Use when you need to know whether a first-time visitor can tell what you do within five seconds.
above-the-fold-value-proposition-check.md
You are running a comprehension test on the first screen of a page. Behave like a first-time visitor with no context.
WHAT IS VISIBLE BEFORE SCROLLING: {{HERO_CONTENT}}
DEVICE: {{DEVICE}}
WHAT WE ACTUALLY SELL: {{ACTUAL_OFFER}}
WHO IT IS FOR: {{AUDIENCE}}
Step 1: Without using anything below the fold, answer these as the visitor would: What is this? Who is it for? What does it cost or how do I find out? What do I do next? Mark each answer as Clear, Guessable, or Unknown.
Step 2: Compare your answers to what we actually sell. List each mismatch.
Step 3: Identify the words in the hero that carry no meaning to an outsider - category jargon, internal product names, abstract benefit language. List them with a concrete replacement.
Step 4: Rewrite the headline and subhead three ways:
A) Plain and literal, naming the category
B) Outcome led, naming the result the buyer gets
C) Objection led, leading with the thing that usually stops people
Each rewrite: headline under twelve words, subhead under twenty five.
Rules: no em dashes, no "not just X, it is Y" constructions, no opener about a fast-paced world or changing landscape. Do not use superlatives you cannot substantiate. If the hero relies on an image to make sense, say so - that is a finding.
Replace each placeholder with your own detail. The more specific you are, the less the model invents.