Author long-form direct-response sales pages: section architecture, full body copy, paste-ready HTML/CSS, and Method audit footer. Applies The Donahoe Method top-to-bottom across 16 sections.
Use when the user has a product and needs a complete sales page built from a brief - not a teardown of an existing URL.
Not for auditing live URLs (use /market landing) or rewriting existing copy (use /convert rewrite). For squeeze/opt-in pages use /convert squeeze.
Author long-form direct-response sales pages: section architecture, full body copy, paste-ready HTML/CSS, and Method audit footer. Applies The Donahoe Method top-to-bottom across 16 sections.
Use when the user has a product and needs a complete sales page built from a brief - not a teardown of an existing URL.
Not for auditing live URLs (use /market landing) or rewriting existing copy (use /convert rewrite). For squeeze/opt-in pages use /convert squeeze.
triggers
["write me a sales page","build me a sales page","long-form sales page","direct response sales page","sales letter","donahoe sales page","convert sales-page","the full sales page","flagship sales page"]
negative_triggers
["audit my sales page","score my landing page","rewrite my sales page","cro review of my page","just a squeeze page","just a vsl"]
Convert Sales Page - The Long-Form Direct-Response Sales Page
"Know who you're talking to and where they are. Answer the Four Questions before you write a word. Open through the Side Door with Skin in the Game and your Fingerprint. Build desire, earn trust, give them the excuse to buy. Close from every angle. Then close again." - The Donahoe Method, in one paragraph
This is the flagship of the conversion pack. It applies all eight Donahoe Method frameworks top-to-bottom and emits three things: a structured editorial brief, a paste-ready HTML/CSS reference implementation, and a Method audit footer.
When to Use
Trigger phrases: write me a sales page, build me a sales page, long-form sales page, donahoe sales page, direct response sales page, flagship sales page, /convert sales-page <product>.
Use this when:
The user has a product, course, service, or offer that needs a complete long-form page (1,500–8,000 words depending on temperature).
The reader needs to be taken from cold to sold inside a single page.
Both copy AND a deployable HTML scaffold are needed.
When NOT to Use
Auditing an existing live page → /market landing <url> (CRO teardown of someone else's page) or /convert audit (Method-scoring an existing draft).
Sequencing the page in a campaign → /funnel build-campaign or /funnel ladder.
Inputs
Required:
Product description - what is being sold? What does it actually do?
The one person - name, city, situation, last failure. Donahoe Voice Rule #1: One Person Rule. If the user supplies a segment ("course creators"), ask once for one specific human.
- the specific raw pain that's bothering them this morning. Sensory, not abstract.
The Nerve
Offer - price, what's included, deliverables, any bonuses, guarantee terms.
Optional:
Author voice notes - signature phrases, profanity tolerance, tone. If absent, default to The Donahoe Voice Rules.
Existing proof assets - testimonials, case study numbers, screenshots, named customers.
Temperature override - if the user knows the traffic is cold/cool/warm/hot, accept; otherwise classify via convert-temperature.
Brand colors / logo - for the HTML scaffold's CSS custom properties.
out_path - defaults via build_report_path("business-conversion", instruction).
Workflow - Phase -1 plus All Eight Method Phases
The page-builder MUST walk Phase -1 (VoC mining) plus all eight Method phases. Skipping any phase produces broken copy.
Phase -1 - Voice-of-Customer Mining (HARD GATE - refuse to proceed without it)
Halbert's "person who" letter style and Schwartz's awareness-level sequencing both require one thing the seller cannot fake: the buyer's actual language. Without it, every framework that follows generates from the seller's mental model, not the buyer's. The page reads plausible but never resonant.
This skill REFUSES to proceed to Phase 0 until the VoC bank exists. Ask once. If the user says they don't have one, hand them the 30-minute mining playbook below. Do not start writing without it.
What to collect - 5 to 10 verbatim quotes
The quotes must come from the reader's actual mouth/keyboard, not the seller's hypothesis. Sources, in order of diagnostic value:
Amazon reviews of similar / competing products - especially the 3-star reviews (most diagnostic - buyer is engaged enough to write, but unhappy enough to name what's missing).
Support tickets / customer-service transcripts - pre-purchase questions show objections; post-purchase complaints show desired-outcome gaps.
Sales-call transcripts - prior calls with this avatar; pull pain quotes, "what I tried before" quotes, and "what would success look like" answers.
