---
genome: copywriting-brunson
reference: frameworks-origin-story
load_priority: high
---

# Origin Story — 6 Essential Components

The Origin Story is the load-bearing artifact that establishes the **guide** role (vs. hero) in Brunson's method.

## The 6 components

### 1. Common life before the discovery
Where you started — relatable, ordinary, not unusually privileged. Establishes "I was where you are now."

Examples:
- Working a 9-5 job
- Struggling with the same problem the audience has
- Feeling stuck in a familiar situation

### 2. Epiphany or triggering moment
The specific moment things changed. A discovery, encounter, breakthrough, or crisis.

Format:
> "And then [specific moment / event / realization] changed everything..."

The specificity matters — vague triggers feel manufactured.

### 3. Struggle to create the solution (epics and failures)
The work between epiphany and result. Failures, setbacks, mistakes, tries.

This step is critical:
- Establishes that the path is non-trivial (no "easy hack")
- Shows you're an honest guide who failed before succeeding
- Earns the right to teach (you've been through what the audience will go through)

### 4. Surprising and unexpected results
The breakthrough — usually larger than expected, sometimes against industry conventional wisdom.

Format:
> "What surprised me wasn't [common result] — it was [unexpected scale / impact]"

Specifics: numbers, timeframes, named outcomes.

### 5. Current mission to share the discovery
Why you're now teaching it. Not "I want to make money" — but "I want others to skip the years of failure I went through."

Format:
> "Now my mission is to..."

The mission framing converts you from "person selling a product" to "person on a calling."

### 6. Invitation for the reader to join the movement
Not "buy this product" — but "join us / become part of this / take the first step."

The invitation positions the reader as joining something larger than a transaction.

## Why this 6-step structure works

The 6 components mirror the audience's mental movement:

1. **Component 1** → "This person was like me"
2. **Component 2** → "Something specific changed for them"
3. **Component 3** → "They struggled, like I would"
4. **Component 4** → "They got results I want"
5. **Component 5** → "They're sharing for the right reasons"
6. **Component 6** → "I can be part of this"

Skip a component → the mental movement breaks → identification breaks.

## Common violations

| Violation | Symptom | Fix |
|-----------|---------|-----|
| Skipping Component 3 (struggle) | Story feels too easy / unrealistic | Add specific failures and setbacks |
| Vague Component 2 (trigger) | "I had a realization one day..." (too vague) | Specific moment, named, dated |
| Missing Component 5 (mission) | Story feels mercenary | Add the calling-style mission framing |
| Self-aggrandizement throughout | "I'm amazing because I did X" | Reframe as "discovered" not "achieved" — guide not hero |
| Missing Component 6 (invitation) | Story ends without engaging the reader | Always end with "now you can..." invitation |

## Origin Story pitfalls

### Pitfall 1 — Hero positioning
The most common mistake. Story positions YOU as the hero ("look what I built") instead of as the GUIDE ("here's the path I found").

Fix: every paragraph audited for hero vs. guide register. Rewrite hero lines as guide lines.

### Pitfall 2 — Manufactured vulnerability
Component 3 (struggle) needs REAL failures. Manufactured ones are detected.

Fix: use only verifiable failures. If your real failures are mild, lean into the milder authentic ones — don't fabricate dramatic ones.

### Pitfall 3 — Missing specificity
Vague trigger moment, vague struggle, vague results. The story feels archetypal not personal.

Fix: specifics in every component. Names, dates, dollar amounts, places, times.

### Pitfall 4 — Self-promoting close
Ending with "and now I sell this product" undoes the guide positioning.

Fix: end with the invitation (Component 6) — not the offer itself. The offer comes AFTER the Origin Story, not within it.

## Length

Origin Story length varies by use:
- **Short version** (3-5 minutes spoken / 500 words written) — for ads, intros, social
- **Medium version** (8-12 minutes / 1500-2000 words) — for sales pages, opt-in pages
- **Long version** (20+ minutes / 4000+ words) — for webinars, books, foundational brand content

The 6 components are present in all; the volume of each varies.

## Use in funnels

The Origin Story typically appears:
- **Top of funnel:** opt-in page brand introduction
- **Mid-funnel:** webinar opening (5-10 minutes)
- **Sales letter:** opening 20% (Halbert's lead structure)
- **Email sequence:** email 1-2 of welcome sequence
- **Brand page:** "About" section (extended version)

It's the foundational story that anchors all subsequent storytelling. Other stories (testimonials, case studies, future-pacing) build on the Origin Story's established trust.
