convert-scroll-rhythm

Convert Scroll-Rhythm - Scroll-Depth Orchestration Aligned to The Three Locks

"Three things must happen - roughly in this order - before someone buys. Think of them as three locks on a door. You need to open all three." - The Donahoe Method, Framework 3

Scroll position is not a layout problem. It's a persuasion problem. Every screen the reader scrolls past is a chance to open one of the locks (Want → Trust → Excuse) or lose them. This skill maps scroll zones to Method locks and engineers the rhythm of momentum that connects them.

When to Use

Trigger phrases: "scroll rhythm", "scroll-depth design", "page flow design", "how should the page flow", "section order for sales page", "three locks layout", "want trust excuse flow", /convert scroll-rhythm <product>.

Use when:

• Designing the section order of a long-form sales page or VSL page
• The page has the right copy but a wrong order - proof appears too early, the close lands too soon, the Excuse never gets opened
• Mapping CTA anchor frequency across the page (where do CTAs go and why?)
• Diagnosing why a long page loses readers at a specific scroll depth

Do NOT use for:

• Above-fold-only spec - use /convert above-fold
• Single-purpose pages (squeeze, opt-in) - they don't have scroll rhythm; they have one screen
• Auditing an existing live page - use /market landing <url> for CRO teardown
• Generating the actual section copy - use /convert sales-page (this skill specs the order, sales-page writes the content)

The Three Locks (Donahoe Method, Framework 3)

Every long-form page must open three locks in roughly this order:

1. Lock 1 - The Want. Sell the state, not the product. Sensory, visceral, specific.
2. Lock 2 - The Trust. They want it; now they need to believe it's possible - and that you can deliver. Built through Conversational Proof + voice authority.
3. Lock 3 - The Excuse. They want it, they believe it; now they need the rational argument they'll use to justify the buy. Math, comparisons, risk reversal.

Miss any lock and the door stays closed. Get the order wrong and the locks fight each other (e.g., closing on math before they want it = tone-deaf).

Scroll Zones (the Method's three thirds)

A long-form direct-response page divides into three vertical thirds. Each third owns one Lock.

+----------------------------+
|        TOP THIRD            |  ← Lock 1: Want
|  Hero (Open + 5-sec test)   |     Promise + first proof + CTA #1
|  Want zone                  |     ~Pattern: Z-pattern hero,
|                             |              F-pattern body
+----------------------------+
|       MIDDLE THIRD          |  ← Lock 2: Trust
|  Pain → solution            |     Proof rhythm, mechanism reveal,
|  Mechanism, bonuses         |     CTA #2 + CTA #3
|  Trust zone                 |     ~Pattern: F-pattern dominant
+----------------------------+
|       BOTTOM THIRD          |  ← Lock 3: Excuse
|  Stack → Math → Safety Net  |     Cascade Close + P.S. + P.P.S.
|  Door + FAQ                 |     CTA #4, #5, #N
|  Excuse zone                |     ~Pattern: F-pattern + scannable
+----------------------------+

For impulse offers (<~$100), price reveals near the top. For considered offers ($100+), price delays until the Trust zone is fully opened.

Inputs

Required:

1. Product / offer - what we're selling (informs price-reveal placement)
2. Asset type - long-form sales page / VSL page / bridge page / advertorial
3. Market temperature - Ice Cold / Cool / Warm / Hot / Boiling (from convert-temperature); changes total length and zone proportions
4. Primitives that have already run - outputs from convert-open, convert-three-locks, convert-bullets, convert-proof, convert-close are pulled in if available

Optional:

• Existing section list - if the user has copy in hand, this skill reorders it
• Brand visual constraints - colors, image style, max page length
• out_path - caller-controlled output. Defaults via build_report_path("business-conversion", instruction)

The Section Skeleton (mapped to Locks)

A canonical Donahoe-Method long-form sales page has 14-18 sections. This skill emits the full ordered list with which Lock each serves.

