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.

| # | Section | Lock | Reading pattern | CTA? |
|---|---------|------|------------------|------|
| 1 | Hero - Headline / Subhead / CTA / Trust strip | Want | Z-pattern | CTA #1 |
| 2 | Open continued (Layers 2-4 unspooled) | Want | F-pattern | - |
| 3 | The pain expanded - agitate the nerve | Want | F-pattern | - |
| 4 | The vision - paint the state they want | Want | F + image | - |
| 5 | Bridge - "here's what changed" | Want → Trust | F-pattern | - |
| 6 | The mechanism - why this works (unique) | Trust | F + diagram | CTA #2 |
| 7 | Proof block 1 - Anecdote + Receipt | Trust | F-pattern | - |
| 8 | What you get - bullets (Keyhole / Flip / Snapshot / Scar mix) | Trust | scannable | - |
| 9 | Proof block 2 - Snapshot case study | Trust | F + image | CTA #3 |
| 10 | Bonus stack - visible value addition | Excuse | scannable | - |
| 11 | The Stack close - sum the value | Excuse | F-pattern | - |
| 12 | The Vision close - paint the state again | Excuse | F + image | - |
| 13 | The Math close - make the arithmetic obvious | Excuse | scannable | CTA #4 |
| 14 | The Safety Net - guarantee | Excuse | F-pattern | - |
| 15 | The Door - final CTA | Excuse | dominant CTA | CTA #5 |
| 16 | P.S. - recloses from new angle | Excuse | F-pattern | CTA #6 |
| 17 | P.P.S. - recaps strongest proof | Excuse | F-pattern | CTA #7 |
| 18 | FAQ - kills last objections | Excuse | scannable | CTA #8 |

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),