Reddit / Quora / forum threads - search the niche subreddit or forum for the problem term; the comments are the language.
Customer interview voice memos - even one 20-minute call with one buyer beats a hundred reviews.
Email replies from the existing list - paste the question "what's the hardest part of [problem] right now?" and read the replies as raw material.
Aim for 5-10 quotes total, balanced across pain, desired-outcome, and objection categories (3-5 each).
VoC bank format (capture before writing a word)
## VoC Bank - <YYYY-MM-DD>
### Pain quotes (3-5)
- "Quote 1, verbatim, with original spelling/grammar." - [source: Reddit r/<sub>, 2026-04-12]
- "Quote 2, verbatim." - [source: 3-star Amazon review of <competitor product>, 2026-03-08]
- "Quote 3, verbatim." - [source: support ticket #1247]
### Desired-outcome quotes (3-5)
- "Quote 1, verbatim - what they said success would look like." - [source: existing testimonial we have]
- "Quote 2, verbatim." - [source: sales call transcript with <name>, 2026-04-22]
### Objection quotes (3-5)
- "I tried [competitor] before and it didn't work because..." - [source: Reddit thread]
- "I'd buy this but I'm worried about..." - [source: support ticket]
- "What if my situation is different because..." - [source: sales-call objection log]
Keep the original spelling, profanity, fragments, and run-ons. Cleaning the quote up destroys its value - the rough edges are the proof of authenticity.
How Phase 1+ uses the VoC bank (load-bearing)
The VoC bank is not a research artifact filed away. Each downstream phase MUST pull from it:
Phase 2 (Layer 1 Nerve Strike) MUST quote or near-paraphrase a pain quote from the bank. The first sentence of the page is the buyer's words played back to them, not the seller's invention.
Phase 3 (Three Locks - The Want) MUST surface desired-outcome quotes verbatim where possible. Lock 1 sells the state in the buyer's own words.
Phase 4 (Bullets) MUST surface the objection quotes - every Flip and Scar bullet should map to an objection from the bank. If a bullet doesn't trace to a real objection, cut it.
Phase 5 (Proof) uses desired-outcome quotes from existing customers as Namecheck and Receipt material when the user has them.
Phase 8 (Bullshit Filter) - for every paragraph in the final draft, ask: "Is the buyer's language anywhere in this paragraph? Or is this all my language?" If the page is 100% seller-voice, it has failed regardless of what the Filter says about marketing-speak.
If the user says "I don't have a VoC bank"
Do not write the page. Hand them this 30-minute mining playbook and wait for the bank.
## 30-Minute VoC Mining Playbook
Goal: 5-10 verbatim quotes (3-5 pain, 3-5 desired-outcome, 3-5 objection).
Minutes 0-10 - Amazon mine
- Search Amazon for the closest competing book / product to your offer.
- Filter to 3-star reviews. Read 5. Pull 2 pain quotes + 1 desired-outcome quote verbatim.
Minutes 10-20 - Reddit mine
- Search the niche subreddit (r/<niche>) for the problem term ("can't write copy", "stuck at $5k months", etc.).
- Read the top 3 threads. Pull 2 pain quotes + 1 objection quote verbatim.
Bonus: scroll the comments - the dissenters in the thread are your objection bank.
Minutes 20-30 - Sales-call / list mine
- If you have prior sales-call notes: pull 1 pain + 1 desired-outcome + 1 objection.
- If you don't: post one question to your list ("what's the hardest part of [problem] right now?") and pull from the replies tomorrow.
If you have NO list and NO prior calls: do the Amazon + Reddit pass twice (different competitors,
different threads) and you'll still get 6-8 usable quotes. That's enough to write Layer 1.
Do not start the page until the bank exists. The skill exits Phase -1 only when 5+ verbatim, sourced quotes are in hand.
Phase 0 - Diagnostic: The Four Questions
Call convert-four-questions (or run inline) before writing a single section. Answer from the reader's perspective:
Why You? - Why should THIS person care, today, this Tuesday?
Why Me? - Why are you qualified to help them with this? (Skin in the Game, not credential dump.)
Why This? - What's the mechanism that makes this approach different (not "better" - different)?
Why Now? - Real reason to act today. If there isn't one, don't manufacture one.
If any answer is weak or generic, stop and refine. The whole page rests on these four answers.
Phase 1 - Temperature Classification
Call convert-temperature to classify the reader as Ice Cold / Cool / Warm / Hot / Boiling.
