The right offer format depends on what you sell.
The right offer format depends on what you sell. The same six components (core, bonuses, guarantee, scarcity, name, price) get assembled differently by business type.
This reference is organized by business type. Find yours, then use the format as a starting point — not a fixed recipe.
You sell your time and skill.
| Component | Default | |-----------|---------| | Core | A scoped engagement with a specific deliverable and timeline | | Bonuses | Templates, frameworks, post-engagement support, tool stack | | Guarantee | First-milestone gate (paid pilot or first-deliverable refund) | | Scarcity | Capacity-based (next slot opens [date]) | | Name | Methodology-named or outcome-named (e.g., "The 30-Day Activation Sprint") | | Price | Project-based with down-payment, or monthly retainer |
Move from "I sell consulting" to "I sell the 8-Week Marketing Reset." Same delivery, different offer.
The productized version:
Productizing raises perceived value, simplifies sales, and creates a repeatable case-study factory.
You sell structured learning.
| Component | Default | |-----------|---------| | Core | The curriculum + delivery format | | Bonuses | Templates, swipe files, case studies, community access | | Guarantee | Conditional money-back (completion-gated) | | Scarcity | Cohort scarcity (enrollment closes [date]) | | Name | Outcome-named or methodology-named | | Price | Pay-in-full or 2–4 installments |
| Decision | Async | Cohort | |----------|-------|--------| | Pricing | Lower ($297–$1,997) | Higher ($1,497–$5,000+) | | Scarcity | Bonus expiry, price increases | Cohort start date | | Guarantee | Generous unconditional | Conditional on completion | | Conversion mechanic | Email funnel, evergreen webinar | Launch window + cohort deadline | | Default bonus | Templates, swipes | Slack + office hours + 1:1 review |
You sell access to your expertise applied to their specific situation.
| Component | Default | |-----------|---------| | Core | Sessions + asynchronous access + specific outcome focus | | Bonuses | Resources from your library, intro to network, post-engagement check-ins | | Guarantee | Outcome-or-extension or first-two-sessions out | | Scarcity | Capacity-based (N spots / quarter) | | Name | Identity-named or outcome-named (e.g., "Founder Marketing Mastermind") | | Price | Monthly retainer or 3/6/12-month engagement |
| Decision | 1:1 | Group / mastermind | |----------|-----|---------------------| | Pricing | $1,500–$10,000+/mo | $497–$2,500+/mo | | Scarcity | Capacity (4–10 1:1 clients) | Cohort size (8–30 members) | | Guarantee | First-two-sessions out | Trial period, no refunds after | | Bonuses | Custom resources, intros | Group access, peer accountability, library access | | Default delivery | Weekly or biweekly sessions | Monthly group calls + community |
You sell packaged knowledge or assets.
| Component | Default | |-----------|---------| | Core | The asset(s) + lifetime access | | Bonuses | Adjacent assets, walkthroughs, templates | | Guarantee | Generous unconditional (30-day no-questions) | | Scarcity | Bonus expiry, price-increase scheduling | | Name | Outcome-named, often punchy and specific | | Price | $29–$497, pay-in-full |
You sell to companies with a sales conversation.
| Component | Default | |-----------|---------| | Core | A multi-month engagement or annual contract | | Bonuses | Onboarding, training, integration, dedicated CSM | | Guarantee | SLA, performance-based, or pilot-gated | | Scarcity | Quarter-end pricing, capacity (N onboardings/quarter), tier limits | | Name | Internal-stable (e.g., "Enterprise Plan") + named engagement type (e.g., "Strategic Onboarding") | | Price | Annual contract with quarterly payment, often custom |
You sell ongoing service delivery.
| Component | Default | |-----------|---------| | Core | Monthly deliverables + dedicated team + reporting cadence | | Bonuses | Strategy sessions, tool access, audit credits, library access | | Guarantee | Month-1 paid pilot or 90-day out clause | | Scarcity | Capacity (N clients / vertical / quarter) | | Name | Tier-named ("Growth," "Scale," "Enterprise") + service line | | Price | Monthly retainer with discount for annual commit |
You sell a tool with tiered subscriptions.
| Component | Default | |-----------|---------| | Core | Tiered subscription with clear feature differentiation | | Bonuses | Free onboarding, templates, integrations, partner discounts | | Guarantee | Free trial OR annual-with-30-day-refund | | Scarcity | Founding-pricing for first N customers, or seasonal launches | | Name | Tier-named ("Starter," "Pro," "Team," "Enterprise") | | Price | Monthly or annual with discount, value-metric-based |
pricing skill.For SaaS, this skill is supplemental. Read pricing first.
You sell from a sales page or VSL to cold traffic.
| Component | Default | |-----------|---------| | Core | The "thing" + clear payoff | | Bonuses | Heavy bonus stack (5–7 bonuses, layered values) | | Guarantee | Aggressive risk reversal (better-than-money-back, double guarantee) | | Scarcity | Real time-bound (launch window, evergreen with hard close) | | Name | Hooky, often pattern-interrupt | | Price | Often single-payment with payment plan offered |
This format is high-skill. If you're not from a direct-response background, hire someone or partner with someone who is.
If you're not sure which format applies, pick the closest match and adapt. The biggest mistake is borrowing a format from a different business type (e.g., applying direct-response bonus stacking to a premium B2B service — wrong audience, wrong aesthetic).
Two diagnostic questions:
For worked examples by business type, see examples.md.