# Convert Open > 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. - Skill: `ferroxlabs/convert-open` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ferroxlabs/convert-open` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ferroxlabs/convert-open/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Productivity - License: MIT - Author: FerroxLabs (https://skillmd.com/u/ferroxlabs) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ferroxlabs/convert-open --- # 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 `. 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: 1. **Product / topic / offer** - what are we selling or saying? 2. **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."* 3. **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 *"here's why you should care"* and *"I know exactly what's going on with you."* Specifications: - One sentence - Specific (numbers, scenarios, sensory detail) - never abstract - Names the pain *they already feel*, not pain you're convincing them they have - No marketing-speak, no "Are you struggling with...?" softeners Examples (Donahoe-style): - ✓ *"If you made less than $10K last month from your online business, there's a specific reason - and it's probably not what you think."* - ✓ *"You woke up this morning, checked your inbox, and counted seventeen unread emails from clients all wanting the same thing - and you still don't know how to say no."* - ✗ *"Are you struggling to grow your business?"* (vague, performative, no nerve) - ✗ *"In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore..."* (corporate stock opener) ### Layer 2 - The Side Door You don't walk in through the front door announcing *"I'M HERE TO SELL YOU SOMETHING."* You come in through the side door. Casual. Like you're mentioning it in passing. Specifications: - 1-2 sentences - Conversational tone - like a friend mentioning something - Tone says "I noticed something you should probably know about" - Defenses stay down because it doesn't sound like a pitch Examples: - ✓ *"I was going through some numbers the other day and noticed something weird about the way most of these courses are priced..."* - ✓ *"A buddy of mine - runs a chiropractic clinic in Tampa - sent me a screenshot last week that I haven't been able to get out of my head."* - ✗ *"Today I want to introduce you to a revolutionary breakthrough..."* - ✗ *"Let me share with you the secrets that the gurus don't want you to know..."* ### Layer 3 - Skin in the Game Within the first 3-4 sentences, the reader must know **why you're telling them this**. Not "because I'm an expert" - because you've been there. You went through it. You discovered something. You nearly missed it. You fucked it up first. Specifications: - 1-2 sentences - First-person, specific scenario from your past - Answers the unconscious question: *"Why is this person telling me this?"* - The answer can never be "because they want my money" Examples: - ✓ *"Three years ago I was staring at the same dashboard, trying to figure out why my $12K/month copywriting business felt like it was running on fumes - and what I figured out changed everything."* - ✓ *"I learned this the hard way in 2019 when I burned through $84,000 in ad spend on a launch that flatlined - and the post-mortem revealed something I'd been doing wrong for five years."* - ✗ *"As a leading expert in direct-response marketing..."* (credential dump, not Skin in the Game) ### Layer 4 - The Fingerprint Something in the opening that could only come from YOU. An opinion. A contrarian take. A vivid image. A way of seeing the situation that's distinctly yours. This is the moment they decide you're worth their time - because **you don't sound like everyone else.** Specifications: - One distinct moment of voice - could be a single phrase, a comparison, an opinion - Test: if you swap your name for a competitor's, would anyone notice? If yes, the Fingerprint is missing. - Often comes through: contrarian take, signature comparison, profanity-as-precision (if matches user voice), vivid image, dismissive aside Examples: - ✓ *"Most of the advice out there is - and I'm being generous here - complete horseshit."* - ✓ *"It hit me like a slap from someone who actually liked me: every funnel guru is selling you the *machine* and forgetting the *bait*."* - ✓ *"This is the part where I'm supposed to tell you my system is the secret. It's not. The secret is so much dumber than that."* - ✗ *"I'm passionate about helping entrepreneurs succeed."