Copy Guide

State of Stick — Copy Guide

This is the writing reference. Tone, voice, headline patterns, and the specific words to use and avoid.

The voice in one paragraph

State of Stick speaks like a real workshop. Direct, confident, sharp. Every word earns its place. We lead with the product, we name the price, we don’t apologize. We are American-made and not shy about it. We’re premium and not precious. We sound like the people who actually run the laser.

Core voice principles

1. Lead with the product

Don’t open with the company or the founders or the vision. Open with what we make and what it does.

Right: “Premium laser-cut wall pieces, custom emblem drops, and microsites — built as one complete package.”

Wrong: “Welcome to State of Stick. We’re so excited to share our journey with you.”

2. Name the price

Hiding price is a startup tic. We are a product company. Buyers want to know what something costs. Tell them.

Right: “Statement $5,500 · Atelier $11,500 · Mural $22,500+.”

Wrong: “Contact us for a custom quote.”

(Exception: Brand Activation Packages are quoted per project — but we still anchor with starting prices.)

3. Use specific nouns

Specific beats abstract every time.

Right: “Card shops, breweries, tattoo studios, barbershops.”

Wrong: “Various retail environments.”

4. Short sentences. Then a longer one if you need it.

Rhythm matters. Don’t write three long sentences in a row. Stack short. Land long.

Right: “Built to last. Designed to represent. Premium finish that holds up under sun, sweat, and a thousand customer touches.”

5. Cut the qualifiers

Delete “very”, “really”, “quite”, “extremely”, “totally”, “definitely”, “absolutely.” If the sentence still works, the qualifier wasn’t pulling weight.

Headline patterns

Pattern 1 — Action verb + outcome

TURN YOUR WALL INTO A DESTINATION.
LAUNCH A COLLECTIBLE DISPLAY YOUR CUSTOMERS CAN'T IGNORE.
BUILD A BRAND PEOPLE DRIVE TO.

Pattern 2 — Statement + accent phrase

The primary statement is text-metal. The accent phrase is text-precision-shine. The accent is the part that earns the eye.

BUILT TO STICK. / MADE TO LAST.
PRECISION-CUT. / FOUNDER-SIGNED.
EVERY PIECE IS A / CONNECTED COLLECTIBLE.

Pattern 3 — Eyebrow + bold claim

The eyebrow is a small label-rust or label-precision. The headline below is the claim.

[The moat]
EVERY PIECE IS A CONNECTED COLLECTIBLE.

[Who Brand Activations are built for]
BRANDS THAT WANT TO BECOME A DESTINATION.

Headline rules

Always uppercase
Always tracked
Maximum two display sizes per section
One accented phrase per headline maximum — usually text-precision-shine
Never end a headline with a comma
Never use exclamation points
Never use ellipses

Section opener (lede) pattern

After the headline, one paragraph that says what the section is and who it’s for. Keep it under three sentences.

Premium laser-cut wall pieces, custom emblem drops, QR / NFC certificate pages, microsites, launch graphics, and story-driven brand assets — built as one complete package.

Words to use

These words carry the brand:

Built
Made
Cut
Forged
Crafted
Designed
Precision
Durable
Premium
Collectible
Numbered
Signed
Founder-signed
Founder-led
Limited
Edition
Drop
Flagship
Destination
Industrial
Tactical
Sharp
Stick
Last
Represent
Real
American-made
Hand-finished
Battle Creek

Words to avoid

These words break the voice:

Amazing
Incredible
Revolutionary
Game-changing
Disrupt
Solution
Synergy
Leverage
Curated (overused — “selected” works fine)
Bespoke (too soft luxury)
Artisanal (too craft-fair)
Handcrafted (use “hand-finished” or “made by hand”)
Luxury (we’re premium, not luxury)
Beautiful (show, don’t tell)
Stunning
Gorgeous
Magical
Journey (in the company-story sense)
Family (in the customer-family sense)
Community (in the marketing sense — say “our buyers” or “flagship retailers”)
Passion / passionate
Elevate
Discover
Unlock
Empower
Innovative

Phrases to avoid

These read as startup-fluffy or generic:

“We’re so excited to…”
“Welcome to…”
“Our story…”
“Join the family…”
“Discover the magic…”
“Elevate your space…”
“Tell your story…” (we DO tell stories, but this exact phrase is dead)
“One of a kind” (every piece is — saying it weakens it)
“Take your brand to the next level”
“Stand out from the crowd”
“More than just a…”
“It’s not just a… it’s a…”

CTA copy patterns

CTAs should be verbs. Action. Forward motion.

