5-part storytelling framework forces readers to take the red pill (here's why)

Happy Wednesday! The Matrix is widely recognized as one of the greatest movies of all time.

It also gave birth to one of the most effective (but overused) copywriting closes in history with the red pill vs blue pill.

Today, I’m going to break down the 5-part storytelling framework behind it…

And show you how to convert this into a powerful copywriting framework to sell more products and services online.

Let’s dive in.

Read time: 2 minutes and 37 seconds

Together with Superhuman

Your Field Guide to the AI Revolution

Artificial intelligence is here to stay. But with AI tools multiplying faster than Agent Smith, the rate of change makes it impossible to keep up.

Luckily, that’s where Superhuman comes in. Superhuman is a daily newsletter showing you how to leverage AI to boost your productivity and accelerate your career. Join 60,000+ readers from Apple, Google, Meta, and more by subscribing today.

STEP 1: Inciting Incident

The inciting incident is the hook.

It’s the ONE event that sets the rest of the story in motion.

In The Matrix, the inciting incident is when Trinity contacts Neo through his computer and tells him to follow the white rabbit.

In copywriting, the inciting incident is a high-stakes “trigger moment” that brings the prospect’s problem to the forefront.

• losing their job

• getting dumped

• having their credit card declined

STEP 2: Progressive Complications

The inciting incident creates an IMBALANCE in the hero’s life.

They try to fix it through one action after another, but ironically, each one backfires…

Placing them even further away from where they want to be.

In The Matrix, the progressive complications build up to Neo’s meeting with The Oracle, where she tells him he’s not The One (like Morpheus has led him to believe.)

In copywriting, this part of the story is where the prospect explores other solutions, but continues to struggle:

• they run paid ads but don’t get clients

• they try keto, atkins, and fasting but don’t lose weight

• they trade stocks, crypto, and FX but lose all their money

STEP 3: Crisis

This is the hero’s “do or die” decision point.

Should they continue?

Or are they finally ready to give up and abandon themselves to their fate?

In The Matrix, the crisis decision comes when Morpheus is captured by Agent Smith after taking Neo to meet The Oracle.

Neo must decide: does he abandon Morpheus to his fate? Or go back in to save him?

In copywriting, the prospect’s faced with:

• being broke

• being overweight

• going back to their 9 to 5

STEP 4: Climax

The climax is the OUTCOME of the crisis decision.

Neo decides to go back into The Matrix to save Morpheus.

In copywriting, this is typically the “moment of discovery” where they stumble across the new solution.

• new approach to landing clients

• new trading / investment strategy

• new diet / training program / special nutrient

STEP 5: Resolution

The climax brings the story’s conflict to an end.

The resolution is what follows.

By rescuing Morpheus, Neo discovers he is The One after all. Then he sets out to free more minds.

In copywriting, the prospect achieves their desired outcome and all the benefits that come with it:

• predictable leadflow & income

• freedom to quit their 9 to 5

• getting the body of their dreams

In longer form copy like sales letters and VSLs, this is also where the prospect decides to share their solution with others…

Establishing a “reason why” for the offer.

Putting it All Together

Ultimately, you want readers to choose the “red pill” by buying your product or service.

So use these five steps to map out the prospect’s journey from problem to solution.

• Create a list of all the different possible trigger moments

• Identify all the challenges they run into along the way

• Flesh out the “do or die” decision point and the stakes involved

• Describe how they discover your product or service

• Paint a picture of what life looks like afterward

That’s it.

Thanks for reading!

See you next week.

Jim Hamilton