Total CTA anchors: 5-8. The minimum on long-form is 3; the typical is 5-9.

Reading Patterns (NN-g eye-tracking canon)

Two patterns dominate. Choose per-section, not per-page.

Z-pattern - visual hero zones

Eyes: top-left → top-right → diagonal down-left → bottom-right.

Where: hero, sub-heroes (e.g., "What you get" feature blocks), final close zones with strong visual.

Implication: place CTA at the visual end of the Z (typically bottom-right or bottom-center). Logo / lead element at top-left.

F-pattern - text-dense zones

Eyes scan top horizontally, then down the left side, then horizontal stripes that get progressively shorter.

Where: open body, pain agitation, mechanism reveal, proof blocks, FAQ.

Implications:

• Lead each paragraph with the strongest words on the left edge
• Bold key phrases (the eye picks up bolded fragments while skipping body)
• Use sub-headlines aggressively - the F's horizontal stripes track sub-heads, not body text
• Short paragraphs (1-3 sentences) - Donahoe Voice Rule meets visual reality

Source: F-pattern (NN-g eye-tracking, Nielsen 2006, replicated 2020); Z-pattern (NN-g landing-page studies).

CTA Anchor Frequency

Anchors are CTAs in the visual flow. They are NOT identical buttons spammed - they are different "doors" pointing to the same action. CTA #1 might be "See how it works" (low-friction), CTA #4 "Start my trial" (commitment), CTA #7 "Click here to lock my spot" (urgency). Same destination; different entry copy matched to where the reader is in the locks.

Greased Chute Mechanics (Framework 6)

Between sections, momentum dies unless engineered. Three moves:

1. Open loops at section endings

Never end a section with a conclusion. End with a tease. Examples:

• "That's how the front end works. But what happens next is where most people get this wrong..."
• "And that was just the first 30 days. What happened in month two changed how I priced everything..."

2. Curiosity-bridged sub-heads

Sub-heads (the F-pattern's stripe markers) should pull, not summarize. Compare:

• ✗ "Module 3 Overview" (summary; F-pattern eye skips)
• ✓ "The 4-minute morning routine that printed leads while I slept" (curiosity; F-pattern eye stops)

3. Section-length variance

If three sections in a row are the same length (~150 words each), the reader's eye predicts the rhythm and tunes out. Vary: short (50w) → long (300w) → short (80w) → medium (180w). Visual rhythm = engagement.

Workflow

Step 1 - Pull the Method skill outputs

Check what's already run for this product. Pull outputs from:

• convert-temperature - informs total page length (Ice Cold = 4-6,000 words; Hot = 1-2,000 words)
• convert-open - informs Sections 1-2
• convert-three-locks - direct input for the Want / Trust / Excuse content
• convert-bullets - informs Section 8
• convert-proof - informs Sections 7 + 9
• convert-close - informs Sections 11-17

If those haven't run, ask: "Want me to spec the rhythm with placeholder section content, or run the writing skills first?" Recommend the latter for fresh builds.

Step 2 - Set the zone proportions

Default proportions by temperature:

Cold readers need more Want building (they don't yet care). Hot readers need more Excuse closing (they're already convinced; they need to justify).

Step 3 - Draft the section list with Lock mapping

Use the canonical 14-18 section skeleton. Mark each section's Lock. Trim sections that don't fit the temperature (a Boiling page may compress Sections 3-4 into a single bridge sentence).

Step 4 - Place CTA anchors

Apply the CTA frequency table. Each anchor gets specific copy matched to its position:

• Anchor 1 (hero, Want): low-friction, value-loaded ("Watch the 18-min training")
• Anchor 2 (mechanism, Trust): mechanism-tied ("See the system inside")
• Anchor 3 (proof block, Trust): commitment-shifting ("Lock my spot")
• Anchor 4 (Math close, Excuse): math-tied ("Less than $1/day - claim my seat")
• Anchor 5 (Door, Excuse): blunt ("Click here. You're in.")
• Anchor 6 (P.S.): re-frame ("Yes - I want this.")

