From 108 winning ad scripts

The skeleton of a winning script

Built from the 92 top-5% problem-aware winners and 16 solution-aware ones from adjacent niches. Each step sits where those scripts usually put it. Tick each line once your script says it, and write your lines under each step.

Each bar shows where the middle half of the 108 scripts first hit that step. The dot is the median.

• Cause, then failed fix, then how it works. 35 of the 47 scripts that have all three run them in that order.
• The product comes after the cause in 50 of 65 scripts, and after the failed fix in 56 of 74.
• Only 8 of 108 hit all six steps in this exact order. It is the usual shape, so bend it when the story needs it.