The Five Lightbulbs
Your customer needs five beliefs before they buy.
An argument-driven marketing framework by Billy Broas.
See the Five Lightbulbs in action
Ten real examples from ads, sales pages, and emails, each broken down by Lightbulb. Study them and you'll start seeing the framework everywhere.
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Lightbulb 1 - Your Customer's Status Quo
Your customer has a problem, and a specific way of describing it.
The first Lightbulb turns on when you use their words instead of your own. Get this right, and they'll listen to everything that follows.
The belief you're building"They get me."
Lightbulb 2 - Other Things They've Tried
They've already tried this. They've read books, hired people, and bought tools.
The second Lightbulb turns on when you make the strongest case for what they tried, then show exactly where it falls short. That gap is what Lightbulb 3 fills.
The belief you're building"Those approaches aren't right for me."
Lightbulb 3 - Your Approach
Lightbulb 3 is not your product. It's the idea behind it. It's the reason your product works where others fall short.
The third Lightbulb turns on when you build conviction in your approach, which leads to interest in your offer.
The belief you're building"This is the way."
Lightbulb 4 - Your Offer
Lightbulb 4 is where the argument becomes an offer. It's the full picture of what a customer gets when they buy.
Your offer will only make sense after you turn on the other Lightbulbs.
The belief you're building"I trust them."
Lightbulb 5 - Your Customer's New Life
Your customer needs to see the destination. What does their life look like after success with your product?
The fifth Lightbulb turns on when you show the customer what's in it for them.
The belief you're building"That's what I want."
About Billy Broas
I created the Five Lightbulbs after years of helping businesses figure out what to say in their sales and marketing.
Before this career, I worked in renewable energy and biofuels. That background taught me to think in structures. The Five Lightbulbs is the structure I kept finding underneath every piece of marketing that worked.
The philosophical case for argument-driven marketing lives in my manifesto, Marketing Is An Argument. The book I wrote with Tiago Forte, Simple Marketing for Smart People, walks through the belief-building approach the framework operationalizes.
Finally, I work with businesses one-on-one to build the argument for their product or service. Reach out and tell me where you could use help.
Go Further
The ideas behind the Five Lightbulbs are explored in full in Simple Marketing for Smart People, the book that started it all.
Now Available - Order on Amazon
What People Are Saying
“The Five Lightbulb framework was a remarkable shift in the way I thought about marketing. Every single email I write now, I get several people emailing me back saying ‘Were you reading my mind?’ This simple framework is a game changer.”
Business Owner
“I have taken TONS of marketing training and even gone through Donald Miller’s StoryBrand program. To me the Five Lightbulbs are much simpler, more intuitive and quite frankly just more fun. By the time I graduated from the cohort, I experienced something I hadn’t expected — confidence. Confidence that I could create my own content and messaging in a way that connects with others.”
Business Coach
“What sets The Five Lightbulbs apart is its focus. It doesn’t overwhelm you with tools or strategies but hones in on the core messaging. The experience was so impactful that I’ve already enrolled in Billy’s next cohort.”
Photographer