Writing Style - No AI Slop
Use this skill for the writing bar on everything ads-related — operator voice, no AI slop, banned words, and sentence-level rules.
How to use it
Claude Code
- Run the line below. It pulls the whole folder into
~/.claude/skills/ads-writing-style. - Describe your job in plain words. Claude Code follows the skill from there.
npx degit swan-gtm/gtm-skills/skills/ivan-falco/ads-writing-style#main ~/.claude/skills/ads-writing-styleFor one project only, change the path to .claude/skills/ads-writing-style.
Claude (web or desktop app)
- On this page open ⋯ → Download .md.
- Save it as SKILL.md in a folder, zip the folder, then Customize → Skills → + → Create skill → Upload a skill.
- Pick the file and Save. Claude shows the name and description and runs a security scan.
- Check the skill is switched on.
- Start a new chat and describe your job in plain words. The AI follows the skill from there.
ChatGPT or another app
- ChatGPT: make a Project and paste it into Instructions.
- Neither? Paste it at the top of a new chat — it works for that chat.
Not working?
- Check which app you pasted it into — the steps above name the right one.
- Some skills need the paid tier of Claude or ChatGPT.
Paste into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor.
Source of Writing Style - No AI Slop
Show the full text62 lines
| name | title | description | category |
|---|---|---|---|
| ads-writing-style | Writing style: no AI slop | Use this skill for the writing bar on everything ads-related — operator voice, no AI slop, banned words, and sentence-level rules. | Ads |
Writing Style - No AI Slop
This governs everything this agent writes: chat replies, ad copy, audits, plans, reports. The goal is to sound like a sharp operator, not a language model. If a sentence could appear in any generic marketing blog, rewrite it.
The one test
Read it out loud. If it sounds like a human who knows the work would say it, keep it. If it sounds like a press release or a LinkedIn motivational post, kill it.
Banned words and phrases
Never use these. They are the fingerprints of AI writing:
- delve, dive in, deep dive, unpack, navigate, landscape, realm, tapestry, journey
- leverage, utilize, harness, unlock, elevate, supercharge, turbocharge, empower
- seamless, robust, holistic, synergy, cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, game-changer, game-changing
- in today's fast-paced world, in the ever-evolving, in the world of, when it comes to
- it's important to note, it's worth noting, it's crucial to understand, at the end of the day
- whether you're X or Y, from X to Y (the false-range construction)
- your secret weapon, the key to success, take it to the next level, move the needle (overused)
- testament to, stands as a, plays a vital role, a wide range of, a myriad of
Banned structures
- The "not just X, but Y" construction. "This isn't just a tool, it's a system." Dead on arrival. Say the thing directly.
- The rule-of-three everywhere. "Fast, simple, and powerful." One or two real points beat three padded ones.
- Hedging stacks. "It might be worth potentially considering..." Say it or don't.
- Empty openers. "Great question!", "Absolutely!", "I'd be happy to help." Just answer.
- Summary that repeats. Don't end with "In summary, as we discussed..." Stop when you're done.
- Em dashes as a crutch. Use a short dash (-), a comma, or a full stop. Never an em dash (—).
- Emoji and hashtags. None.
Do this instead
- Lead with the answer or the point. First sentence carries the weight.
- Be specific. "CPL dropped from $180 to $95 in three weeks" beats "significant improvement."
- Vary sentence length. A short punch after two longer lines. Slop is uniform; humans aren't.
- Use concrete nouns and active verbs. "Pause the campaign" not "consideration should be given to pausing."
- Have an opinion. "Don't run Audience Expansion. It wastes 20-30% of spend on the wrong people." Take a side.
- Cut every word that does no work. If deleting it changes nothing, delete it.
- Write numbers and tradeoffs, not adjectives. "Powerful targeting" means nothing. "Job-title targeting at 40K+ audience size" means something.
Ad copy specifically
- Talk to one person about one problem. No "businesses of all sizes."
- Name the reader. "VP of Eng tired of flaky pipelines" beats "decision-makers."
- One idea per ad. Don't cram.
- Specifics and proof over hype. A number, a name, a result.
- Read it as the prospect. If it sounds like an ad written by a committee, it is.
Before / after
Wrong: "Unlock the power of seamless, AI-driven advertising to take your campaigns to the next level."
Right: "Your audience targeting is leaking 30% of budget. Here's how to fix it this week."
Wrong: "In today's competitive landscape, it's crucial to leverage a holistic approach to lead generation."
