Free takeaway: Copy brief and headline worksheet

Worked example to compare with: A one-page brand snapshot

• Brand: a neighborhood coffee shop.
• Visual: warm brown and cream, a hand-drawn cup logo, photos of real regulars.
• Verbal: friendly and plainspoken, names drinks simply, signs notes "See you tomorrow."
• Experience: staff remember orders, a loyalty card, cups washed and reused for dine-in.
• Values: local sourcing and everyone is welcome.
• Check: if you hid the logo, could a customer still tell it was this café from the voice, the service and the look?

Worked example to compare with: Spotting a conflict early

• Name idea: "Northwind Coffee" for a new café.
• Search: a coffee roaster in the same country already sells beans as "Northwind Coffee Co."
• Risk: same industry and nearly identical name, so customers could confuse them.
• Options: choose a different name, add a distinctive element, or ask a lawyer whether the names can coexist.
• Takeaway: finding the conflict before launch costs an afternoon; finding it after printing signs can cost much more.

Worked example to compare with: Testing a shortlist

• Shortlist: Brightleaf, Tillgreen, Oakdesk, Hearthly, Fernwick.
• Test: say each name once to ten people, then ask them to write it down and, a day later, recall it.
• Result: Brightleaf was spelled correctly by 9 of 10 and recalled by 7. Tillgreen was misspelled by 6.
• Decision: keep Brightleaf, then run the web address, handle and trademark checks.
• Takeaway: the best name on paper is not always the easiest for people to hear, spell and remember.

Worked example to compare with: Writing the same message in two tones

• Message: the booking system will be down for two hours tonight.
• Calm and clear (for customers): "Our booking system will be offline from 10 p.m. to midnight tonight while we update it. Bookings you have already made are safe."
• Playful (for a social post): "Our booking system is taking a short nap tonight, 10 to midnight. Your bookings are tucked in and safe."
• Check: both sound like the same brand, and the first one is right for anxious customers.
• Takeaway: keep the voice, change the tone to fit the reader.

Worked example to compare with: From a draft to a sharper statement

• Draft: "We are a bike shop that cares about customers."
• Problem: it does not say who it is for or what makes the shop different.
• Revised: "For city commuters who cannot be without their bike, Quick Spokes is the repair shop that guarantees same-day service because we keep the most common parts in stock."
• Check: could the shop use it to decide whether to offer a weekend mobile repair service? Yes, so it is useful.

Worked example to compare with: Seeing equity as a price premium

• Two bottled waters cost 30 cents each to produce and are chemically identical.
• Brand A sells at $1.00. Brand B sells at $2.50.
• Math: the $1.50 difference is a premium customers pay for reputation, trust and associations.
• Test it: ask people to choose between the two with the labels hidden, then with labels visible. If the label changes the choice, that gap is equity.
• Takeaway: brand equity is visible in what people will pay and how often they come back.

Worked example to compare with: Building a persona from three interviews

• Interviews: three office managers say the same things: they hate long onboarding, they trust peers over ads and they worry the team will not adopt new tools.
• Pattern: all three mention saving time and avoiding a messy rollout.
• Persona: Busy Brenda, an office manager with a small team, wants a tool she can set up in an afternoon.
• Use: the website headline becomes "Set up in an afternoon, not a month", and the sales page adds a peer testimonial about team adoption.
• Check: every part of the persona should trace back to something a real customer said.

Worked example to compare with: Rewriting a hero section

• Before: "Welcome to Green Thumb Landscaping. We offer many landscaping services."
• Questions to answer: who is this for, what is the benefit and what should the visitor do?
• After headline: "A lawn you will be proud of, without giving up your weekends."
• After subhead: "Weekly mowing and seasonal care for homes in Ottawa. Get a free quote in 24 hours."
• After button: "Get my free quote".
• Check: a visitor should know what you do and what to do next within five seconds.

Worked example to compare with: Outlining a homepage for a bookkeeper

• Hero: "Bookkeeping for small businesses, done monthly so you never dread tax time." Button: "Book a free call".
• Benefits: reports you understand, deadlines handled for you, one fixed monthly fee.
• Proof: two short client quotes and the number of years in business.
• Call to action: repeated at the bottom with a short form.
• Check: read only the headlines and buttons. Do they tell the story on their own?

Worked example to compare with: Feature, benefit, proof

• Feature: double-wall insulation.
• Benefit: drinks stay cold through a long hike.
• Proof: "Tested with ice water on a summer day: still cold after eight hours."
• Draft: "Ice-cold water all day. The double-wall steel keeps drinks cold on the longest hike, and in our own eight-hour summer test the ice was still there."
• Check: remove any claim you cannot prove, such as "the best bottle ever made".

Worked example to compare with: A short About page outline

• Opening: "We started Maple Street Bakery because the neighborhood had nowhere to buy honest bread."
• Who we help: families and offices within walking distance who want fresh bread and quick catering.
• Proof: a photo of the team, the year opened and a line from a regular customer.
• Next step: "Order for pickup, or stop by and say hello."
• Check: remove any sentence that is only about the business and does not help the visitor decide.