* (zero distinctive voice) ## Workflow ### Step 1 - Establish the One Person If the user hasn't given you a specific reader, ask once. *"Describe the one person you're writing this for. Not a segment - one specific human. What's their name, what's their day look like, what's keeping them up at night?"* If they give you a segment ("agency owners"), don't proceed - re-ask with: *"Pick one. Describe Mike specifically - his city, his stack, his last failed campaign. The Method requires it."* ### Step 2 - Identify the Nerve What's the specific, raw, this-morning pain? Test: - Is it a feeling, not an abstraction? ("That sick stomach feeling" not "frustration with results") - Is it specific enough that the reader would nod and say "yeah, that's exactly my problem"? - Is it something they've felt this week, not something hypothetical? If the nerve isn't sharp enough, the Open will fail. Push for sharpness. ### Step 3 - Generate 5 Open candidates Each candidate = all 4 layers, 3-5 sentences total. Mix the layer construction across candidates so the user sees range: - Candidate 1: Direct Nerve Strike → Side Door anecdote → first-person Skin → contrarian Fingerprint - Candidate 2: Question-form Nerve Strike → casual observation → "I learned this the hard way" → vivid metaphor - Candidate 3: Specific-number Nerve Strike → friend-of-mine Side Door → vulnerable admission → dismissive Fingerprint - Candidate 4: Sensory Nerve Strike → industry-observation Side Door → past-mistake Skin → opinion Fingerprint - Candidate 5: Pattern-interrupt Nerve Strike → off-handed Side Door → discovery-moment Skin → signature comparison Fingerprint ### Step 4 - Apply Voice Rules Every candidate must pass The Donahoe Voice Rules baseline: - First person ("I", "you" - never "we" or "customers") - Contractions throughout - Mixed sentence length (short punch, longer breath, short again) - No marketing-speak ("leverage", "optimize", "revolutionary", "unlock potential" - banned) - Reads natural out loud (read it; if you stumble, rewrite) ### Step 5 - Bullshit Filter Final pass: would I actually say this to someone I'm trying to help? If a candidate sounds like writing instead of talking, kill it and rewrite. ## Output template ```markdown # Four-Layer Open: **Reader:** **Nerve:** **Asset type:** --- ## Candidate 1 - > **Layer breakdown:** - **Nerve Strike:** "" → - **Side Door:** "" → - **Skin in Game:** "" → - **Fingerprint:** "" → **Voice check:** First person ✓ | Contractions ✓ | No marketing-speak ✓ | Reads aloud natural ✓ **Bullshit Filter:** run separately via `convert-bullshit-filter` (coaching pass - no inline pass/fail stamp) --- ## Candidate 2 - ... (same structure) ## Candidate 3 - ... ## Candidate 4 - ... ## Candidate 5 - ... --- ## My pick Recommended: **Candidate ** because . **Use this if:** **Swap to Candidate if:** --- ## How to deploy this Open 1. Drop the recommended candidate into the asset's first 3-5 sentences. 2. Pair with `convert-three-locks` to architect what comes next (Want → Trust → Excuse). 3. Pair with `convert-chute` to engineer momentum into the next section. 4. Run `convert-bullshit-filter` on the full draft before shipping. ## Lineage The Four-Layer Open is part of **The Donahoe Method** (Wayland-owned operating system). Lineage references: - Layer 1 (Nerve Strike) - Halbert's "lead with the pain" canon (Boron Letters, 1984) - Layer 1 sub-formulas - Caples 35 headline formulas (Tested Advertising Methods, 1932) - Layer 4 (Fingerprint) - informed by Schwartz's "market sophistication" requiring a unique angle (Breakthrough Advertising, 1966) ``` ## Notes - Layer 1 should make them stop scrolling. Layer 2 should keep them reading without realizing they're being sold to. Layer 3 should make them trust you. Layer 4 should make them remember you. - If the user pushes back on a Nerve Strike for being "too aggressive," that's usually because the nerve isn't actually their target reader's nerve - they're projecting their own discomfort. Push back gently: *"This isn't aggressive - it's specific. Specific is what works on this audience. Want me to find a different specific?"* - The Fingerprint is the hardest layer to teach an AI. If your Fingerprint candidates feel generic, return to the One Person Rule: what would *you* say to *them* over coffee? That's the Fingerprint. - This is the Open. Pair it with `convert-proof`, `convert-three-locks`, `convert-bullets`, `convert-close`, `convert-chute`, and `convert-voice` to build full assets.