---
name: five-acts-reference
description: The 5-Act narrative structure for high-converting sales pages and VSLs. Loaded by @copywriter and vsl-craft when structuring marketing content.
---

# Five Acts — Narrative Structure for Sales Pages & VSLs

## Overview

High-performing sales content follows a 5-act narrative arc — not a flat feature list. Each act has a psychological purpose that builds on the previous one. Skipping acts or reordering them breaks the persuasion chain.

```
Act 1: THE LEAD        → Hook attention, create curiosity
Act 2: THE BACKGROUND   → Build authority and connection
Act 3: THE MECHANISM    → Explain WHY (problem + solution logic)
Act 4: THE OFFER        → Present the product as the vehicle
Act 5: THE CLOSE        → Manage emotions, drive action
```

---

## Act 1 — The Lead (first 10 seconds / first screen)

### Purpose
Function as a "trailer" — sell the consumption of the rest. If the lead fails, nothing else matters.

### Techniques

**Dopaminergic hook:** Open with a surprising fact, counterintuitive claim, or specific result.
**Discovery promise:** "What you're about to see..." or "In the next 3 minutes..."
**Proof hook:** Lead with a university study, screenshot of results, or verifiable data point.

### Pattern: Strong leads

**Health niche:**
> "A remote village in Okinawa has the lowest obesity rate on Earth — and researchers just discovered it has nothing to do with their diet. What they found instead is a 30-second morning habit that forces your body to burn stored fat. Stay with me, because in the next 4 minutes I'll show you exactly what it is."

**Why it works:** Specific location (Okinawa), counterintuitive claim (not diet), specific time promise (4 minutes), curiosity gap (30-second habit).

**Business niche:**
> "Last Tuesday, a dentist in Curitiba got 47 new patient appointments — without posting a single piece of content, without running ads, and without a marketing team. Today I'm going to show you the exact system she used, and why it works even if you have zero followers."

**Why it works:** Specific person, specific result (47 appointments), specific day (last Tuesday), removes objections upfront (no content, no ads, no team).

**Finance niche:**
> "In 2008, while the market crashed 40%, a group of 12 retail investors made between 180% and 340% returns. They weren't insiders. They weren't lucky. They all used the same three-step filtering system — and I'm going to show it to you right now."

### Anti-pattern: Weak leads

> "Welcome! In this video I'm going to share some tips about how to lose weight."

**Why it fails:** No hook, no specificity, no curiosity. "Some tips" = generic = scroll past.

> "Hey everyone, my name is João and I'm a digital marketing expert with 10 years of experience..."

**Why it fails:** Lead with authority = boring. Authority belongs in Act 2. Act 1 is about THEM, not you.

> "Are you tired of struggling with your finances?"

**Why it fails:** Overused question format. The prospect has heard this 1000 times. Creates no curiosity.

---

## Act 2 — The Background (authority + connection)

### Purpose
Establish the "Lab Coat Effect" — make the prospect trust the messenger before trusting the message.

### Two paths (choose one or combine)

**Path A — Expert authority:**
Credentials, follower counts, media appearances, results achieved. Brief — 60-90 seconds or 1 screen section max.

**Path B — Avatar transformation (Hero's Journey):**
Tell the story of someone who was where the prospect is now and achieved the desired outcome. This can be the expert's own story or a student/client transformation.

### Pattern: Strong background

**Expert authority path:**
> "My name is Dr. Ana Ribeiro. In the last 6 years, I've helped 14,000 patients reverse metabolic syndrome — without medication. I've been featured in Revista Saúde, consulted for Hospital Sírio-Libanês, and my research was published in the Brazilian Journal of Endocrinology. But none of that matters as much as what I'm about to show you."

**Why it works:** Specific numbers (14,000 patients, 6 years), recognizable institutions, and the pivot "but none of that matters" brings focus back to the prospect.

**Hero's Journey path:**
> "Three years ago, I was R$180,000 in debt, working 14-hour days, and my agency had just lost its biggest client. I was Googling 'how to close a digital agency' when I stumbled on something that changed everything. Within 8 months, I went from 3 clients to 42 — and I fired my entire sales team because I didn't need them anymore."

**Why it works:** Relatable pain (debt, overwork, lost client), specific transformation (3 to 42 clients), unexpected detail (fired sales team = the mechanism works so well you don't need salespeople).

### Anti-pattern: Weak background

> "I have a degree in Marketing and I've been working in the field for several years."

**Why it fails:** Vague, no specific results, no emotional connection.

---

## Act 3 — The Mechanism (problem + solution logic)

### Purpose
This is the "Aha!" moment. Explain WHY the prospect's previous attempts failed (problem mechanism) and WHY this new approach works (solution mechanism). This is where the One Belief is built.

### Structure: Problem mechanism → Solution mechanism

**Problem mechanism** (invalidate the old way):
1. Name what they've tried
2. Explain why it doesn't work (the hidden reason)
3. Create the "enemy" (the real cause of their failure — not them)

**Solution mechanism** (present the new way):
1. Introduce the unique mechanism by name
2. Explain how it works at surface level (not deep — just enough to believe)
3. Show proof it works (demonstration, case study, visual)

### Pattern: Strong mechanism

**Health — problem mechanism:**
> "You've been told your whole life that weight loss is about calories in vs. calories out. Eat less, move more. But here's what your doctor never told you: your body has a metabolic thermostat — and when you restrict calories, it doesn't burn more fat. It lowers your thermostat. That's why every diet works for 2 weeks and then stops. Your body is literally fighting against you. The problem was never your willpower — it was your thermostat."

