V↗THE VSL
FIELD GUIDESTART BUILDING

FREE VSL FUNNEL TEMPLATE

Build a VSL Funnel That Actually Has Somewhere to Send People.

What to say in your video, what to put on the page, and what to do after you hit publish.

Use this step-by-step template to map out what to say in your video, what belongs on the landing page, and what needs to happen after someone hits play.

BUILD MY VSL A working template, not another PDF to forget about.
yourbusiness.com/free-training↗
YOUR NAME / STUDIOFREE TRAINING
FREE TRAINING FOR SERVICE-BASED BUSINESS OWNERS

How I'd Build a Client Acquisition System That Doesn't Stop Working When You Stop Posting

In this free 12-minute training, I'll show you the five pieces I'd connect so strangers can discover your business, become leads, and eventually book a call.

THE CLIENT ACQUISITION SYSTEM
BOOK MY FREE AUDIT No pressure. Just a clear next step.
↗ Specific outcome
← Video above the fold
← One clear CTA
↖ Proof close to the decision
SCROLL TO BUILD YOUR FUNNEL01 / 07

THE BIG PICTURE / 00

First, here's what we're building.

Ad
VSL landing page
Email follow-up
Retargeting
Booked call

Your VSL isn't the whole funnel. It's one very important piece of it.

We're going to build that piece first. Then I'll show you what needs to surround it if you actually want people seeing it.

STEAL THE STRUCTURE / REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES

See the whole funnel before you build yours.

These are the actual funnel structures I use in my own business. They're not claims about client results — they're the blueprint. Pick the closest offer, then replace the audience, promise, lesson, and next step with yours.

SERVICE PROVIDER / EXAMPLE FUNNEL

The booked-call funnel

For a bookkeeper who wants recurring small-business clients

01 / AD HOOK

Still doing your books the night before taxes? Here are three numbers to check every month instead.

The scroll-stopping line: name the exact moment your audience realizes they need help.
02 / LEAD MAGNET

Free monthly money checklist: 7 numbers to review before you make your next hire.

A small free win that solves one urgent problem and earns an email address.
03 / LANDING PAGE HEADLINE

Know where your cash is going before another month slips by.

One outcome, one sentence — what the visitor reads before hitting play.
04 / VIDEO OPENING

If you run a small business and your numbers only get attention at tax time, here's the monthly system I'd put in place first.

The first 30 seconds: who this is for and the result it promises. No intro.
05 / WHAT THE VIDEO TEACHES

Teach the three financial reports to review, what each reveals, and when a bookkeeper should step in.

The strategy you give away — useful enough that they trust you, big enough that they need you.
06 / SINGLE NEXT STEP

Book a 20-minute books review

One button, one action. Everything on the page points here.
07 / EMAIL FOLLOW-UP

Send the checklist → explain the cost of waiting → teach one report → share a real client example → invite the review.

Five emails for people who watched but weren't ready to book today.

Use real proof only: add a verified result or client story near the booking decision. Never publish example figures as your own.

PART 01 / THE VIDEO

What the hell do you say in the video?

Aim for roughly 8–15 minutes. You don't need a 47-minute documentary about your business. You need to help the right person understand their problem differently, see that you know how to solve it, and know exactly what to do next.

01Hook02Problem03Why04Method05Example06Proof07CTA
01 / 07

Give me a reason to keep watching.

The first 15–30 seconds should immediately connect to the problem that brought them here.

Do not start with your resume.Do not spend 45 seconds welcoming them.Do not explain your company's origin story.Get into it.
STEAL THIS STRUCTURE

“If you're [WHO THEY ARE] and you've been [THING THEY'RE DOING] but you're still [FRUSTRATING RESULT], I want to show you why that keeps happening and what I'd build instead.”

OR TRY THIS

“If I had to [DESIRED RESULT] from scratch today without [THING THEY DON'T WANT TO DO], this is exactly how I'd do it.”

Consultant recording a talking-head video at her desk
It doesn't need to be a production. It needs to be clear.
02 / 07

Describe their Tuesday afternoon.

Vague pain points don't make people feel understood. Make it specific enough that they recognize their own week.

BEFORE

“You're struggling with marketing.”

BETTER

“You post three or four times this week. A few people like it. Someone saves it. Then you check your inbox and... nothing. No inquiry. No call booked. Monday comes around again and you're staring at Canva wondering what you're supposed to post this week.”

03 / 07

Show them what they're not seeing yet.

