6 Proven Formulas For Writing Powerful Copy
Writing is fun. It’s rewarding. It’s relaxing. Writing is many things, but it sure as hell ain’t easy.
Things crank up to another level when what you’re writing is supposed to convince strangers to give up their time, attention, and hard-earned cash.
It takes a lot of work to make copywriting… work.
Like any good and fair tradesman, it helps to have multiple trusty tools in your arsenal, so you can always be prepared to fix what is broken and build upon what is sturdy.
We will explore each acronym and distill every letter into actionable advice on how to write potent copy. Mind you, these formulas are not rules to be followed but guides to help you with structure. Don’t get overwhelmed by them.
The formulas overlap in many areas and may even be interchangeable in certain contexts, but if you spend some time thinking about what you’re trying to accomplish with your copy, you can be sure that at least one of these formulas will help you get there. At the very least, they can help you get the ball rolling.
Remember ’em, use ’em, don’t leave home without ’em.
Let’s dig in!
A.I.D.A.
Attention. Interest. Desire. Action.
This is the gold standard for copywriters, and if there’s just one formula that you must remember from this list, it will be this gem right here.
Attention
To get anyone to read anything, they must first become aware of it. Easier said than done.
- Use bold colours and interesting imagery to capture their gaze. Yellows, reds, black on white (never white on black). Our eyes love nothing more than strong contrast for sharp clarity. It puts the mind at ease, confirms that everything is in order and there is no need to second-guess one’s vision.
- Immediately push product benefits and address your target audience’s concerns in the headline. Almost 60% of readers don’t read past the headline (more on this later), so try to make it as potent as possible.
- Shock and surprise your reader with something provocative and exciting, be it with words or unusual imagery.
Interest
Now that they’re hooked, you hit them with a solid lead-in. This is the paragraph that flows right out of your headline.
- Know the person you’re writing for and target his/her particular pain points. Each industry has its pain points. Essentially, pain points are common problems to be solved, relative to the particular field for which you’re writing. In the fitness industry, for example, it could be things like the fear of injury, the struggle to overcome laziness or the fight for weight loss. In other words, make it deeply personal for the reader.
- Ignite the reader’s curiosity. You can raise a question and make them think, state a shocking statistic, or quote a satisfied customer who had something interesting to say.
- Use humour or story-telling to grip the reader. These two are more tricky to get right but are probably your most powerful tools as a writer. Humour is subjective, so knowing the person you’re writing for is key, whereas stories serve to build empathy.
Desire
Here comes the meat of the copy where you elaborate on all the magnificent features of the product and how it will benefit the reader.
- Sculpt each line so they flow seamlessly from one into the other. Guide the reader’s eye to where you need it to go. Dissect your text into sections and make the entire piece skimmable. Get to the point and don’t waste the reader’s time.
- Use simple, easy to understand language. In general, just write the way people talk. Nobody is impressed by your vocabulary — save that for your Lovecraftian novel.
- Include customer testimonials to convince the reader of your product’s value and dispel any concerns they may have.
Action
What do you want the reader to do? This is the CTA (Call to Action). “Buy Now”, “Sign Up Here”, “Download Your Free e-Book”, etc.
- Keep it short and simple. Five words max.
- Make it the most visible thing on the screen.
- Use follow-up copy underneath, something to alleviate any concerns the reader may have. You could add an FAQ section for some further assurance, or something simple that would make it easier for the reader to take action: “Start Your Free Trial — No credit card needed”, “Buy Now — satisfaction guaranteed or your money back”.
U.U.U.U.
Useful. Urgent. Unique. Ultra-Specific.
Remember, almost 60% of readers don’t read past the headline. This alone is enough to illustrate the importance of perfecting the art of crafting powerful headlines.
The 4 U’s serves as a checklist to ensure your headline does what it’s supposed to do.
Useful
How does it help?
Drive forward the benefits. Will it make me more money? Will it make me lose weight? Will it drive traffic to my website? Promise them a quality service that will save/make time, money, or energy.
Urgent
How does it move the reader to act?
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is very persuasive. If your promise is enticing enough, people will not want to miss out on whatever exclusive, limited-time deals or packages you’ve got cooked up.
