Author checkout-page micro-copy + trust signals: order summary, form-field copy, bump slot, button label, guarantee restatement, and friction-reduction patterns. Emits brief + paste-ready HTML/CSS scaffold (payment-processor-agnostic).
Use when the user needs a conversion-optimized checkout page where every word and visual signal earns its place.
Not for the bump component itself (see /convert bump) or post-purchase OTOs (see /convert oto-page).
Author checkout-page micro-copy + trust signals: order summary, form-field copy, bump slot, button label, guarantee restatement, and friction-reduction patterns. Emits brief + paste-ready HTML/CSS scaffold (payment-processor-agnostic).
Use when the user needs a conversion-optimized checkout page where every word and visual signal earns its place.
Not for the bump component itself (see /convert bump) or post-purchase OTOs (see /convert oto-page).
triggers
["checkout page","order page","order form copy","checkout copy","convert checkout","cart page","buy form"]
negative_triggers
["bump component","oto page","sales page","audit my checkout"]
{"lineage":"The Donahoe Method (Wayland-owned operating system); references checkout-conversion canon, trust-signal placement literature, Cialdini commitment-and-consistency at the moment of purchase"}
"By the time they hit checkout, the heavy persuasion is done. The job here is friction reduction. Every doubt that creeps in between the buy button and the confirm button is a sale you already won and lost again. Micro-copy is the lever."
This skill builds the checkout-page surface: order summary, form-field copy, optional bump slot, button label, guarantee restatement, and the trust signals that close the gap between intent and confirm.
When to Use
Trigger phrases: checkout page, order page, order form copy, checkout copy, cart page, /convert checkout <product>.
Use when:
The user has a sales page (or VSL page) that needs a checkout surface to land on.
The checkout will be assembled from a payment processor (Stripe Checkout, ThriveCart, SamCart, custom). This skill emits the page chrome and copy - the form fields themselves usually come from the processor.
The user wants to reduce checkout abandonment.
When NOT to Use
The bump component itself → /convert bump (this skill includes a slot for it).
Post-purchase OTO → /convert oto-page.
Pre-purchase sales page → /convert sales-page.
Auditing existing checkout → /convert audit.
Inputs
Required:
Product + price + components - what's being bought.
Payment processor - Stripe Checkout / ThriveCart / SamCart / custom. Determines what form fields you control vs. inherit.
Guarantee terms - exact text.
One person + the brand voice from the upstream sales page (voice continuity matters here).
Bump (optional) - if a /convert bump exists, this page reserves a slot for it.
Optional:
Brand colors / logo.
Trust badges / payment-method icons / SSL signal copy.
Existing testimonial for sidebar reassurance block.
out_path - defaults via .
build_report_path
Workflow - All Eight Method Phases (radically compressed; checkout is execution, not persuasion)
The checkout page is post-decision copy. The Method still applies, but every phase compresses to a sentence or a label.
Phase 0 - Four Questions (call convert-four-questions)
The buyer's current questions at the moment they hit checkout:
Why You? - Already answered upstream.
Why Me? - Already answered.
Why This? - Already answered.
Why Now? - "Should I really do this right now?" This is the only Question still alive at checkout, and it's the one micro-copy must address.
Phase 1 - Temperature
Boiling. Don't pitch. Confirm.
Phase 2 - Four-Layer Open (call convert-open)
A page-top reassurance line collapses Layers 1–3 into one sentence:
"You're seconds away from [the desired state]. Fill in the details below - I'll have your access ready before you finish your coffee."
Layer 4 (Fingerprint) lives in the voice consistency between this page and the sales page.
Excuse = the guarantee. Restated next to the buy button - not at the bottom of the page where the eye doesn't reach.
Phase 4 - Bullets
3 bullets max in the order summary - what's included. Mostly Snapshot ("Module 1: ...", "Bonus: ...") for clarity, not curiosity.
Phase 5 - Proof
A single inline testimonial in a sidebar or below the form. Optional but high-leverage. One Anecdote / Receipt is enough; more distracts from form completion.
Phase 6 - Cascade Close
The buy button is the Door. Label it with Vision:
✗ "Submit" / "Pay now" / "Continue"
✓ "Get instant access" / "Lock in my spot" / "Start the program"
Phase 7 - Greased Chute
Eye flow: order summary → form fields → bump (optional) → guarantee + trust badges → buy button. No detours, no popups, no "are you sure?" interrupts.