This is where your expertise starts doing the selling for you. Don't just repeat the problem. Explain why it keeps happening.

“You might have Instagram, a freebie, an email list you occasionally send something to, maybe even ads you've tried before. But those pieces aren't connected into an intentional flow that moves someone from discovering you to trusting you to eventually becoming a client.”
04 / 07

Give away the strategy.

Yes, actually teach something. People aren't going to hire you because you hid the useful part. They're going to hire you because understanding your strategy makes them realize how much goes into executing it well.

01TRAFFIC
02FUNNEL
03EMAIL
04RETARGETING
05CONVERSION

NOW MAP YOUR METHOD

05 / 07

Show me what this looks like in an actual business.

Concepts are easy to agree with. Examples help people picture themselves inside the strategy.

EXAMPLE BUSINESS / BOOKKEEPER
Cold ad
Year-end checklist
Email nurture
Retargeting
Bookkeeping offer
Book a call
  • Cold adA simple hook: “Tax season is 8 weeks away. Here's the checklist I'd run now.”
  • Year-end checklistA free download that solves one small, urgent problem — and collects an email address.
  • Email nurtureFive emails: deliver the checklist, teach one thing, share a real client story, then invite.
  • RetargetingAds that bring the checklist download back to the paid offer.
  • Bookkeeping offerOne clear service, one clear price, no jargon.
  • Book a callThe booking page asks three questions up front, so the call starts halfway informed.
06 / 07

Give me a reason to believe you.

Choose proof that supports what you just taught. Don't turn this into a wall of 19 testimonials.

LAYOUT EXAMPLE · REPLACE WITH YOUR REAL RESULT312 LEADS$4.86 PER LEAD
TESTIMONIAL PLACEHOLDER

Add an actual client screenshot or short story here.

Client resultsLead numbersConversion ratesRevenueScreenshotsBefore / afterShort client stories
07 / 07

Tell them exactly what happens next.

BAD“Learn More”
BETTER“Book My Funnel Audit”
“You've now seen how I'd build this. If you want me to look at what you currently have, find the biggest gaps, and show you what I'd build for your business, book an audit below.”
Your ideas stay on this device.Download a copy of your working draft whenever you're ready.

PART 02 / THE LANDING PAGE

Now let's build the page around it.

Your VSL shouldn't be floating alone on a blank page with a button underneath it.

yourbusiness.com/free-training↗
YOUR NAME / STUDIOFREE TRAINING
FREE TRAINING FOR SERVICE-BASED BUSINESS OWNERS

How I'd Build a Client Acquisition System That Doesn't Stop Working When You Stop Posting

In this free 12-minute training, I'll show you the five pieces I'd connect so strangers can discover your business, become leads, and eventually book a call.

THE CLIENT ACQUISITION SYSTEM
BOOK MY FREE AUDIT No pressure. Just a clear next step.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
01  Find the right traffic02  Connect the pieces03  Make follow-up work
Sound familiar?

You're showing up, but the inquiries aren't consistent. The missing piece isn't more posting — it's a connected system.

TRAFFIC → FUNNEL → EMAIL → RETARGETING → CONVERSION
THE PROOF

[ Add a real client result here ]

HEY, I'M [NAME].

A short introduction and why this approach matters.

Want me to look at your funnel?BOOK MY AUDIT →
THE ANATOMY OF THE PAGE01Audience callout02Headline03Subheadline04Video05CTA06What you'll learn07Problem recognition08Framework09Proof10About11Final CTA

01—05 / ABOVE THE FOLD

Make the first screen do the heavy lifting.

Say who this is for, promise a specific outcome, make the video impossible to miss, and give one unmistakable next step.

EXAMPLE / ABOVE THE FOLD

How I'd Build a Client Acquisition System That Doesn't Stop Working When You Stop Posting

In this free 12-minute training, I'll show you the five pieces I'd connect so strangers can discover your business, become leads, and eventually book a call.

THE CLIENT ACQUISITION SYSTEM
BOOK MY FREE AUDIT
Audience calloutOutcome-led headlineShort subheadlineVideoOne CTA

06 / WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Make room for the skimmers.

Some people hit play immediately. Others inspect the entire page before committing 12 minutes. Give them enough to decide the video is worth watching.

  • How to attract the right people, not just more views.
  • Which pages turn interest into actual leads.
  • What to send after someone watches.
  • How to bring the right people back.

07 / PROBLEM RECOGNITION

If your marketing basically disappears when you get busy...

