| name | convert-open |
| slash_command | false |
| pack | business-conversion |
| family | donahoe_method |
| description | Generate Four-Layer Opens for any direct-response asset: Layer 1 Nerve Strike + Layer 2 Side Door + Layer 3 Skin in the Game + Layer 4 Fingerprint. Produces 5 ranked opens with section-by-section breakdown.
Use when authoring a sales page, VSL, email, ad, or any opener that must make the reader physically unable to stop reading.
Not for headline-only generation (this is a 3-5 sentence multi-layer open, not a single headline) - sub-skill of /convert sales-page when called as part of full Method deployment.
|
| triggers | ["write me an opener","four-layer open","donahoe open","opening for my sales page","hook for cold traffic","lead-in for my email","nerve strike opener","how should I open this"] |
| negative_triggers | ["just write a headline","score my existing opener","rewrite my hook (use convert-rewrite)"] |
| tags | ["conversion","copy","donahoe-method","four-layer-open","hook","opener"] |
| priority | 100 |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| author | Wayland Business Pack |
| license | MIT |
| metadata | {"wayland":{"related_skills":["convert","convert-fingerprint","convert-three-locks","convert-voice","convert-bullshit-filter"]}} |
| attribution | {"lineage":"The Donahoe Method (Wayland-owned operating system); references Halbert long-form open + Caples 35 headline formulas + Schwartz awareness levels"} |
Convert Open - The Four-Layer Open
"Your opening has one job: make them keep reading. Not impress them. Not 'build rapport.' Make them physically unable to stop." - The Donahoe Method, Framework 1
This skill generates openings using all four layers of The Donahoe Method's signature open. Four layers, 3-5 sentences, every word load-bearing.
When to Use
Trigger phrases: "write me an opener", "donahoe open", "opening for my sales page", "hook for cold traffic", "nerve strike opener", "how should I open this", /convert open <topic-or-product>.
Use for any direct-response asset that needs to capture a reader inside the first 3-5 sentences: sales pages, VSL scripts, email leads, ad copy, article intros, webinar opens, presentation hooks.
Do NOT use for:
- Standalone headlines without context (the Open is multi-sentence; a single headline lives inside Layer 1)
- Rewriting an existing opener (use
convert-rewrite instead - it preserves voice while applying the Method)
- Auditing an existing opener (use
convert-audit for full Method scoring)
Inputs
Required:
- Product / topic / offer - what are we selling or saying?
- Target reader - one specific human (Donahoe Voice Rule #1: The One Person Rule). NOT "marketers" - "Mike, an agency owner in Ohio who's burned through $40k on Facebook ads with nothing to show". If the user gives a vague audience, ask for specificity in one short prompt: "Describe the one person you're writing this for."
- The Nerve - what's the specific raw pain? Not "they're frustrated with X". "They woke up this morning, opened their dashboard, saw zero leads, and felt that sick feeling because rent's due Tuesday."
Optional:
- Asset type - sales page / VSL / email / ad / article (calibrates length and rhythm)
- Author voice notes - tone, vocabulary, signature phrases. If absent, default to The Donahoe Voice Rules.
out_path - caller-controlled output. Defaults via build_report_path("business-conversion", instruction).
The Four Layers (full method)
Layer 1 - The Nerve Strike
The first sentence hits a nerve that's already raw. The thing that bothered them this morning. The thing they're quietly frustrated about but haven't admitted to anyone.
You're not introducing a problem. You're naming one they already have. That's the difference between and
