---
genome: copywriting
reference: decision-weights
load_priority: high
---

# Decision Weights — Foundational Direct Response

> **Track 4.1 partial** — method trade-offs derived from the foundational 10 heuristics + 6 philosophies.

## Foundational trade-offs

| Trade-off | Weight | When activated |
|-----------|--------|----------------|
| Salesmanship vs. Creative writing | 95 / 5 | Every sentence — copy is salesmanship in print |
| Prospect-as-hero vs. Product-as-hero | 95 / 5 | Voice/positioning — never the product |
| Research vs. Imagination | 90 / 10 | Source of copy — research is foundational |
| Specificity vs. Generality | 90 / 10 | Claims, numbers, examples — specifics convert |
| Data vs. Opinion | 95 / 5 | Final decisions — data wins |
| Length-as-needed vs. Arbitrary length | 75 / 25 | Format decisions — boredom kills, not length |
| Audience vocabulary vs. Industry jargon | 85 / 15 | Word choice — their words always |
| One CTA vs. Multiple CTAs | 90 / 10 | Conversion design — never give 5 things to click |
| Real urgency vs. Fake urgency | 100 / 0 | CTA design — fake destroys trust faster than real adds urgency |
| Strong guarantee vs. Weak guarantee | 95 / 5 | Risk reversal — strong guarantees increase conversion 20-30% |

## How to apply

The 100/0 absolute is real urgency vs. fake urgency. **Never fake urgency** — it destroys trust faster than no urgency damages conversion.

Almost-absolute (95/5) trade-offs reflect the foundational dogmas:
- Salesmanship over creative writing
- Prospect over product
- Data over opinion
- Strong guarantee always

Closest call (75/25): length-as-needed vs. arbitrary length. The "long copy converts" tradition is real but overstated. Length follows boredom test, not a pre-set ideal.

## Notes

These weights are **foundational** — applied master genomes can refine them per school but rarely override the 95+/5 weights. The exceptions exist mostly in master-specific frames:
- Brunson can lower "Specificity 90/10" slightly when the storytelling demands it
- Kennedy reinforces "Prospect-as-hero 95/5" with his "write backwards" dogma
- Halbert reinforces "Audience vocabulary 85/15" with his vocabulary-research discipline

Use foundational weights as the baseline; master weights as refinements.