Step 5 - Pick reading pattern per section

Apply the Z-pattern / F-pattern table. Hero + sub-heroes + visual close = Z; everything else = F.

Step 6 - Engineer the Greased Chute transitions

For each section ending, draft the open-loop bridge to the next section. Pull Donahoe Transition System (Framework 8) moves: Comparison Bomb / Escalation / Aside Bomb / Interrupt / Dismiss / Diagnostic / Assumed Agreement / Internal Moment / Admission / Energy Drop.

Step 7 - Mobile compression note

On mobile, the three-thirds collapse to a single column. Section dividers become more important (visual breaks the eye uses to chunk). Sticky bottom CTA bar appears once the reader scrolls past Section 5 (Trust zone entry).

Step 8 - Emit the spec

Output the ordered section list, Lock mapping, CTA anchors, reading patterns, transition bridges, and a vertical-flow diagram.

Output Template

# Scroll Rhythm: <Product>

**Asset:** <long-form sales page / VSL page / bridge>
**Temperature:** <Ice Cold / Cool / Warm / Hot / Boiling>
**Total length target:** <word count range>
**Zone proportions:** Want <X%> / Trust <Y%> / Excuse <Z%>

---

## Vertical flow (top → bottom)

[ Hero - Z-pattern ] ← Lock 1 / Want / CTA #1 ↓ (open loop transition) [ Open body - F-pattern ] ← Lock 1 / Want ↓ (Diagnostic transition) [ Pain agitate - F ] ← Lock 1 / Want ↓ (Internal Moment transition) [ Vision paint - F + image ] ← Lock 1 / Want ↓ (Energy Drop transition) [ Bridge - F ] ← Lock 1 → 2 handoff ↓ (Aside Bomb transition) [ Mechanism - F + diagram ] ← Lock 2 / Trust / CTA #2 ↓ (Comparison Bomb transition) [ Proof Block 1 - F ] ← Lock 2 / Trust ↓ (Escalation transition) [ What you get bullets - scannable Z ]← Lock 2 / Trust ↓ (Aside Bomb transition) [ Proof Block 2 - F + image ] ← Lock 2 / Trust / CTA #3 ↓ (Diagnostic transition) [ Bonus stack - scannable ] ← Lock 3 / Excuse opens ↓ (Assumed Agreement transition) [ Stack close - F ] ← Lock 3 / Excuse ↓ (Vision Close transition) [ Vision close - F + image ] ← Lock 3 / Excuse ↓ (Math transition) [ Math close - scannable ] ← Lock 3 / Excuse / CTA #4 ↓ (Admission transition) [ Safety Net - F ] ← Lock 3 / Excuse ↓ (Door transition) [ Door - dominant CTA ] ← Lock 3 / Excuse / CTA #5 ↓ [ P.S. - F ] ← Lock 3 / Excuse / CTA #6 ↓ [ P.P.S. - F ] ← Lock 3 / Excuse / CTA #7 ↓ [ FAQ - scannable ] ← Lock 3 / Excuse / CTA #8

## Section-by-section spec

| # | Section | Lock | Pattern | Word range | CTA | Transition out |
|---|---------|------|---------|------------|-----|-----------------|
| 1 | Hero | Want | Z | 80-120 | #1 | Open loop: "but the weird part is..." |
| 2 | Open body | Want | F | 200-400 | - | Diagnostic: "So what's the problem?" |
| 3 | Pain agitate | Want | F | 300-500 | - | Internal Moment: "I was sitting there and it hit me..." |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