Ice Cold → Lead with pattern interrupt + education. Page length 4,000–8,000 words.
Cool → Name the problem precisely, introduce category of solution. 3,000–5,000 words.
Warm → Differentiate. Mechanism does the work. 2,500–4,000 words.
Hot → Persuasion + risk reversal. 1,500–3,000 words.
Boiling → Short, direct, almost a reminder. 800–1,500 words.
Temperature determines the word budget and the depth of every section below. Writing hot copy for a cold audience is the most common cause of page failure - do not skip this step.
Phase 2 - The Four-Layer Open
Call convert-open. Generate the hero/above-fold open using all four layers in 3–5 sentences:
Nerve Strike - first sentence hits the raw pain they feel today.
Side Door - casual entry, not a frontal pitch.
Skin in the Game - within sentences 3–4, why you are telling them.
Fingerprint - the only-you moment (opinion, comparison, vivid image, contrarian take).
This becomes the first content the reader sees. The headline lives inside Layer 1 or sits just above it.
Phase 3 - Three Locks Architecture
Call convert-three-locks to architect the body:
Lock 1 - The Want → Sections 5–7 (sell the state, not the product).
Lock 2 - The Trust → Sections 8–10 (Conversational Proof, mechanism, big claim).
Lock 3 - The Excuse → Sections 11–12 (offer stack + math justification).
All three locks must open before the reader can buy. Map each section to a lock; if a section doesn't open a lock, cut it.
Phase 4 - Bullets
Call convert-bullets to generate the bullet block (Section 10). 8–15 bullets, mixed across four types:
Keyhole - "The [unexpected thing] that [specific result]. (Page 14)"
Flip - "Why [common practice] is actually costing you - and what to do instead."
Snapshot - "How [name] used this to [measurable result] in [timeframe]."
Scar - "The one mistake that [dramatic consequence] - I made it myself in [year]."
No bullet should sound like marketing. Each must be specific, sensory, curiosity-gap-shaped.
Phase 5 - Proof, Woven Throughout
Call convert-proof. Conversational Proof never lives in one "proof section" - it runs through every claim. The rhythm: Claim → Evidence (story or specific) → Reason → Move on.
Five proof types, used as needed:
Anecdote - "Here's what happened when..."
Receipt - exact numbers, dates, dollar amounts.
Drive-By - credentials mentioned in passing, never announced.
Namecheck - "A guy named Mike sent me an email..."
Because - the logical reason the mechanism works.
Every major claim gets at least one layer of proof within 2–3 sentences of the claim.
Phase 6 - Cascade Close
Call convert-close. The Cascade Close is Section 13:
Stack - list everything they get, conversationally.
Vision Close - paint the desired state 90 days from now.
Math Close - the numbers, the cost-of-inaction comparison.
Safety Net - guarantee so strong it's almost absurd.
Door - simple click instruction.
Then Section 16: P.S. (recloses from another angle) and P.P.S. (restates strongest proof or guarantee).
Phase 7 - Greased Chute Throughout
Call convert-chute. Engineer momentum across the entire page:
Open loops at section transitions ("But that's not even the interesting part...").
Short paragraphs - 1–3 sentences. White space is pacing.
Varied rhythm - short punch, longer breath, short again.
Curiosity transitions - never end a section with a conclusion; end with a tease.
Read-aloud test - every place you'd stumble, the reader will check their phone. Fix it.
Apply chute discipline to every section before moving on.
Phase 8 - Voice Pass + Bullshit Filter
Final pass. Call convert-voice then convert-bullshit-filter.
Voice Rules:
First person ("I", "you" - never "we", "customers").
Contractions throughout.
Mixed sentence lengths.
No marketing-speak (banned: leverage, optimize, revolutionary, game-changing, unlock potential, take to the next level).
Specificity over generality.
Visceral over abstract.
Bullshit Filter - for every paragraph: "Would I actually say this to someone I'm trying to help?" If no, rewrite until yes.
Section Architecture (16 Sections)
The full long-form arc. For Hot/Boiling traffic, sections 6, 7, 9, 12 may be compressed; the others stay.
