NESB Scorer

Use this skill to score any headline, CTA, or copy against the 4 emotional quadrants that trigger buying decisions: NEW, EASY, SAFE, BIG.

The Framework

Human brains are wired to respond to these 4 triggers:

Strong copy hits all 4. Weak copy hits 1-2.

Scoring Process

For Each Piece of Copy

Rate each dimension 0-10:

NEW (Novelty)

• 0: Generic, heard-it-before claim
• 5: Somewhat fresh angle
• 10: Revolutionary, never-seen approach

Signals: "First", "Revolutionary", "New way", "Unlike anything", "Breakthrough"

EASY (Effort)

• 0: Sounds like a lot of work
• 5: Moderate effort implied
• 10: Effortless, instant results

Signals: "One-click", "In minutes", "No config", "Automated", "Instant"

SAFE (Risk)

• 0: Sounds risky, unproven
• 5: Some trust signals
• 10: Zero risk, fully proven

Signals: "Trusted by", "Guaranteed", "Bank-level security", "Fortune 500 approved"

BIG (Outcome)

• 0: Small, incremental improvement
• 5: Moderate benefit
• 10: Transformational, 10x result

Signals: "10x", "Dominate", "Transform", "Revolutionize", "Enterprise-grade"

Output Format

## NESB Score Report

### Copy Analyzed
> "[The headline or copy being scored]"

### Dimension Scores

| Dimension | Score | Evidence | Improvement |
|-----------|-------|----------|-------------|
| NEW | X/10 | [What makes it novel?] | [How to increase novelty] |
| EASY | X/10 | [What makes it easy?] | [How to reduce friction] |
| SAFE | X/10 | [What makes it safe?] | [How to add trust] |
| BIG | X/10 | [What's the big promise?] | [How to increase stakes] |

### Overall Score: XX/40 (XX%)

### Verdict
[Strong/Moderate/Weak - based on total score]

### Rewritten Alternatives

**Version 1 (Maximum NESB)**:
> [Rewrite hitting all 4 dimensions strongly]

**Version 2 (NEW + BIG focus)**:
> [Rewrite emphasizing novelty and outcome]

**Version 3 (EASY + SAFE focus)**:
> [Rewrite emphasizing low friction and trust]

Examples

Example 1: Weak Copy

Original: "AI-powered code completion"

• NEW: 3/10 (many tools do this)
• EASY: 4/10 (implied but not stated)
• SAFE: 2/10 (no trust signals)
• BIG: 3/10 (small improvement)
• Total: 12/40 (30%)

Improved: "The first AI that understands your entire codebase - ship 10x faster with zero setup. Trusted by 50,000 developers."

• NEW: 8/10 ("first", "entire codebase")
• EASY: 9/10 ("zero setup")
• SAFE: 8/10 ("trusted by 50,000")
• BIG: 9/10 ("10x faster")
• Total: 34/40 (85%)

Example 2: Strong Copy (PagerDuty)

Original: "74% less downtime. Trusted by 30,000 companies."

• NEW: 5/10 (specific number is fresh)
• EASY: 6/10 (implied automation)
• SAFE: 9/10 ("30,000 companies")
• BIG: 9/10 ("74% less downtime")
• Total: 29/40 (73%)

Common Patterns by Industry

Developer Tools

• NEW: Unique mechanism (context-aware, codebase understanding)
• EASY: Zero config, one-click, works with existing tools
• SAFE: Open source, used by big companies, SOC 2
• BIG: 10x productivity, ship faster, fewer bugs

B2B SaaS

• NEW: AI-powered, automated, intelligent
• EASY: No migration, instant setup, integrates with X
• SAFE: Enterprise-grade, Fortune 500 customers, compliance
• BIG: ROI numbers, cost savings, revenue growth

Consumer Apps

• NEW: First app that..., new way to...
• EASY: Takes 2 minutes, no signup required
• SAFE: Millions of users, top-rated, privacy-focused
• BIG: Change your life, achieve your goals, transform

Quick Win Templates

Maximum NESB Headlines

"The first [mechanism] that [big outcome] - [easy claim]. [safe proof]."

"[Big outcome] in [easy timeframe] with [new mechanism]. [safe proof]."

"Stop [pain]. Start [big outcome]. [New mechanism] makes it [easy]. [Safe proof]."

Examples

"The first AI that reads your entire codebase - 10x faster coding with zero setup. Trusted by 50,000 developers."

"Ship production code in minutes with context-aware AI. Used by Stripe, Shopify, and 10,000+ teams."

"Stop debugging. Start shipping. Our codebase-aware AI catches bugs before you do. SOC 2 certified."