Get the reader to act (before it’s too late!) with deadlines, expirations dates, showing them the number of items sold, and how many people have viewed the item within the past hour, etc.
Unique
How does it surprise?
It doesn’t have to be the next smash hit, but to be effective it ought to have some element of excitement. Whatever you choose to do, do not bore your audience.
Boring is the worst sin of writing!
Don’t hesitate to play with the words and have fun with the copy.
Ultra-Specific
How does the headline provide details?
Feed the reader enough details so they derive a sense of what’s in store and give them a reason to keep reading and learn more.
P.P.P.P.
Picture. Promise. Prove. Push.
If you’ve got great customer testimonials and stories, then you may want to build your copy around this formula.
Picture
Paint a picture that appeals to your target audience.
“Imagine never having to step out of your house to do the weekly shopping”, or “You too can have a body like this”.
Provide images and videos to solidify the picture in the reader’s mind.
Promise
Promise, large promise, is the soul of an advertisement.
— Samuel Johnson.
Promise great benefits of using your service, like saving time, money, or energy.
For example, “Blue Apron will deliver all ingredients to your door, fresh and ready to cook”, or “With Amazon Prime, your order will be with you the very next day”.
Prove
Provide evidence that your service is solid. Few things are as effective at generating new customers as videos of the product in action.
Customer testimonials are helpful, too, in most industries. Be sure to use them (just get permission first).
Whatever you do, do not lie about your product or service, presenting it to be better than it actually is. The lie may sell once, but it won’t generate returning customers, nor will they be recommending the service to their friends and family.
Push
Give the price, the satisfaction guarantee, the limited-time discounts, free trials — do whatever you gotta do to get the customer to act NOW!
A.C.C.A.
Awareness. Comprehension. Conviction. Action.
This one is good if you’re trying to get people to support something worthy, like a charity or a fundraiser, rather than offering them something valuable.
Use powerful words and appeal to their emotions. So phrases like “fight for justice”, or “an opportunity to save lives”.
Story-telling is particularly powerful in this field because of its capacity for creating narratives with which the reader can empathise.
Awareness
Instead of grabbing attention, you try to raise awareness first. Using a strong headline, inform the reader about an upcoming event, a fundraiser, or a charity.
Briefly introduce the reader to the problem. Is it pollution? Homelessness? Third-world starvation?
Comprehension
Explain why this issue is worth their time. Delve deeper and tell the reader how he/she is an essential part of the possible solution.
Statistics, numbers, and graphs are effective at this stage, adding a layer of validity to your copy.
Conviction
Now that they’re aware of the problem and ways of solving it, you’ve got to throw the ball over to their side of the court.
Tell them that the solution is in their hands, that they are capable of contributing towards ending child poverty or reducing homelessness across their city.
“For the price of two cups of coffee per month, you can feed a child for a week”.
Action
Again, as with most of these formulas, the final step is what you want them to do. Present it clearly and don’t complicate it. “Donate Now, Save a Life”.
B.A.B.
Before. After. Bridge.
This one is common in those cheesy late-night infomercials, but it is still very effective. You simply present a negative scenario, a much more desireable alternative, and the way to get there.
Before
A problematic situation. A stressed-out housewife struggling to keep the carpet clean with kids running around the house.
After
Happy place. A stress-free mother.
Bridge
The bridge that transformed her misery to happiness is this automatic vacuum robot thingy!
UPWORDS
Universal picture words or relatable, descriptive sentences
This one is a bit wordy but is probably the simplest one on the list. It’s just the use of easily relatable metaphors to convey the scope of something.
For example, “last year our cab company covered enough miles around the country to circle the Earth five times”, or “our company has moved enough lawns to cover fifteen football fields”.
Don’t be obscure with these, because the very purpose here is to simplify things and make it easier for the reader to grasp the magnitude of you awesome service.
Now, since we’ve landed on the topic of simplicity, here’s my personal favourite. I apply this one to everything I write.
K.I.S.S.
Keep. It. Stupid. Simple.
or
Keep. It. Simple. Stupid.
