Convert Bullets

Convert Bullets - The Donahoe Bullet System

"Bullets are miniature persuasion engines. Each one should be compelling enough to serve as its own headline. Four types, mixed together for rhythm." - The Donahoe Method, Framework 4

This skill generates bullets in the four Method types (Keyhole, Flip, Snapshot, Scar), mixes them for rhythm, and outputs them ready to drop into the "what's inside" section of any conversion asset.

Each bullet creates a curiosity gap that ONLY the product resolves. If a bullet could be answered by Googling, it's a bad bullet.

When to Use

Trigger phrases: "write me bullets", "donahoe bullets", "bullet system", "keyhole bullets", "flip bullets", "snapshot bullets", "scar bullets", "what's inside section", "feature bullets", "benefit bullets", /convert bullets <product>.

Use for any section where a list will outperform prose: course module lists, "what's inside" reveals on a sales page, lead-magnet promise lists, email teaser blocks, ad-copy bullet variants.

Do NOT use for:

• Plain feature/spec lists (e.g. "ships in 5 business days, 30-day battery life, weighs 1.2 lbs") - those are utility, not persuasion
• Replacing prose entirely - bullets land harder when surrounded by narrative
• Generating standalone headlines (use convert-open Layer 1)
• Auditing existing bullets for Method-fit (use convert-audit)

Inputs

Required:

1. Product / offer - what the bullets are revealing the contents of. The more concrete the contents, the better the bullets.
2. Real contents - actual modules, lessons, templates, secrets, tactics, frameworks. Bullets pulled from imagined contents fail because they can't be specific. Real contents = pages / module numbers / specific scripts the product actually contains.
3. Reader / brief - from convert-four-questions. The bullets must hit nerves that reader feels, not generic ones.

Optional:

• Number of bullets - defaults to 12 (mixed 4-type rhythm) for a sales page section. 5-7 for a lead-magnet promise. 3-5 for an email teaser.
• Section context - what comes before and after (affects which bullet leads / closes the block)
• Reader temperature - Cool audiences need Snapshot-heavy; Hot audiences can take Keyhole-heavy
• out_path - caller-controlled output. Defaults via build_report_path.

The Four Bullet Types (full method)

The Keyhole

A peek through the keyhole at something specific enough to be believable, but withheld enough to create a gap only the product fills.

Pattern:

"The [unexpected thing] that [specific result]. (Page X / Module Y)"

Specifications:

• Names a specific thing the product reveals
• Pairs it with a specific outcome the thing produces
• Locates it precisely (page, module, video timestamp) - locating it makes it feel real
• Does NOT reveal the thing itself

Examples:

• ✓ "The 3-minute morning routine that generated more leads than my previous $3,000/month ad spend. (Module 4)"
• ✓ "The exact subject-line formula that pulled a 67% open rate from a list that hadn't seen me in 14 months. (Page 23)"
• ✗ "Discover proven strategies for success." (no peek, no specificity, no curiosity gap)

The Flip

Flips conventional wisdom. People are drawn to discovering they've been wrong - it implies that fixing the mistake will unlock results they've been missing.

Pattern:

"Why [common practice] is actually [costing/hurting] you - and what to do instead."

Specifications:

• Names a specific common practice the reader believes in
• Reveals it's actively harmful (not just neutral)
• Promises the inverted approach (without revealing it)

Examples:

• ✓ "Why 'posting consistently' is actually training the algorithm to IGNORE you - and the counterintuitive posting schedule that fixed my reach overnight."
• ✓ "Why following up '3-5 times' kills the deal instead of closing it - and the one-touch follow-up that closed 38% of my B2B prospects last quarter."
• ✗ "Avoid common mistakes." (no specific practice, no inversion, no result)

The Snapshot

A mini case study in one sentence. Each bullet is proof and curiosity compressed.

Pattern:

"How [name/description] used this to [specific measurable result] in [timeframe]."

Specifications:

• Names a specific person (or vividly describes them)
• Names a specific result with a non-round number
• Names a specific timeframe
• Optionally: caveat ("with zero tech skills", "starting from scratch", "while working full-time") - the caveat is what makes it feel achievable for the reader

Examples:

• ✓ "How a retired teacher from Austin used Module 2 to build a $4,200/month side income in her first 60 days - with zero tech skills and no existing audience."
• ✓ "How Mike - a plumber in Akron - went from 4 calls a week to 23 in 31 days, without spending a dollar on Facebook ads."
• ✗ "Real students see real results." (no specificity, no proof, no curiosity)

The Scar

You're showing a scar. Admitting a failure. This bullet type builds trust because the admitted-failure opening is disarming - and it signals "I've paid the price so you don't have to." Halbert ran this in the Boron Letters as the "I'm not a copywriter, I'm just some guy who…" opening; Hopkins ran the same structural move in Scientific Advertising as "I have nothing to gain by lying to you, and here's why I can prove this." Direct-response copywriters were shipping the Scar in print 80+ years before the modern psychology literature got around to writing it up.

Pattern:

"The one mistake that [dramatic consequence] - I made it myself in [year]."

Specifications:

• First-person admission
• Specific past mistake (ideally with a year, location, or scenario)
• Specific dramatic consequence (numbers preferred)
• Promises the fix without revealing it

Examples:

• ✓ "The pricing mistake I made in 2019 that cost me over $200K in revenue - and the dead-simple fix that took 10 minutes."
• ✓ "The 'helpful' onboarding email I sent for years that quietly killed my refund rate - until I deleted it on a hunch and watched refunds drop 41% overnight."
• ✗ "Learn from common pitfalls." (no scar, no skin, no curiosity)

Bullet Rules (non-negotiable)

1. No bullet should sound like marketing. Each should sound like something you'd say out loud to someone over coffee.
2. Specificity over cleverness. "Page 14" beats "Inside you'll discover...". Numbers, names, modules, locations.
3. Every bullet must create a curiosity gap that ONLY the product resolves. If the reader can Google it, the bullet is dead.
4. Mix all four types. A block of same-type bullets gets monotonous - and monotony is friction.
5. Each bullet stands alone. A bullet that requires the previous bullet for context isn't earning its line.
6. No fake specifics. Made-up numbers, fabricated case studies, invented module pages - all destroy credibility on first reader inspection. Every Snapshot must be real.

Workflow