---
name: fascinations-reference
description: Fascinations (curiosity bullets) — high-converting bullet point formulas for offers, emails, and sales pages. Loaded by @copywriter when writing offer sections, bonus lists, or email subject lines.
---

# Fascinations — Curiosity Bullets That Sell

## What are fascinations?

Fascinations are bullet points designed to create irresistible curiosity about the content inside a product. They don't describe what's inside — they make the reader NEED to know what's inside.

The best fascination makes the prospect think: "I have to know this."
The worst fascination makes them think: "I already know this."

---

## The 12 formulas that work

### 1. The Secret Of
> "The secret of [desirable group] that allows them to [desirable result] — and how you can use it starting today"

**Good:**
- "The secret of Japanese women over 60 who maintain the metabolism of a 25-year-old — and the one ingredient they all consume before 7 AM"
- "The secret freelancers earning R$30k/month use to find clients without a portfolio, a website, or a single social media post"

**Bad:**
- "The secret to success" (vague, no specificity)
- "The secret of productivity" (abstract noun, no desired result)

### 2. The Reason Why
> "Why [common belief] is actually [counterintuitive truth] — and what to do instead"

**Good:**
- "Why drinking 8 glasses of water a day is actually making you MORE dehydrated — and the 3-ingredient drink that fixes it"
- "Why posting every day on Instagram is killing your reach — and the 2-post-per-week strategy that outperforms daily posting by 340%"

**Bad:**
- "Why most people fail" (no specificity, overused)
- "Why our product is different" (product-focused, not curiosity-focused)

### 3. The Warning
> "Warning: never [common action] until you [condition] — or you risk [consequence]"

**Good:**
- "Warning: never sign a commercial lease until you check clause 14.3 — or you could be locked into a 5-year obligation with no exit"
- "Warning: never take vitamin D without this co-factor — Harvard researchers found it can actually INCREASE deficiency symptoms"

**Bad:**
- "Warning: don't miss this opportunity!" (fake urgency, no content)

### 4. The Specific Number
> "[Specific number] [things] that [produce specific result]"

**Good:**
- "The 3 foods that spike your cortisol by 47% when eaten after 6 PM — and the one swap that eliminates the spike completely"
- "7 LinkedIn headline formulas that generated 12,000+ profile views in 30 days (I tested all 7 — #4 outperformed the rest by 3x)"
- "The 11-minute evening routine that reduced insomnia in 78% of participants in a University of Zurich study"

**Bad:**
- "10 tips for better health" (generic, no specificity in the result)
- "5 ways to make money" (vague outcome)

### 5. The Unusual Ingredient
> "The [unexpected thing] that [produces desired result] — discovered by [authority/source]"

**Good:**
- "The kitchen spice that dissolves 23% more arterial plaque than statins — according to a 2023 study from Johns Hopkins"
- "The free Chrome extension that replaced my R$2,400/year email marketing tool — and actually converts better"
- "The 1940s sales letter technique that still outperforms AI-generated copy by 4:1 in split tests"

**Bad:**
- "The amazing thing that will change your life" (no specificity)
- "Our special ingredient" (hidden behind vagueness instead of curiosity)

### 6. The Mistake
> "The #1 mistake [audience] makes when [action] — and how it's costing you [specific loss]"

**Good:**
- "The #1 mistake new landlords make in month 2 that costs an average of R$14,000 in the first year — and the one-paragraph clause that prevents it"
- "The warm-up mistake that 90% of runners make before every race — according to a biomechanics study, it increases injury risk by 34%"

**Bad:**
- "Common mistakes people make" (no specificity, no stakes)

### 7. The Hidden Cause
> "The hidden reason [bad thing happens] — and it's NOT [what they think]"

**Good:**
- "The hidden reason your Facebook ads stop working after 3 days — and it's NOT ad fatigue, audience saturation, or your creative"
- "The hidden reason your back pain keeps coming back — it's NOT your posture, your mattress, or your core strength (page 47)"