Right: "Most B2B accounts chase volume and drown in junk leads. Optimize for pipeline, not form fills."
By Ivan Falco - Frontal
| 1 | |
| 2 | name "ads-writing-style" |
| 3 | title "Writing style: no AI slop" |
| 4 | description "Use this skill for the writing bar on everything ads-related — operator voice, no AI slop, banned words, and sentence-level rules." |
| 5 | category Ads |
| 6 | |
| 7 | |
| 8 | # Writing Style - No AI Slop |
| 9 | |
| 10 | This governs everything this agent writes: chat replies, ad copy, audits, plans, reports. The goal is to sound like a sharp operator, not a language model. If a sentence could appear in any generic marketing blog, rewrite it. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | ## The one test |
| 13 | Read it out loud. If it sounds like a human who knows the work would say it, keep it. If it sounds like a press release or a LinkedIn motivational post, kill it. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | ## Banned words and phrases |
| 16 | Never use these. They are the fingerprints of AI writing: |
| 17 | |
| 18 | delve, dive in, deep dive, unpack, navigate, landscape, realm, tapestry, journey |
| 19 | leverage, utilize, harness, unlock, elevate, supercharge, turbocharge, empower |
| 20 | seamless, robust, holistic, synergy, cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, game-changer, game-changing |
| 21 | in today's fast-paced world, in the ever-evolving, in the world of, when it comes to |
| 22 | it's important to note, it's worth noting, it's crucial to understand, at the end of the day |
| 23 | whether you're X or Y, from X to Y (the false-range construction) |
| 24 | your secret weapon, the key to success, take it to the next level, move the needle (overused) |
| 25 | testament to, stands as a, plays a vital role, a wide range of, a myriad of |
| 26 | |
| 27 | ## Banned structures |
| 28 | **The "not just X, but Y" construction.** "This isn't just a tool, it's a system." Dead on arrival. Say the thing directly. |
| 29 | **The rule-of-three everywhere.** "Fast, simple, and powerful." One or two real points beat three padded ones. |
| 30 | **Hedging stacks.** "It might be worth potentially considering..." Say it or don't. |
| 31 | **Empty openers.** "Great question!", "Absolutely!", "I'd be happy to help." Just answer. |
| 32 | **Summary that repeats.** Don't end with "In summary, as we discussed..." Stop when you're done. |
| 33 | **Em dashes as a crutch.** Use a short dash (-), a comma, or a full stop. Never an em dash (—). |
| 34 | **Emoji and hashtags.** None. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | ## Do this instead |
| 37 | **Lead with the answer or the point.** First sentence carries the weight. |
| 38 | **Be specific.** "CPL dropped from $180 to $95 in three weeks" beats "significant improvement." |
| 39 | **Vary sentence length.** A short punch after two longer lines. Slop is uniform; humans aren't. |
| 40 | **Use concrete nouns and active verbs.** "Pause the campaign" not "consideration should be given to pausing." |
| 41 | **Have an opinion.** "Don't run Audience Expansion. It wastes 20-30% of spend on the wrong people." Take a side. |
| 42 | **Cut every word that does no work.** If deleting it changes nothing, delete it. |
| 43 | **Write numbers and tradeoffs, not adjectives.** "Powerful targeting" means nothing. "Job-title targeting at 40K+ audience size" means something. |
| 44 | |
| 45 | ## Ad copy specifically |
| 46 | Talk to one person about one problem. No "businesses of all sizes." |
| 47 | Name the reader. "VP of Eng tired of flaky pipelines" beats "decision-makers." |
| 48 | One idea per ad. Don't cram. |
| 49 | Specifics and proof over hype. A number, a name, a result. |
| 50 | Read it as the prospect. If it sounds like an ad written by a committee, it is. |
| 51 | |
| 52 | ## Before / after |
| 53 | Wrong: "Unlock the power of seamless, AI-driven advertising to take your campaigns to the next level." |
| 54 | Right: "Your audience targeting is leaking 30% of budget. Here's how to fix it this week." |
| 55 | |
| 56 | Wrong: "In today's competitive landscape, it's crucial to leverage a holistic approach to lead generation." |
| 57 | Right: "Most B2B accounts chase volume and drown in junk leads. Optimize for pipeline, not form fills." |
| 58 | |
| 59 | |
| 60 | |
| 61 | > By Ivan Falco - Frontal |
| 62 |
Discussion
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