RISK runs 0 to 10, higher is worse. It measures real-world exposure of the line exactly as it stands: who could act on it (FDA, FTC, Meta, a competitor’s lawyer, a class-action firm, a careful customer) and how bad it realistically gets if they do. The lane is the obligation; the score is the reason. Canonical definition: youthfulme-copy-system/SEVERITY-SCALE.md.
10Business-ending. Disease or cure claims, fabricated proof, fake testimonials. Regulator action with refunds and injunctions, account termination, personal exposure. Nothing in this audit scores 10; the definition marks where the cliff is.
9A materially false claim live on a commercial page: a wrong number, a false comparative, an admission in print. The exact shape FTC consent orders and class actions are built on. Do not put paid traffic on the page until it is fixed.
8False or drug-register claim with something containing it: partial truth nearby, implied rather than express, or low prominence. Fix before scaling spend.
7A named enforcement hook (Warning Letter phrase family, required regulatory copy, platform trigger) with no falsehood attached. Fix before scaling; days not weeks if already live.
6Contributes to a deceptive net impression: self-contradictions, overstated framings, disclosure gaps. Fix in this deployment batch.
5Register drift toward a regulated family. Defensible in isolation, indefensible as a pattern, and it contradicts our own certified documents. Fix in the batch.
4Consistency and hygiene: a careful customer could notice, a regulator would not care. Batch it.
3Conversion or credibility upside only. Zero compliance surface.
2Style alignment with the house voice.
1Cosmetic nit.
0Clear as-is, or an ADD opportunity: upside, never exposure.
Lanes derive from scores. MUST FIX = 7 to 10, or any score where a certified lock or a standing house rule applies (the hook line names which; the number stays honest instead of being inflated to force action). SHOULD FIX = 4 to 6, ship in the same batch. PREFERRED = 1 to 3, do it for the money, not for safety. ADD = opportunity, always 0. Scores 9 and 10 also mean: no paid traffic to the page while the line is live. One more note: tournament scores inside the options panel rate copy quality, where 10 is best. Risk runs the other way.