authority-offers

name	authority-offers
description	Use when packaging expertise into lead magnets, paid audits, workshops, webinars, or mini-products with a measurable conversion path. Use `launch-campaigns` for timing an established offer and `sales-copywriting` for its page copy.
metadata	{"portable":true,"compatible_with":["claude-code","codex"]}

Authority Offers

Acknowledgement: Shared by Peter Bamuhigire, techguypeter.com, [phone].

Use When

• The business needs an authority-building entry offer, lead magnet, low-friction paid diagnostic, webinar, workshop, email course, or mini-product.
• A website, campaign, or social channel needs a concrete offer to convert attention into leads or revenue.
• The task is to design the offer ladder, CTA path, follow-up sequence, or proof structure for expertise-based selling.

Do Not Use When

• The work is only broad brand positioning with no concrete offer mechanics.
• The task is a one-off launch sequence for an already-defined offer; use launch-campaigns.
• The task is long-form page copy for an already-defined offer; use sales-copywriting.

Inputs

Artefact	Source	Required?	If absent
Audience, problem, and commercial goal	Client brief or discovery	yes	Stop offer design and request one priority segment and outcome.
Proof inventory	Case studies, results, frameworks, or founder records	yes	Narrow the promise to what available evidence can support.
Channel and follow-up capacity	Campaign plan and delivery team	yes	Produce a channel-neutral brief and mark activation unassessed.

Workflow

1. Define one audience, one painful problem, and one next step. Do not build multi-audience offers.

2. Choose the right offer type and price friction using references/offer-ladder.md.

3. Build the conversion path: traffic source, promise, opt-in or purchase action, follow-up, and ascension.

4. Specify the proof assets required before launch. If proof is thin, narrow the promise before writing copy.

5. Produce the offer brief, CTA map, and measurement plan with one recommended direction.

6. Stop before publishing or spending when proof, fulfilment capacity, price authority, or channel ownership is unresolved; return the decision needed and a safe draft.

7. If the stop condition is reached, recover with a narrowed promise, missing-proof list, and named decision owner.

Quality Standards

• The offer must create a specific next step, not vague interest.
• Promise, proof, CTA, and follow-up must align across channels.
• Entry offers should reduce buyer risk without lowering perceived expertise.
• Measurement must include lead quality or revenue, not vanity reach alone.

Anti-Patterns

• A generic "free consultation" with no outcome. Fix: name the diagnostic result and next decision.
• Fake scarcity or an invented deadline. Fix: use a real capacity, cohort, or event constraint.
• Asking cold traffic for a high commitment. Fix: match friction to trust and proof.
• Mixing education, diagnosis, and delivery in one CTA. Fix: assign one job to each offer rung.
• Promising results the proof inventory cannot support. Fix: narrow the claim or obtain verified proof.

Outputs

Artefact	Consumer	Acceptance condition
Authority-offer brief	Copy, campaign, and delivery teams	Names one audience, problem, promise, format, price posture, proof, fulfilment owner, and exclusion.
CTA and ascension map	Website and CRM implementers	Every entry route has one tracked action, follow-up owner, and next offer.
Measurement plan	Commercial owner	Defines qualified-lead or revenue measures, source, cadence, and decision threshold.

Evidence Produced

Evidence	Format	Acceptance condition
Promise-to-proof register	Claim, evidence source, limitation	No public claim lacks verifiable support.
Offer decision record	Selected rung, rejected options, rationale	The choice is traceable to audience trust and fulfilment capacity.

Capability Contract

Read and search are required to inspect briefs and proof. Drafting may edit authorised project files. Publishing, list imports, advertising spend, payment setup, and customer contact require explicit authority and confirmation of the final offer.

Degraded Mode

Fallback if required capabilities are unavailable:

Without proof, channel data, or editing access, return the narrowest qualified offer brief and label launch, economics, and conversion performance not assessed. Never turn missing proof into a positive claim.

Decision Rules

Choice	Action	Failure or risk avoided
Low trust or weak proof	Use a useful free diagnostic or educational asset	High-friction ask before credibility exists
Clear costly problem and credible method	Use a paid audit or workshop	Giving away expert diagnosis without qualification
Proven entry offer and delivery capacity	Add a service ascension path	Leads with no commercial next step

Worked Example

For a Ugandan accounting firm with documented payroll-review expertise but no case-study metrics, choose a fixed-scope payroll compliance checklist plus a paid records audit. Do not promise a tax saving. Acceptance: the checklist captures sector, employee count, and review deadline; the audit page cites the firm's actual method and names the delivery owner.

References

• references/offer-ladder.md - offer-type selection, friction rules, pricing posture, and ascension paths.
• references/channel-economics.md - traffic-source fit, retargeting posture, list-building economics, and measurement.

Notes

• Keep authority offers measurable and evidence-backed; this skill is direct response without cheapening the brand.