**Health — solution mechanism:**
> "What the Okinawa researchers discovered is that certain foods don't just add calories — they reset the thermostat itself. They call it 'metabolic signaling.' And the most powerful signal they found comes from a specific combination of fermented kiwi extract and green tea catechins taken in the first 30 minutes after waking. This is the Morning Reset Protocol."

**Why it works:** Names the enemy (thermostat, not willpower), validates the prospect's past failure, provides a scientific-sounding but simple mechanism, gives it a name.

### Anti-pattern: Weak mechanism

> "Our method works because we use the latest technology and proven strategies."

**Why it fails:** No explanation of WHY it works. "Latest technology" and "proven strategies" are empty claims.

> "The reason other diets fail is because they're bad. Our diet is better."

**Why it fails:** No mechanism — just a comparative claim with no logic chain.

---

## Act 4 — The Offer (product as vehicle)

### Purpose
Transition from "this is how the world works" to "here's how YOU get this." The product is the vehicle that delivers the mechanism.

### Key rules
- **Never call it a "course."** Use: Protocol, System, Immersion, Implementation Program, Accelerator, Blueprint
- **Reframe the price** through value anchoring
- **Bonuses must serve a purpose:** accelerate results, solve a future problem, or break a specific objection
- **Include a guarantee** that removes risk from the buyer

### Pattern: Strong offer

> "The Morning Reset Protocol is a 21-day implementation program. Not a course where you watch videos and take notes — an implementation system where you follow the protocol step by step and measure your results daily.
>
> Here's everything you get:
> - **The Complete Protocol Guide** — the exact combinations, timings, and dosages mapped out for 21 days (Value: R$497)
> - **The Metabolic Tracker App** — scan your meals and see your thermostat score in real time (Value: R$297)
> - **Bonus 1: The Emergency Reset** — what to do if you break protocol on a weekend (accelerates recovery) (Value: R$197)
> - **Bonus 2: The Maintenance Blueprint** — how to keep your thermostat calibrated after the 21 days (solves future problem) (Value: R$297)
>
> Total value: R$1,288
>
> But you're not paying R$1,288. You're not even paying R$497.
>
> Because I believe everyone deserves access to this research, and because this is the first time I'm offering this outside my private clinic...
>
> **Today: R$97**
>
> And I'm backing it with my Zero-Risk Guarantee: try the full protocol for 21 days. If you don't see a measurable difference in your metabolic markers, I'll refund every centavo. No questions, no forms, just send me one email."

### Anti-pattern: Weak offer

> "Buy our course for R$497. It includes 40 video lessons and a certificate."

**Why it fails:** Called it a "course," no value anchoring, no bonuses with purpose, no guarantee, no reason why for the price.

---

## Act 5 — The Close (emotion management + urgency)

### Purpose
The prospect is on the fence. Act 5 pushes them over by managing their emotional state.

### Techniques

**Two Paths technique:**
Paint two futures — one where they stay the same, one where they take the new opportunity.

**Recovery Hook:**
For those about to leave — a pause moment, exit-intent, or "wait, one more thing."

**Real urgency only:**
Deadlines, limited spots, or price increases that are TRUE. Never fake urgency.

### Pattern: Strong close

> "You have two choices right now.
>
> Path 1: Close this page. Go back to counting calories, feeling guilty after every meal, watching the scale go up and down for the next year. Nothing changes.
>
> Path 2: Click the button below. Start the Morning Reset Protocol tomorrow morning. In 21 days, step on that scale and see a number you haven't seen in years — not because you starved yourself, but because your body is finally working WITH you.
>
> The protocol is waiting. Your thermostat is waiting.
>
> [Start My 21-Day Reset — R$97]
>
> Remember: 21 days, zero risk. If it doesn't work, you get every centavo back."

### Anti-pattern: Weak close

> "Click here to buy! Don't miss out! Limited time offer! Only 3 spots left!"

**Why it fails:** Fake urgency, no emotional contrast, no visualization of the outcome.

---

## Applying the 5 Acts to a landing page layout

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  ACT 1: HERO SECTION                   │
│  - Headline = Lead hook                 │
│  - Subheadline = Discovery promise      │
│  - Proof strip = Social proof number    │
│  - CTA = First chance to act            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ACT 2: AUTHORITY / STORY SECTION       │
│  - Expert credentials OR                │
│  - Transformation story                 │
│  - Logos / media mentions / results     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ACT 3: MECHANISM SECTIONS              │
│  - "Why nothing else worked" section    │
│  - "How [Method Name] works" section    │
│  - Visual demonstration / diagram       │
│  - Testimonials proving the mechanism   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ACT 4: OFFER SECTION                  │
│  - What you get (named components)      │
│  - Value anchoring                      │
│  - Bonuses with purpose                 │
│  - Price + reason why                   │
│  - Guarantee                            │
│  - CTA                                  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ACT 5: CLOSE                          │
│  - Two Paths visualization              │
│  - Final CTA                            │
│  - FAQ (objection handling)             │
│  - Recovery hook (exit intent / PS)     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
