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.