  • You're posting but inquiries are unpredictable.
  • Referrals bring clients, but you never know when the next one is coming.
  • You've built random marketing pieces that don't seem connected.
  • You disappear for a week to handle client work and your lead flow disappears too.

08 / FRAMEWORK

Let them see the whole system.

Don't just name your method. Give each piece a job.

01Traffic

Gets the right people in the door.

02Funnel

Turns attention into an intentional next step.

03Email

Builds trust when they're not ready yet.

04Retargeting

Brings warm people back to the conversation.

05Conversion

Makes booking feel like the natural next move.

09 / PROOF

Specific beats impressive-sounding.

Use real numbers, screenshots, or client stories that connect directly to the strategy you just explained.

INSERT YOUR REAL RESULT[ YOUR RESULT ]

What changed, over what period, and for whom?

Replace this placeholder before publishing your own page.

10 / ABOUT MICHELLE

Hey, I'm Michelle Merz.

I've spent 12 years in marketing helping small businesses scale without adding a million tasks to their to-do lists.

Building predictable revenue in my own business changed my life. It gave me freedom of time and choice — I stopped stressing about where my next client was coming from, and I could reverse-engineer my numbers: when I wanted to hit a revenue goal, I knew exactly how many leads, calls, and yeses it would take to get there.

That experience shaped how I help other owners: build a system for growth, not a longer to-do list. This template is the first piece of that system.

WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR ABOUT SECTION
  • Who you help — name the exact type of business owner you work with.
  • What you help them do — one outcome, stated plainly.
  • Why this training is relevant — connect your experience to what they just watched.
  • One human line — something that sounds like you, not a résumé.

Mine does exactly that: it says who I help, what changed in my business, and how that shapes the work. No awards. No company history.

Michelle Merz at homeMICHELLE MERZ / MARKETING STRATEGIST

11 / FINAL CTA

Want me to look at YOUR funnel?

If you watched the training and you're already mentally listing everything you need to build, fix, connect, write, automate, and advertise...

You don't necessarily have to do it yourself.

BOOK MY AUDIT

PART 03 / AFTER YOU HIT PUBLISH

Cool. You have a landing page.
Now what?

This is where a lot of funnels quietly die.

You spend days writing the page.Record the video.Connect the form.Change the headline 14 times.Publish.And then...nothing.

Because nobody is seeing it.

A landing page sitting on the internet isn't a marketing system.

IT NEEDS TRAFFIC.

BUILD THE SYSTEM / 01—05

Give the page a job to do.

Select each layer to see how it brings people in, keeps the conversation going, and turns interest into booked calls.

01 / COLD ADS

Get the right people to the page.

Different hooks reach people who are at different stages of understanding the problem.

YYour business Sponsored
YOUR AD CREATIVE
PROBLEM-AWARE AD

Posting all the time, but still waiting for inquiries?

YYour business Sponsored
YOUR AD CREATIVE
EDUCATIONAL AD

The 5 pieces behind a client acquisition system.

YYour business Sponsored
YOUR AD CREATIVE
PAIN-POINT AD

When client work gets busy, your leads shouldn't vanish.

YYour business Sponsored
YOUR AD CREATIVE
STORY AD

What I'd build first if I had to start from zero.

THE COMPLETE FUNNEL MAP

Screenshot This: Your VSL Client Acquisition System

SAVE THIS ↑
COLD AUDIENCE
↓
FREEBIE FUNNEL
VSL FUNNEL
DIRECT BOOKING FUNNEL
↔ PEOPLE CAN MOVE BETWEEN FUNNELS ↔
↓
EMAIL NURTURE
RETARGETING
↓
BOOKED CALL
↓
CLIENT

THE 21-DAY CLIENT ENGINE

Don't feel like building all of that?

That's exactly why I built the 21-Day Client Engine.

Instead of handing you a landing-page template and sending you off to figure out the other 87 pieces, I build the system around it.

012 strategic funnels
022–3 landing pages
03Up to 5 emails per funnel
04Ad strategy + campaign setup
05Multiple ad angles + creative
06Pixel + tracking
07Retargeting
08Automations
09Booking flow
10Testing + optimization
Traffic
Funnels
Email
Retargeting
Booked calls

You built the page.
Now let's build what feeds it.

BOOK MY AUDIT

I'll look at your current marketing, find the biggest gaps, and show you the funnels, ads, follow-up, and retargeting layers I'd build around it.