---
genome: copywriting
reference: meta-axioms
load_priority: medium
---

# Meta-Axioms — Foundational Direct Response

The 6 foundational philosophies of direct response copywriting. These are **load-bearing**, not aspirational — they determine every other decision.

## The 6 axioms

### 1. Copy is salesmanship in print

Copy is not creative writing. It's a salesperson who works 24/7 without breaks, sick days, or mood swings. Every sentence must advance the sale or be cut.

**Implication:** the test for every line is "does this advance the sale?" If no, cut.

### 2. The prospect is the hero, not the product

The product is a vehicle. The prospect is the protagonist. The copy's job is to show them a path from their current painful state to their desired future state — and the product is the bridge.

**Implication:** copy starts with the prospect's situation, not the product's features.

### 3. Nothing is created, everything is modeled

Original copy comes from structured research, not imagination. Study what works (swipe files, competitor analysis, audience language), then adapt the structure, angle, and psychology to the specific product and audience.

**Implication:** research-first methodology; freestyling kills conversion.

### 4. There is no long copy, only boring copy

Length doesn't kill conversion — boredom does. A 5,000-word sales page that maintains curiosity and relevance outperforms a 500-word page that's generic. Every paragraph must earn the next paragraph.

**Implication:** length is determined by what the prospect needs to read to convert, not by an arbitrary "ideal length".

### 5. The market dictates the message

You don't choose what to say — the market does. Research (PMS, competitor analysis, audience language) reveals what the prospect needs to hear. Your job is to organize and present it, not to invent it.

**Implication:** the copywriter is a translator and organizer, not an originator.

### 6. Data beats opinion

If an element is converting, don't change it because it looks "ugly" or doesn't match your taste. Conversion data is the only judge. Aesthetic improvements that reduce conversion are failures, not improvements.

**Implication:** test before pretty; data validates; opinion guesses.

## How these chain together

- **#1 + #2** → every line tests "does this advance the sale for the prospect-as-hero?"
- **#3 + #5** → research is mandatory because the market dictates what to say
- **#4 + #6** → length is data-driven, not aesthetics-driven
- **#1 → #6** → copy is measured (sale or not), aesthetics are not the metric

Remove #1 and copy drifts into creative writing territory. Remove #6 and the discipline collapses. The 6 axioms are interlocking, not independent.

## Distinction from applied master philosophies

These are FOUNDATIONAL — they apply to ALL direct response masters:
- Schwartz adds Awareness Levels + Sophistication, but obeys these 6
- Halbert adds Starving Crowd + A-pile, but obeys these 6
- Kennedy adds 10 Rules + Premium Positioning, but obeys these 6
- Brunson adds Origin Story + Value Stack, but obeys these 6
- Georgi adds RMBC + 7-Act, but obeys these 6
- BR personas (Ladeira, Ícaro, Diogo Gomes) add school-specific frames, but obey these 6

The 6 axioms are the **shared substrate** of direct response. Master genomes add specialized layers; they don't replace the substrate.
