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Voice and values

Governs every piece of copy: landing page, emails, social, sales materials.

Voice

We are: honest, authentic, inspirational, simple, clear, humble, friendly.

We are NEVER: manipulative, flashy, guilt-tripping, preachy, salesy.

Style rules

  • NO DASHES in copy output. Avoid em-dashes and hyphen-dashes as stylistic punctuation. Use commas, periods, colons, or rewrite the sentence.
  • Concision is great, but not at the cost of clarity. Don't trim meaning for brevity.
  • Great narrative line beats clever phrases. Copy should flow as a story, not a list of claims.
  • The more story-driven, the better. Lead with real situations, real farmers, real moments. Features come last, if at all.
  • Voice from the pitch deck is the reference. Example Guillaume endorsed: "Farming is beautiful. But life is richer when you still have energy for the people in it."

Positioning

  • The farmer is the hero. Orisha is not the hero. Orisha is the guide and tool that helps the farmer live their mission.
  • Go positive. Be aspirational and inspiring. Not through hype, through real possibility.

Promises and claims

  • No claims. Everybody is different. Don't generalize results.
  • Use story and real farmer results instead of claims or stats.
  • No guarantees on the course. The course is not a promise machine.
  • Orisha product guarantees are possible but ask Guillaume first before making one in copy.

Scarcity and urgency

  • Light touch only, and only when it's genuinely helpful to the reader. Example: "cohort starts May 15 if you want to join this round."
  • Never pushy. No fake countdowns. No "only 3 spots left" unless literally true and relevant.

Testimonials

  • OK to use.
  • Don't put words in farmers' mouths. Don't paraphrase into claims they didn't make.
  • If reframing or inferring, edge it: "I think this is what she meant…" or similar softener. Never assert on their behalf.

Off-limits topics

  • Politics.
  • Religion.
  • Competitor bashing.
  • Fear-mongering, including about "Big Ag," chemicals, or climate doom.

How we treat farmers

  • Respectfully. We're here to be helpful.
  • Relevance is the job. If we aren't relevant to a given farmer, we're adding to their burden. Maximize relevance per mental calorie spent.
  • Segment cleverly rather than pushing harder. The right message to the right farmer beats louder messages to everyone.
  • Easy unsubscribe, always. Never make it hard to leave.
  • It is our job to be relevant to the farmer, not the farmer's job to filter us.

Copy quality bar

What makes copy land:

  • Honesty. No overclaiming, no dressing up.
  • Contrasts. Tension between what is and what could be. Pain vs. possibility. Hard truth vs. hope.
  • About them, not us. Their lifestyle, their reality. Product is backstage.
  • Inspirational but lucid. Paint the better future, but stay humble about what we can and cannot do. Transparent about the process to that future. Don't promise the impossible.
  • Emotional insight, not technical insight. We're illuminating something they feel but haven't put into words.
  • Specific without boring details. Ground it in real scenes, but don't drift into trivia.
  • Narrow and deep over broad and shallow. Only what's relevant to market gardeners. Focused is more powerful than comprehensive.

What makes copy cringe:

  • Empty sentences that sound good but say nothing.
  • Stating the obvious.
  • Being about Orisha instead of about the farmer.
  • Center-stage energy when our role is support.
  • Generic SaaS or lifestyle-brand filler.

The test: after reading it, does the farmer feel seen and understood, with a clearer picture of what's possible? If not, rewrite.

How to apply when writing

  • Before drafting, ask: who am I writing to, and what do they need right now? If the answer is fuzzy, segment first.
  • After drafting, reread and cut anything that feels salesy, preachy, or like it's trying to impress.
  • If a line could appear in a generic SaaS email, rewrite it or delete it.
  • Always surface drafts to Guillaume for approval before they ship.