Phase 8 - Voice + Bullshit Filter
The biggest filter test: "Does the voice on this page match the voice on the sales page?" Voice mismatch between sales page and checkout is one of the largest sources of cart abandonment - buyers feel like they're suddenly on a different site.
Two-column layout on desktop (form left, summary right) with single-column collapse on mobile. Order summary above form on mobile because thumb-zone first impression matters.
The guarantee box uses the same yellow/dashed pattern as the bump and webinar attendance bonus - consistent visual language for "this is additional and easy."
Trust badges in plain text/border boxes. Avoid logos that look like clipart; trust badges that look fake hurt more than they help.
The button is full-width at the bottom of the form so the eye lands there after every field. Single primary action.
Email field has a tiny clarification ("where we'll send your access") - micro-copy that prevents typos and reduces "did it work?" support tickets.
Output Template
# Checkout Page - {{PRODUCT}}**Product:** {{PRODUCT}} - {{PRICE}}
**Components:** {{LIST}}
**Guarantee:** {{TERMS}}
**Bump slot:** {{IF_PRESENT_OR_NONE}}
**Payment processor:** {{NAME}}
## Phase 0–8 (compressed)
- Four Questions: only "Why Now" is live; addressed by reassurance line + guarantee placement
- Open: 1-line top reassurance
- Locks: Want (restated up top) / Trust (guarantee + badges + testimonial) / Excuse (guarantee next to button)
- Bullets: 3 in order summary
- Cascade Close: button label is Door (Vision-framed)
- Voice Rules applied (matches upstream sales page); Bullshit Filter is a separate downstream pass
## Final copy
- Top reassurance line: "{{LINE}}"
- Checkout headline: "{{H1}}"
- Field micro-copy: name = "{{LABEL}}", email = "{{LABEL}} ({{HINT}})"
- Guarantee restatement: "{{LINE}}"
- Buy button label: "{{CTA}}"
- Order summary lines: {{LIST}}
- Billing note: "{{LINE}}"
- Inline testimonial: "{{P}}" - {{NAMECHECK}}
- Trust badges: {{LIST}}
- Footer links: contact / refund / privacy
## HTML reference
{{HTML_BLOCK}}
## Method coverage report
Method coverage report:
Open: not applicable - checkout is post-decision; no Layer-1 Nerve Strike needed. 1-line top reassurance carries voice continuity (Layer 4 only)
Three Locks: maintained - Want restated up top; Trust signals (guarantee + badges + testimonial) reinforce Trust lock; price stack and guarantee-next-to-button reinforce Excuse
Proof: partial - 1 inline testimonial + trust badges; full proof block lives upstream on the sales page
Bullets: not applicable - order-summary line items only; the bullet block as a system not used at this surface
Cascade Close: compressed - Door = the purchase button (Vision-labeled); Stack via order summary; Safety Net via guarantee microcopy; Math omitted (price already decided upstream); P.S./P.P.S. omitted
Greased Chute: full - summary → form → bump → guarantee → button → badges; thumb-zone optimized on mobile
Voice Rules: full - voice matches upstream sales page; no marketing-speak on every label, button, error message
Temperature: Boiling (post-decision, mid-purchase)
Friction: no popups, no interrupts, no "are you sure?" - every interrupt costs conversions
Required next step: Run /convert bullshit-filter on this draft before shipping - checkout microcopy fails are the most expensive voice fails in the funnel.
The Filter is a SEPARATE pass - this skill cannot grade its own output.
## Notes / Cross-Skill Composition
- The checkout page's voice MUST match the upstream sales page's voice. If a buyer feels they're suddenly on a different site, abandonment spikes. Use the same headline patterns, the same trust language, the same color accents.
- For the bump slot, drop in the component from `/convert bump`. Don't generate two competing bumps on the same page.
- The post-checkout flow should land on `/convert oto-page` (immediate upgrade), then optionally `/convert downsell-page`, then `/convert thank-you-page`.
- If a payment processor (Stripe Checkout, Paddle) hosts its own form, this skill emits the *pre-checkout* page chrome with the buy button that redirects there - same Method, slightly different surface.
- Mobile checkout is where most carts die. Test on a real phone, not the desktop emulator. Thumb-zone the button.
## Lineage
- Checkout-conversion / cart-abandonment canon - direct-response info-marketing playbook.
- Trust-signal placement - UX research literature on perceived security cues.
- Commitment-and-consistency at the moment of purchase - Cialdini (Influence, 1984).
- The Method itself - Wayland-owned operating system.
