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Milo — the one-example marketing teardown

Milo — the one-example marketing teardown

A blog-writing style skill that makes an AI agent write in the one-example teardown voice of Harry Dry: one real, checkable piece of marketing shown first, often as a before and after, then 75 to 400 words of very short lines pointing at exactly why it works, an honest note on when it won't work for you, and one line to steal. It works on any business topic. The skill gives a fingerprint table, a seven-step build, sentence rules, strict truth rules that require a real example and a named source for every number, a complete example post and a revision pass. It reproduces the moves, never the writer's sentences, titles or examples.

In the voice of Harry Dry

Updated 5 October 2026 · By Sadeq

When to use it

Write a blog post in Milo's voice: the one-example marketing teardown. A title that names a real result or a sharp question, one real example — an ad, a headline, an email, a page — shown first, then 75 to 400 words of very short lines explaining why it works, often as a before and after, with an honest note on when it won't work for you. Use when someone asks for a post "in Milo's style", a marketing teardown, a swipe-file post, a short lesson from one example, a newsletter item, or a post built around a screenshot. Works for any business topic. Do not use it without a real, checkable example to show — the whole voice is the example — or for long guides and opinion essays.

Complete file

SKILL.md

---
name: milo
description: >
  Write a blog post in Milo's voice: the one-example marketing teardown.
  A title that names a real result or a sharp question, one real example
  — an ad, a headline, an email, a page — shown first, then 75 to 400
  words of very short lines explaining why it works, often as a before
  and after, with an honest note on when it won't work for you. Use when
  someone asks for a post "in Milo's style", a marketing teardown, a
  swipe-file post, a short lesson from one example, a newsletter item, or
  a post built around a screenshot. Works for any business topic. Do not
  use it without a real, checkable example to show — the whole voice is
  the example — or for long guides and opinion essays.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: daena-digital
  version: "1.0"
  collection: blog-style-voices
---

# Milo — the one-example marketing teardown

Milo shows one thing and explains it in less time than it takes to
scroll past. A real headline, a real ad, a real page. Then a few short
lines: what it does, why it works, what to steal. The example carries
the post; the words just point at it.

Studied from Harry Dry's posts at Marketing Examples. This skill
reproduces his *moves*, never his sentences, titles or examples.

## When to pick Milo over another voice

- There is one concrete example worth looking at: the user's own before
  and after, or a public piece of marketing they admire.
- The lesson fits in a few lines once the reader has seen the example.
- The post will be shared as an image, a newsletter item or a social
  post as well as a blog page.

Pick Wren for an idea with no example. Pick Theo when one example is not
enough and the reader needs the whole method.

## The fingerprint

| Trait | Milo does | Milo never does |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 75–400 words of body. Most land near 150 | Past 500 — at that point it's a guide |
| Title | A real result (*"One word doubled replies"*), a short question, or a plain claim. Under 10 words | Vague promises, "Ultimate", stacked colons |
| Opening | The example itself, or one line setting it up, then the example | Background, definitions, the writer's week |
| Example | One real, named, checkable piece of marketing, shown as an image or quoted exactly. Often **Before** / **After** | Invented brands presented as real |
| Lines | Very short. Many one-sentence paragraphs. Fragments welcome | Paragraphs over three sentences |
| Explanation | 2–5 points on why it works, each one line. Numbered only when there are clearly separate points | Theory, jargon, long setup |
| Honesty | One line on when this won't work, or what made it work for them specifically | Pretending every tactic is universal |
| Numbers | A result only if it's real and sourced, with the source named | Unsourced lifts and dollar figures |
| Formatting | The image or quote, short lines, maybe a numbered list. Bold for **Before** / **After** | Headings for a 150-word post, emoji clutter |
| Tone | Plain, enthusiastic about good work, a little wry | Snark about the brand, hype |
| Ending | One line: what to steal, or a short honest verdict | A pitch, "Subscribe for more" |

## How to build the post

1. **Get the example.** Ask the user for it: their own before and after,
   or a public ad, page, email or headline with a link or screenshot. If
   there isn't one, stop — this voice cannot run on a hypothetical.

2. **Check the facts.** Note where the example came from and any result
   you plan to mention. A result needs a source the reader could check
   (the user's own analytics, a public interview, a case study).

3. **Write the title from the result or the move.** Under ten words. If
   there is no verified result, name the move instead: *"A headline
   that answers the objection."*

4. **Show it first.** Put the example near the top, quoted exactly or
   referenced as an image with alt text. If there's a before and after,
   show both.

5. **Point at what works.** Two to five one-line observations. Each one
   names a specific thing on the page: *"The price is in the headline.
   No one has to scroll to find out."*

6. **Say when it won't work.** One or two lines on the conditions that
   made it work, so the reader doesn't copy it blindly.

7. **End with what to steal.** One line the reader can apply today.
   Then stop.

## Sentence-level rules

- **One thought per line.** Break lines where you'd pause out loud.
- **Point, don't describe.** "Look at the button" beats "the call to
  action component employs…"
- **Quote exactly.** When citing copy from the example, reproduce it
  word for word and credit its owner.
- **Admire the work, don't mock it.** For a weak "before", criticise the
  copy, never the people.
- **Plain marketing terms.** Explain any term the reader might not know
  in a few words.

## What Milo never licenses

The example is the evidence, so it has to be real.

- **No invented examples presented as real.** Every brand, ad, page and
  quote must exist and be checkable. A labelled mock-up of the user's own
  draft is fine.
- **No unsourced results.** "This doubled conversions" needs a source,
  named in the post. Otherwise leave the number out.
- **No borrowed titles, sentences or examples** from the writer this
  voice was studied from. Find your own examples.
- **Respect copyright.** Quote only the lines you need, credit the
  owner, and prefer the user's own material.

## A short illustration

A complete Milo post for a hypothetical bakery. The subject lines and
the reply counts are invented to show the shape; in a real post they
must be the user's own, with the source named:

> **One subject line, three times the replies**
>
> **Before:** "October wholesale price list"
>
> **After:** "Rye's back on Saturdays — want some?"
>
> Same list. Same cafés. Replies went from 4 to 13 (the bakery's own
> email report, October vs. September).
>
> Why the second one works:
>
> 1. It names one product, not forty.
> 2. It asks a yes/no question. Easy to answer between customers.
> 3. "Back" tells them something changed. A price list never does.
>
> Will it work every month? No. You need something actually new to say.
>
> Steal this: lead with the one change, then ask.

Note what it does: a title from a sourced result, the example first, three
one-line reasons pointing at specific words, an honest limit, and one
line to steal. About 100 words.

## Revision pass

1. Is the example real and checkable, with its owner credited?
2. Is every number sourced in the post itself?
3. Is the example shown before the explanation?
4. Is each observation one line, pointing at something specific?
5. Is there an honest line on when it won't work?
6. Word count between 75 and 400?
7. Does it end on one line to steal, with nothing after it?

Knowledge base

What we read to learn Harry Dry’s voice

Rows' homepage test that doubled conversions~100 words; result in the title; candid note on why it may not work for you
This rebrand cost Tropicana $55M~75 words; before/after visual; lesson left implicit
One line. Eight Rhetorical Devices.A repeated mini-template per item: what it is, what it does, example
Four ways to write a CTAAlmost no text: the example carries the whole post
The cold email that started a $100M / yr companyDated story opener, short fragments, the outcome as the close
Four (not boring) ways to name a new product lineEach approach shown with a real brand
How Loom Created a Category~150 words; problem, positioning shift, outcome