---
name: "copy-editing"
description: "Edit, proofread and tighten existing marketing copy in focused passes: clarity, voice, proofreading, specificity, readability and AI tells. Use whenever the user asks to polish, clean up, shorten or fix the wording of a page, email or ad."
license: MIT
metadata:
version: 1.0.0
author: Alireza Rezvani
category: marketing
updated: 2026-03-06
---
# Copy Editing
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.
## Core Philosophy
**Check for product marketing context first:**
If `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` exists, 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:**
- Don't change the core message; focus on enhancing it
- Multiple focused passes beat one unfocused review
- Each edit should have a clear reason
- Preserve the author's voice while improving clarity
---
## The Seven Sweeps Framework
Edit in seven sequential passes, each on one dimension. After each sweep, loop back to re-check earlier sweeps. The full process, examples and per-sweep checks are in `references/sweeps-detail.md`.
| # | Sweep | Question |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clarity | Can the reader understand what you're saying? |
| 2 | Voice and Tone | Is the copy consistent in how it sounds? |
| 3 | So What | Does every claim answer "why should I care?" |
| 4 | Prove It | Is every claim supported with evidence? |
| 5 | Specificity | Is the copy concrete enough to be compelling? |
| 6 | Heightened Emotion | Does the copy make the reader feel something? |
| 7 | Zero Risk | Have we removed every barrier to action? |
---
## Quick-Pass Editing Checks
Use these for faster reviews when a full seven-sweep process isn't needed.
### AI-Pattern Check
If the draft may be AI-generated (or AI-assisted), run the detector before editing:
```bash
python3 scripts/ai_content_detector.py draft.md --json # no arg = --demo mode
```
It scores burstiness, vocabulary diversity, and stock-phrase density. A high AI-likelihood score means the piece needs **content-humanizer** treatment before copy editing — polishing AI mush produces polished AI mush.
### Word-Level Checks
**Cut these words:**
- Very, really, extremely, incredibly (weak intensifiers)
- Just, actually, basically (filler)
- In order to (use "to")
- That (often unnecessary)
- Things, stuff (vague)
**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:**
- Adverbs (usually unnecessary)
- Passive voice (switch to active)
- Nominalizations (verb → noun: "make a decision" → "decide")
### Sentence-Level Checks
- One idea per sentence
- Vary sentence length (mix short and long)
- Front-load important information
- Max 3 conjunctions per sentence
- No more than 25 words (usually)
### Paragraph-Level Checks
- One topic per paragraph
- Short paragraphs (2-4 sentences for web)
- Strong opening sentences
- Logical flow between paragraphs
- White space for scannability
---
## Copy Editing Checklist
Run the checklist per sweep before delivering, and confirm before you start that you know the goal, the audience and the desired action. The full checklist is in `references/sweeps-detail.md`.
---
## Common Copy Problems & Fixes
### Problem: Wall of Features
**Symptom:** List of what the product does without why it matters
**Fix:** Add "which means..." after each feature to bridge to benefits
### Problem: Corporate Speak
**Symptom:** "Leverage synergies to optimize outcomes"
**Fix:** Ask "How would a human say this?" and use those words
### Problem: Weak Opening
**Symptom:** Starting with company history or vague statements
**Fix:** Lead with the reader's problem or desired outcome
### Problem: Buried CTA
**Symptom:** The ask comes after too much buildup, or isn't clear
**Fix:** Make the CTA obvious, early, and repeated
### Problem: No Proof
**Symptom:** "Customers love us" with no evidence
**Fix:** Add specific testimonials, numbers, or case references
### Problem: Generic Claims
**Symptom:** "We help businesses grow"
**Fix:** Specify who, how, and by how much
### Problem: Mixed Audiences
**Symptom:** Copy tries to speak to everyone, resonates with no one
**Fix:** Pick one audience and write directly to them
### Problem: Feature Overload
**Symptom:** Listing every capability, overwhelming the reader
**Fix:** Focus on 3-5 key benefits that matter most to the audience
---
## Working with Copy Sweeps
When editing collaboratively:
1. **Run a sweep and present findings** - Show what you found, why it's an issue
2. **Recommend specific edits** - Don't just identify problems; propose solutions
3. **Request the updated copy** - Let the author make final decisions
4. **Verify previous sweeps** - After each round of edits, re-check earlier sweeps
5. **Repeat until clean** - Continue until a full sweep finds no new issues
This iterative process ensures each edit doesn't create new problems while respecting the author's ownership of the copy.
---
## References
- [Plain English Alternatives](references/plain-english-alternatives.md): Replace complex words with simpler alternatives
- [Sweeps detail and checklist](references/sweeps-detail.md): the full seven-sweep process, examples, and the per-sweep checklist
---
## Task-Specific Questions
1. What's the goal of this copy? (Awareness, conversion, retention)
2. What action should readers take?
3. Are there specific concerns or known issues?
4. What proof/evidence do you have available?
---
## When to Use Each Skill
| 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 | page-cro |
---
## Proactive Triggers
Surface these issues WITHOUT being asked when you notice them in context:
- **Copy is submitted for editing without a stated goal** → Ask for the target action and audience before starting any sweeps; editing without this context guarantees misaligned feedback.
- **Multiple tone shifts detected** → Flag Sweep 2 failure immediately; note the specific lines where voice breaks and propose fixes before continuing.
- **Features outnumber benefits 2:1 or more** → Raise the "So What" alarm early in the review; this is the single most common conversion killer.
- **Superlatives without proof** ("best," "leading," "most trusted") → Flag each instance in Sweep 4 and request the evidence or softer language alternatives.
- **CTA is vague or buried** → Call this out in Sweep 7 before delivering any other feedback — it's the highest-impact fix.
---
## Output Artifacts
| When you ask for... | You get... |
|---------------------|------------|
| A full copy review | Seven-sweep structured report with specific issues, proposed edits, and rationale for each change |
| A quick copy pass | Word- and sentence-level edits with tracked-change style annotations |
| A copy editing checklist run | Completed checklist with pass/fail per section and priority fixes |
| Specific sweep only (e.g., Clarity) | Focused report for that sweep with before/after examples |
| Final polish | Clean edited version of the copy with a summary of all changes made |
---
## Communication
All output follows the structured communication standard:
- **Bottom line first** — state the overall copy health before diving into issues
- **What + Why + How** — every flagged issue gets: what's wrong, why it hurts conversion, how to fix it
- **Edits have reasons** — never change words without explaining the principle
- **Confidence tagging** — 🟢 clear improvement / 🟡 judgment call / 🔴 needs author input
Deliver findings sweep-by-sweep. Don't dump all issues at once. Prioritize by conversion impact, not writing preference.
---
## Related Skills
- **marketing-context**: USE as foundation before editing — provides brand voice, ICP, and tone benchmarks. NOT a substitute for reading the copy itself.
- **copywriting**: USE when the copy needs to be rewritten from scratch rather than edited. NOT for polishing existing drafts.
- **content-strategy**: USE when the problem is what to say, not how to say it. NOT for line-level improvements.
- **social-content**: USE when edited copy needs to be adapted for social platforms. NOT for page-level editing.
- **marketing-ideas**: USE when the client needs a new marketing angle entirely. NOT for editorial improvement.
- **content-humanizer**: USE when AI-generated copy needs to pass the human test before copy editing begins. NOT for structural review.
- **ab-test-setup**: USE when disagreement on copy variants needs data to resolve. NOT for the editing process itself.
## More in this skill
Load these only when the task needs them.
- [references/ai-detection-patterns.md](references/ai-detection-patterns.md) — AI Content Detection Patterns