**Bad:**
- "The real reason you're not succeeding" (vague, no specificity)

### 8. The Time-Bound Result
> "How to [achieve result] in [specific timeframe] — even if [objection]"

**Good:**
- "How to write a complete sales page in 90 minutes — even if you've never written a single line of copy in your life"
- "How to go from 0 to 1,000 email subscribers in 14 days — even if you don't have a website, a product, or a social media following"

**Bad:**
- "How to get results fast" (no timeframe, no specificity)
- "How to be successful" (no specific result)

### 9. The Contrast
> "Why [seemingly bad thing] works better than [seemingly good thing] for [result]"

**Good:**
- "Why an 'ugly' one-page website converts 3x more than a R$25,000 professionally designed site — and how to build one in 2 hours"
- "Why walking 20 minutes beats running 60 minutes for fat loss — the metabolic math your trainer won't tell you"

**Bad:**
- "Why our thing is better than their thing" (comparative claim, not curiosity)

### 10. The Forbidden Knowledge
> "What [authority/industry] doesn't want you to know about [topic]"

**Good:**
- "What dermatologists privately admit about sunscreen that contradicts everything on their office pamphlets — and the one product they actually use on their own children"
- "What your real estate agent is legally not allowed to tell you about neighborhood pricing — and how to find the data yourself in 5 minutes"

**Bad:**
- "What THEY don't want you to know" (conspiracy tone, no specificity)

### 11. The Page Number / Location
> "[Fascinating claim] — see page [X] / module [X] / minute [X]"

**Good:**
- "The exact email script that recovered R$47,000 in abandoned carts in one weekend — copy it word-for-word from page 34"
- "The 4-word phrase that turns a 'maybe later' into a 'where do I sign?' — demonstrated live in Module 3, minute 12:45"

**Why it works:** Implies the content is real, organized, and findable. Adds tangibility.

### 12. The Paradox
> "How [seemingly contradictory pair] produces [desirable result]"

**Good:**
- "How eating MORE fat made 2,400 study participants lose an average of 8.2 kg in 12 weeks — without hunger, without exercise, without counting a single calorie"
- "How sending FEWER emails increased this e-commerce store's revenue by 61% — the 'less is more' sequence that defies marketing orthodoxy"

---

## Fascination quality checklist

Before using a fascination, verify:

- [ ] **Specificity:** Does it contain at least one specific number, name, or detail?
- [ ] **Curiosity gap:** Does it make the reader NEED to know the answer?
- [ ] **Believability:** Is the claim bold but not absurd?
- [ ] **Benefit clarity:** Is the desired outcome obvious?
- [ ] **No spoiler:** Does it tease without revealing the answer?
- [ ] **No filler words:** "Amazing," "incredible," "revolutionary" = filler. Cut them.

---

## Anti-pattern collection: Fascinations that kill conversion

### Generic fascinations (no curiosity gap)
- "Learn about nutrition" → Who cares?
- "Discover our features" → Feature-focused
- "Get tips for your business" → Vague
- "Everything you need to know about X" → Overused, no specificity

### Spoiler fascinations (answer revealed = no reason to buy)
- "Meditation reduces stress — and we'll show you how to meditate" → Already knows the method
- "Drink more water to improve your skin" → Already knows the solution

### Hype fascinations (unbelievable = ignored)
- "The miracle molecule that cures ALL diseases"
- "Make R$100,000 in your first month guaranteed"
- "The secret that will make you a genius overnight"

### Self-centered fascinations (about the product, not the prospect)
- "Our award-winning platform"
- "Built with cutting-edge technology"
- "Trusted by industry leaders" (without naming them)

---

## How many fascinations per section?

| Context | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Offer section (what you get) | 5–8 bullets per component |
| Bonus description | 3–4 bullets each |
| Email subject line testing | Write 10, pick best 3 |
| Sales page body | 1–2 per section as proof hooks |
| VSL script | 3–5 sprinkled in the mechanism act |

### Ordering rule
Put the 2nd best fascination first and the best fascination last. The first one earns attention; the last one earns the click.