#
Section
Purpose
Method primitive
1
Hero / above-fold
Layer 1 Nerve Strike + headline + primary CTA
convert-open Layer 1
2
Side-Door entry
Conversational on-ramp; defenses down
convert-open Layer 2
3
Skin-in-the-Game origin
Why you
convert-open Layer 3
4
Fingerprint moment
Only-you POV
convert-open Layer 4
5
The Want section
Paint the state vividly
Lock 1
6
Pain agitation
Specific, sensory cost of staying stuck
Lock 1 reinforcement
7
Bridge / mechanism reveal
The "this is how it works" pivot
Lock 2 setup
8
The Trust section
Conversational Proof in rhythm
Lock 2
9
The big-claim section
The strongest, most specific promise
Lock 2 climax
10
Bullet block
8–15 mixed bullets
convert-bullets
11
Offer / value stack
Everything they get, conversationally
Cascade Stack
12
The Excuse section
Math justification
Lock 3
13
Cascade Close
Stack → Vision → Math → Safety Net → Door
convert-close
14
Guarantee block
The Safety Net, expanded
Cascade Safety Net
15
FAQ
Objection handling inline
Lock 3 reinforcement
16
P.S. + P.P.S.
Recloses from new angles
Cascade reclose
Section-by-Section HTML/CSS Template
Modern, semantic, mobile-first. CSS custom properties for theming. No CDN imports. No utility frameworks. Single <style> block under 60 lines. Pastes into Webflow / Framer / Wix / Carrd / static HTML.
The serif body type signals editorial / direct-mail rather than SaaS. Replace with a sans-serif if the offer is technical and the audience is engineers.
--accent is the only loud color. Keep it singular. The CTA, the proof rule, and the bullet markers all share it so the eye keeps returning to the action.
The page is single-column, max 720px wide. Long-form copy reading at 60–75 characters per line. Do not introduce a sidebar.
Method coverage report:
Open: full - all 4 layers (Nerve Strike, Side Door, Skin in Game, Fingerprint); Layer 1 sourced from a VoC quote
Three Locks: full - Want, Trust, Excuse architected across the 16 sections; mapped to VoC bank where applicable
Proof: full - claim → evidence → reason → move-on rhythm woven across the body, not boxed
Bullets: full - mixed types (K / F / Sn / Sc); each Flip and Scar traces to a VoC objection
Cascade Close: full - Stack / Vision / Math / Safety Net / Door + P.S. + P.P.S. in spec order
Greased Chute: full - paragraph rhythm + open loops at section breaks; read-aloud pass completed
Voice Rules: full - first person, contractions, no marketing-speak; banned-phrase grep clean
Temperature: {{ICE_COLD / COOL / WARM / HOT / BOILING}}
Required next step: Run /convert bullshit-filter on this draft before shipping.
The Filter is a SEPARATE pass - this skill cannot grade its own output.
## Notes / Cross-Skill Composition
- This skill orchestrates the other writing skills. It does not duplicate them - it calls them in order. If a sub-skill's output is weak, fix it in that skill, not here.
- **VoC bank ownership.** The Phase -1 VoC bank built here is the canonical buyer-language artifact for the offer. When `convert-vsl` or `convert-bridge-page` (advertorial) runs against the same product, reuse this bank - re-mining is wasted effort. Pass the bank file path along when handing off.
- For composite "research → write → page → audit" delivery, route through `/convert package` instead of calling this skill directly.
- For Hot/Boiling traffic where the page should be 1,500 words or less, drop sections 6, 7, and 12 to one-paragraph summaries each. Keep the rest.
- For Ice Cold traffic, expand Section 5 (Want) and Section 7 (Mechanism) - these are the "education" workhorses for cold readers.
- HTML scaffold is intentionally minimal. Designers can extend; the bones are correct.
- If the final draft fails the Bullshit Filter, do not ship. Route back to `convert-voice`, then `convert-chute`, then re-filter.
- The P.S. is not optional. Donahoe pages always close again after the close. Then close one more time in the P.P.S.
## Lineage
- Long-form direct-mail structure - Halbert (Boron Letters, 1984) and the canon of long-copy Direct Mail.
- Awareness-level sequencing - Schwartz (Breakthrough Advertising, 1966).
- Headline construction inside Layer 1 - Caples (Tested Advertising Methods, 1932).
- Slippery-slide momentum (Greased Chute) - Sugarman (The AdWeek Copywriting Handbook, 1998).
- Value-stack framing in Section 11 - informed by Hormozi-style equation logic, expressed in conversational rather than calculator form.
- The Method itself - Wayland-owned operating system. No external citation needed for the Method; cite lineage authors only where their canonical concept does specific work in a section.
