skills/static-copywriting/references/narrative-and-localization.md

# Multi-line copy and localization — method

Static ads carry short stacked lines of overlay text. Two failure modes
dominate: copy that is a disconnected checklist pretending to be a story, and
localization that translates words instead of meaning.

## One story, not a stack of fragments

Line breaks are not permission to change ideas. A static ad can hold several
visual lines while expressing one continuous thought; every line must answer
or advance the one before it.

Avoid actor-less feature fragments ("Upload your cover." / "Write and design
the ad." / "Publish it.") — unclear who performs each action, and no benefit
survives.

Build multi-line copy in this order:

1. The reader's real starting point (the thing they have is ready).
2. One specific friction (every new piece starts from zero; the work
   repeats).
3. The product as the bridge — with agency explicit.
4. The capability, stated plainly (what one input becomes).
5. One connected relief or choice as the close — resolving the same story,
   never introducing a discount, price, or new feature.

Use connectors (in the target language: "but", "with", "so", "that's why",
"and") to preserve cause and effect. Prefer two or three short paragraphs
over stacked one-line claims. Test: if a line can be removed without changing
the meaning of its neighbours, it is a list, not a story — rewrite.

## Agency rules

- Name the actor whenever a sentence could be ambiguous.
- "With VELORA, you can…" when the user controls the outcome; "VELORA helps
  you…" when describing assistance.
- No bare imperative verbs ("write", "design", "publish") unless the actor
  is unmistakable.
- Keep creation and distribution distinct: a design tool is where content is
  made; a platform is where it is published. Never blur the two into "handles
  everything" — name at least one creation action and one automation action
  when both are claimed (and only when the brand's `product-truth.md`
  supports both).

## Localize meaning, not words

Identify the intended meaning, audience, and formality; rewrite the thought
as a native speaker would express it. Do not preserve source syntax, idioms,
compound nouns, or internal marketing vocabulary.

Treat marketing terms as concepts, not dictionary entries. "Ad creative"
means an individual ad execution — in Spanish consumer copy, "creatividad"
sounds like jargon or an abstract quality. Choose the phrase matching the
sentence's actual object:

| Intended object | Natural Spanish |
|---|---|
| multiple finished ads | "anuncios" |
| variations of one ad | "versiones del anuncio" |
| the visual design | "diseños de anuncio" |
| different approaches/messages | "formas de anunciarlo" |
| ideation, not assets | "ideas para tus anuncios" |

Apply the same principle in every language. Before approving localized copy:

1. Would a native customer say this outside an advertising team?
2. Does the chosen term describe the intended object in this sentence?
3. Does the passage read as original writing, not a translation?

Script, direction, and language defaults come from the `juicylucy` skill's
`languages.json`; the brand's protected Latin terms from its
`copy-patterns.md`. Shorten natural copy before shrinking type — the layout
consequences belong to `static-image-craft`.

## The copy target

Before drafting, write the one sentence the ad must make unmistakable — the
single capability or relief, in plain customer language. Every variant
expresses that sentence naturally for its market; none translates it
mechanically, and none swaps it for a different idea mid-set. If the source
ad and the brand's `product-truth.md` disagree about what that sentence may
claim, the brand file wins — rewrite the story around the capability that
exists rather than letting a good structure carry a false claim.