Right:

“Become a Retail Partner”
“Start a Project”
“See the packages”
“Plan a Brand Activation”
“Get the wholesale docs”
“Inquire”
“Shop the drop”

Wrong:

“Learn more” (about what? lazy)
“Click here”
“Read more”
“Get started” (too generic)
“Sign up today!” (the exclamation point is the tell)

CTA with arrow

Standard pattern uses a trailing →:

<a href="/wholesale" class="btn-rust">Become a Retail Partner <span aria-hidden>→</span></a>

Pricing copy

State the number. Then state what’s included. No softening.

Right:

$5,500
Statement Package
3 wall pieces · 2 design rounds · cert pages · social pack · founder-led install

Wrong:

Starting at just $5,500*
*Pricing may vary based on scope
A premium investment in your brand's destination experience

Product description pattern

Three beats:

What it is (one sentence, plain noun)
What’s special (one or two sentences — material, edition, signature, certificate)
What it costs (price, terms, or “request a quote”)

Example:

Statement Piece — 18" laser-cut wall emblem.
Numbered edition of 50, founder-signed, ships with cert page at /cert/<token>.
$1,200 each. Flagship Retailers save 20%.

About / founder copy

Andrea and Amy Cozart-Lundin run State of Stick out of Battle Creek, Michigan. When the brand needs to introduce them, lead with what they do, not who they are.

Right: “Every piece is cut, finished, and packed by Andrea and Amy Cozart-Lundin in Battle Creek, Michigan.”

Wrong: “Meet Andrea and Amy, the passionate husband-and-wife team behind State of Stick. After years of dreaming about…”

The founders are part of the product story (every Statement Piece is founder-signed, every Brand Activation includes a founder-led install consultation). They are not the marketing pitch.

Legal / wholesale-sensitive copy

Per the Retailer Agreement §8, never publish per-unit wholesale prices on the public site. Show:

Tier entry price (the buy-in for a wholesale tier)
Suggested retail prices for individual products
Package prices for Brand Activations

Do not show:

Per-emblem wholesale unit cost
Wholesale margin math
Retailer cost breakdowns

If a public page accidentally exposes wholesale economics, treat it as a bug.

Email and form copy

Form labels

Use sentence case for labels: “Your email”, “Project type”, “Tell us about the space”
Use uppercase tracked for section headers within forms
Never use placeholder text as the only label

Confirmation copy

After form submission, one short sentence:

Got it. We'll respond within one business day.

Not:

Thank you so much for reaching out! We have received your inquiry and one of our team members will be in touch with you shortly. We can't wait to learn more about your project!

Email subjects

Short, specific, no clickbait:

“Your State of Stick wholesale docs”
“Statement Piece cert — design #1842”
“Brand Activation intake — next steps”

Punctuation

Em dash (—) is encouraged. It carries the rhythm of the voice.
En dash (–) for ranges only: $300–$1,200
Hyphen (-) for compound modifiers: laser-cut, founder-signed, American-made
Periods end every sentence including in fragmented marketing copy. “Built to last.” is a sentence.
No oxford comma unless ambiguity demands it. Tight reads better than safe.
No exclamation points. Ever. The brand doesn’t shout.
No ellipses in marketing copy.
Curly quotes (' and ") in body content. Straight quotes are fine in code.

Numbers

Spell out one through nine in body copy: “three packages”, “five design concepts”
Numerals for 10 and up: “12 emblems”, “288 pieces”
Always numerals for prices, dimensions, and editions: “$1,200”, “18” emblem”, “Edition 1 of 50”
Use comma separators in prices over 999: $1,200 not $1200
Phone: 269.425.1770 (dots, not dashes — matches brand spec)

Tagline usage

The primary tagline Built to Stick. Made to Last. is the brand anchor. Use it:

In the footer
In the homepage hero (as the closing accent)
On product packaging
In email signatures

Don’t use it on every page. Overuse dilutes it.

Secondary taglines are situational:

Custom Emblems That Stick. — on /custom or product pages
Built to Represent. Built to Endure. — on /wholesale for the retail pitch
Designed to represent. — on collection landing pages

When in doubt

Read it out loud. If you sound like a brochure, rewrite. If you sound like a real person who runs a real workshop and is proud of the work, ship it.