Claims, proof, and risk checklist
Sort every headline into may say, needs proof, or never claim. Add a proof owner and a risk note. Print it before launch.
Copy every headline, subhead, button, testimonial, and proposal line into one list before you start.
Be strict. If you argued about the tier, it is not tier one.
This is an editorial method, not legal advice. Regulated fields need review by someone qualified.
flowchart TD
A["May say"] --> B["Needs proof"]
B --> C["Never claim"]
Tier 1: May say
Plain descriptions a reader can verify by looking. No receipt required.
- Describes what we offer, without a comparison or a number
- Describes how we work, and we actually work that way
- States what we do not do, and we hold that line
- Facts that sit on a public page we control (team, tools, location, deliverables)
Tier 2: Needs proof first
Compares, measures, or promises. Proof sits next to the claim, not on another page.
| Claim type | Proof that counts | Proof owner | Review date |
|---|
| Superlative (fastest, best) | Defined test, dated, method public | | |
| Number (cut time by X) | Before and after with dates and conditions | | |
| Comparison | Named, fair, stated criteria | | |
| Social proof (trusted by) | Written permission and scope | | |
| Testimonial | Original message and permission to publish | | |
| Outcome (more leads) | Baseline, period, measurer. Labeled client evidence | | |
| Time or price | A process we run with a recent real example | | |
- Proof is visible beside the claim (caption, footnote, or link)
- A skeptical stranger could check it in one click
- Hypothetical examples are labeled hypothetical inside the sentence
- Every claim has an owner and a review date on the calendar
Tier 3: Never claim
Promises of outcomes you do not control, or evidence you do not own.
- No guaranteed rankings, revenue, or conversion lifts
- No invented logos, testimonials, awards, or “as seen in” lines
- No fake scarcity or fake deadlines
- No health, legal, or financial outcome claims without qualified review
- No competitor, vendor, or stock evidence presented as ours
Risk note per claim
| Claim | If wrong, what happens | Risk (low, medium, high) | Proof bar met? |
|---|
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
- Low: wrong means a rewrite. First-party evidence in one place
- Medium: wrong means a client feels misled. Dated evidence beside the claim
- High: wrong means a complaint, refund, or legal question. Do not publish without qualified review
Before it ships
- Tier 2 and 3 lines with no proof rewritten into tier 1 or removed
- Headline can be defended today without “everyone says that”
- Every proof link or screenshot is live and correct
- Recheck reminder created for the earliest proof review date