Hey Fanbased builder!
I started IT: Welcome to Derry a few weeks ago.
And week after week, I’m constantly compelled to keep watching.
Not because of jump scares. But because the show weaponizes fear itself. Every scene builds tension by showing you something you're afraid might happen, letting it simmer, then forcing a choice.
Then it hit me: This is exactly what the best email campaigns do.
By the end of this breakdown, you'll see how DoorDash used the same Three-Act Structure as IT: Welcome to Derry, and how to build this into your Klaviyo flows.
But before anything else…
What is the Fanbased Formula
HBO spent years learning how to create obsessed fans who binge entire seasons. Stephen King cracked the code on turning casual readers into superfans. They don't compete on discounts. They use storytelling structures.
Meanwhile, most supplement brands bleed money: $75 to acquire a customer, $40 first purchase, customer never returns. Result: negative $35 per customer.
The FANBASED Formula takes the 5 storytelling structures Hollywood uses and applies them to your emails. One-time buyers become monthly subscribers. $40 customer becomes $490+ lifetime value.
Here's how I'm breaking this down:
THE BREAKDOWN - The structure IT: Welcome to Derry uses
THE STRUCTURE - Which of the 5 structures both IT and DoorDash use
THE SWIPE FILE - How DoorDash applied this line by line
THE SUBSCRIPTION PLAY - Why this converts readers into actors
THE DEPLOYMENT - How to build this into your Klaviyo flows
🎬 The Breakdown
IT: Welcome to Derry's co-creator Brad Caleb Kane described it as "a story about the weaponization of fear to divide and control."
Pennywise doesn't just hunt children. It feeds on fear. Studies your deepest insecurities. Turns them into weapons.
The show uses the Three-Act Structure:
Act 1 (Setup): Establish the threat. Peaceful 1962 America, then darkness underneath.
Act 2 (Confrontation): Escalate fear. Pennywise appears as each character's worst fear.
Act 3 (Resolution): Force a choice. Action becomes the only escape.
🧠 The Structure
The Structure: THREE-ACT STRUCTURE
Both IT: Welcome to Derry and DoorDash's email use the Three-Act Structure.
Structure Type: Three-Act Structure
Best For: Single promotional emails, advocacy campaigns, urgent action emails
Action Fit: Positions immediate action as the only resolution
The Key: IT doesn't just show scary things. It makes you FEEL escalating fear, then positions action as the only release. That's exactly what DoorDash did.
📧 The Swipe File
Email Quick Facts:
Brand: DoorDash (DashRoots)
Structure Used: Three-Act Structure
Structure Grade: 5/5
ACT 1 - THE SETUP
What They Wrote: "Your privacy is under threat. Picture this: You order your favorite meal, expecting a seamless transaction. But now, imagine your personal details are handed over to every business you order from."
Movie Parallel: Establishes normalcy before revealing the threat.
ACT 2 - THE CONFRONTATION
What They Wrote: "This idea is a privacy nightmare. Your private information could be floating around, vulnerable to misuse, all without your consent."
Movie Parallel: Pure fear escalation. Makes it YOUR data. Vulnerable. Personal.
ACT 3 - THE RESOLUTION
What They Wrote: "Take just thirty seconds to tell the Board of Supervisors that compromising your privacy is not an option. Take action now!"
Movie Parallel: Mirrors Will Hanlon: "I'm done being afraid of you!" Action as the only escape.
💰 The Subscription Play
IT: Welcome to Derry creates "fear-based action motivation." You FEEL the tension. The only release is action.
For Supplement Brands:
Energy Brands: "Your afternoon crash isn't just annoying. It's stealing hours from your life." Fear, escalation, subscription as solution.
Sleep Brands: "Poor sleep isn't making you tired. It's aging your brain." Threat, stakes, consistent supplementation.
Protein Brands: "Missing workouts doesn't slow gains. It reverses them." Loss, escalation, subscription as protection.
Your customer's brain responds to Three-Act Structure the same way it responds to IT. They're buying escape from the fear loop.
⚡ The Deployment
Quick Win (This Week):
Current Version: "Our energy supplement is 20% off. Buy now!"
Three-Act Version:
Act 1: "It's 2pm. You're staring at your screen, nothing's registering. The crash has you hostage."
Act 2: "Here's what that crash costs: lost productivity, missed deadlines, reputation slipping."
Act 3: "There's a way out. Subscribe and never be held hostage again."
Expected Impact: 25-40% higher CTR, 15-20% subscription conversion improvement.
30-Day Implementation:
Week 1: Audit current emails, map to the 5 structures
Week 2: Rebuild core flows (Welcome = Hero's Journey, Cart = Three-Act)
Week 3: Weekly campaigns using Pixar Story Spine
Week 4: Measure and optimize
What should I decode next?
Reply with your current binge obsession.
Float on (just not into any sewers),
Geb Vence
See you next Sunday 12AM PHT.
Work With Email Rev Lab
We turn one-time buyers into monthly subscribers using Hollywood storytelling structures.
Results: 35%+ attributed revenue, $334K+ generated for supplement clients.