## CTA anchor specs

| # | Position | Copy | Microcopy | Rationale |
|---|----------|------|-----------|-----------|
| 1 | Hero | <quoted> | <quoted> | Low-friction Want anchor |
| 2 | After mechanism | <quoted> | <quoted> | Trust opens; mechanism-tied |
| 3 | After Proof Block 2 | <quoted> | <quoted> | Commitment shift |
| 4 | Math close | <quoted> | <quoted> | Excuse opens; arithmetic-tied |
| 5 | Door | <quoted> | <quoted> | Blunt close |
| 6 | P.S. | <quoted> | <quoted> | Re-frame angle |
| 7 | P.P.S. | <quoted> | <quoted> | Strongest-proof recap |
| 8 | FAQ | <quoted> | <quoted> | Last-objection close |

## Reading-pattern map (visual rhythm)

- **Z-pattern zones:** Hero, "What you get" bullets, Door section
- **F-pattern zones:** Open body, pain, mechanism, proof blocks, Stack/Vision/Math close, Safety Net, P.S./P.P.S., FAQ

## Mobile compression notes

- All three-thirds collapse to single column
- Sub-heads grow in importance - they become the F-pattern stripe markers in narrow viewports
- Sticky bottom CTA bar appears past Section 5
- Section visual dividers (12-24px hairline rules + 32-48px white space) carry rhythm in absence of horizontal layout
- Trust strip wraps; bullets stay full-width

---

## How to deploy

1. Use this section list as the skeleton for `/convert sales-page <product>` - that skill writes the actual copy into each section.
2. Pair with `/convert above-fold` for Sections 1's hero spec.
3. Pair with `/convert proof-stack` for visual proof blocks (Sections 7, 9).
4. Pair with `/convert mobile` for full mobile compression of every section.
5. Pair with `/convert chute` to draft the actual transition copy for each section break.
6. Run `/convert audit` on the full page when copy is in.

Pitfalls

• Lock-order violation. Closing on Math (Excuse) before the Trust lock has actually opened reads as cold. Reorder sections; never compress Trust to "save space."
• CTA spam. Eight identical buttons feels like begging. Each CTA is a different door; vary copy and lean on the lock the reader is in at that scroll depth.
• Section-length monotony. Three 200-word sections in a row = reader checks out. Vary deliberately.
• Mechanism too late. The unique mechanism reveal (Section 6) can't wait until the close. Trust is built on mechanism; without it, the reader doesn't believe.
• Proof at the start. Frontloading proof (Anecdote / Receipt) before the Want is built is the most common error. Want first; trust second; because trust requires want to be already in motion.
• No P.S. Skipping the P.S. and P.P.S. drops 5-15% of conversions on long-form pages (folklore-leaning, varies). The P.S. is a final close - never optional on long-form.

Lineage

• The Three Locks - Donahoe Method, Framework 3 (Wayland-owned operating system)
• The Greased Chute - Donahoe Method, Framework 6
• F-pattern reading - Nielsen Norman eye-tracking studies (Nielsen, 2006; replicated 2020)
• Z-pattern reading - Nielsen Norman Group landing-page heuristics
• CTA anchor frequency - direct-response canon (long-form sales letter conventions; supported by NN-g scroll-depth research)
• Price-reveal rule (impulse vs considered) - direct-response category conventions

Notes

• Scroll-rhythm spec is upstream of the actual copy. This skill specs the order; /convert sales-page writes the content into the order.
• The temperature-based zone proportions are starting points, not laws. A Hot-traffic offer with a long, education-heavy mechanism may stretch the Trust zone past 35%. Use the proportions as defaults; override with reason.
• The FAQ at the bottom is genuinely the last close. Treat each FAQ answer as a micro-Cascade-Close - never just informational.
• Sticky bottom CTA on mobile is the single highest-leverage move on long-form mobile pages. Don't omit it.
• This skill composes with: convert-above-fold (hero spec), convert-three-locks (the lock content), convert-chute (transition copy), convert-proof-stack (proof block visuals), convert-mobile (mobile compression of the whole flow).