "too corporate", "plain English", "reading level", "sounds like a consultant", "would a busy founder get this". Not for sharpening a single headline or tagline.
Tanyo GochevCo-Founder & Head of GTM, The Demand DepartmentSay something like
“make this simpler”“too corporate”“plain English”“reading level”“sounds like a consultant”“would a busy founder get this”
SKILL.mdView on GitHub
Applies to any copy a busy buyer will read on a phone between meetings. Produces a rewrite at a 5th-grade reading level and a short check sheet showing it passes.
Simple copy is not dumb copy. A blunt point survives at grade 5. Pretension does not.
The play
- Read the draft out loud. Mark every place you stumble or take a breath mid-sentence.
- Cut sentence length. Average 14 words or fewer. No sentence over 22. Split on "and", "which", "because" and commas.
- One idea per sentence. If a sentence holds a "which" or a "that" clause plus a second point, it is two sentences.
- Swap long words. Two syllables or fewer wherever the meaning holds. Run the swap list in references/word-swaps.md.
- Voice and rhythm. Active voice only. Contractions on. No semicolons. Few dashes. A period beats a comma, and a comma beats anything else.
- Keep the exceptions. Do not simplify:
- Proper nouns: names, companies, products, job titles.
- Terms the reader uses every day: ARR, CRM, ICP, SDR, pipeline. Match the reader. A CFO reads "EBITDA". A shop owner does not.
- Direct quotes from the prospect, a case study or a source.
- Run the check in references/check-sheet.md and attach the pass/fail lines to the rewrite.
- Branch by format:
- Cold email and DMs: be strictest here. Under 90 words for a first touch. The reader owes you nothing.
- Posts: the hook line must pass on its own. Many people read only that.
- Landing pages: headline and button text first. Body copy can run a little longer if each sentence still passes.
- Call scripts: read them aloud at speaking pace. Spoken lines should be shorter than written ones.
Before and after pairs are in references/word-swaps.md. Open them when a rewrite starts to sound childish rather than clear.
What good looks like
- First thing I check that most people skip: the longest sentence. It is almost always where the writer was hiding a point they were not sure about.
- The mediocre version: the copy is "proofread". Spelling is clean, but it still says "leverage our robust methodology to streamline your pipeline". Clean and unreadable.
- The other mediocre version: overcorrected into baby talk. Short words, but also no numbers, no names, no specifics. Grade 5 keeps the specifics.
- I know the copy is right when an 11-year-old could explain back what you offer, and the expert you are writing to does not feel talked down to.
- I know it worked when replies quote your words back to you. People only quote what they understood.
Rules
- MUST keep average sentence length at 14 words or fewer, and no sentence over 22.
- MUST keep every number, name and specific claim from the original.
- MUST read it aloud before calling it done.
- NEVER simplify a proper noun, a quote, or a term the reader uses daily.
- NEVER use a word from the swap list when the plain word means the same thing.
- NEVER use semicolons in outreach copy.
2 reference files
references/check-sheet.md
Check sheet
Attach these lines to every rewrite. All must pass.
| # | Check | Pass |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Average sentence length | 14 words or fewer |
| 2 | Longest sentence | 22 words or fewer |
| 3 | Ideas per sentence | One |
| 4 | Swap-list words left | Zero |
| 5 | Words of 3+ syllables | Only proper nouns, quotes, or terms the reader uses daily |
| 6 | Voice | Active throughout |
| 7 | Contractions | Used where natural |
| 8 | Semicolons | Zero |
| 9 | Numbers, names, claims from the original | All kept |
| 10 | Read aloud | No stumbles |
| 11 | Reading level estimate | Grade 5 or lower (any Flesch-Kincaid calculator) |
Format-specific:
| Format | Extra check |
|---|---|
| Cold email or first DM | Under 90 words |
| Post | Hook line passes on its own |
| Landing page | Headline and button text pass first |
| Call script | Every line can be said in one breath |
references/word-swaps.md
Word swaps and before/after pairs
Swap on sight
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| utilize, leverage | use |
| facilitate | help |
| implement | set up |
| optimize | improve |
| methodology | way |
| paradigm | model |
| synergy | fit |
| holistic | whole |
| robust | strong |
| scalable | grows with you |
| streamline | simplify |
| operationalize | run |
| ideate | think up |
| cadence | schedule |
| architect (verb) | build |
| transformative | big |
| seamless | smooth |
| empower | let |
| stakeholder | person involved |
| bandwidth | time |
| circle back | follow up |
| touch base | check in |
| low-hanging fruit | easy wins |
| move the needle | make a difference |
| in order to | to |
| with regards to | about |
| prior to | before |
| subsequently | then |
| additionally, furthermore | also |
| therefore | so |
| however | but |
| nevertheless | still |
Before and after
Cold email opener
- Before: "I wanted to reach out because we help B2B organizations leverage data-driven outbound methodologies to optimize pipeline generation." (one 20-word sentence)
- After: "We help B2B teams book more sales calls. We do it with cold email and LinkedIn." (two short sentences)
Follow-up
- Before: "Just circling back to see if you had the bandwidth to review the proposal prior to our next touch base."
- After: "Did you get time to read the proposal? Happy to walk you through it Thursday."
Landing page
- Before: "A holistic, scalable platform that empowers revenue teams to streamline their go-to-market motion."
- After: "One place to run your sales outreach. It grows with your team."
When the rewrite turns childish
Grade 5 is about sentence shape and word length, not about hiding detail. If the rewrite lost the number, the name or the outcome, put it back.
- Too far: "We help you get more calls. It is easy."
- Right: "We booked 31 sales calls for a 12-person agency in 60 days."
The second one is grade 5 too. It just says something. (Use your own real numbers. Never invent one to make the line land.)