AIDA Copywriting Formula: How to Write for Sales & Action.
Hey there,
You must be pretty smart since you’re here, reading this.
Oh, that might’ve gotten your attention.
Actually, I could’ve started the first line in ALL kinds of ways. Compliments. Insults. Shocking secrets. That’s how you start writing the AIDA formula. And that’s why you’re here, right?
What is AIDA?
Attention. Interest. Desire. Action. AIDA is a copywriting formula you can use to “shape” your sales letters, emails and video scripts. Anything you write. If you’re in copywriting and marketing, you should know it.
In this quick AIDA copywriting guide, you’ll learn all about each letter of the AIDA formula. How to use it. When to use it. And some examples to nail it all down into your brain.
Ready? Let’s go.
The AIDA Copywriting Formula
For the sake of simplicity…
Imagine a 4-paragraph letter.
Paragraph #1 is for Attention, #2 is for Interest, #3 is for Desire and #4 is dedicated to Action. In actual practice, there’s a lot more gray area. Attention may need 1-2 lines. Interest and desire may need 3-5 lines. Some parts don’t need an entire paragraph and some need more than one. It depends. But, let’s keep it simple.
That’s how your sales letter should be structured.
Now that you know what to write in each paragraph, it’s a lot easier to put the AIDA formula into action, right?
Here’s a quick and dirty example:
— Attention: “Have you seen your teeth!?” Hey, Mrs. Smith, you had some corn in your teeth at work today. Others noticed too and whispered to each other. I didn’t want to say anything out loud, to spare you the public humiliation, so I’m emailing you now.
Mrs. Smith is likely thinking “Oh, no! How embarrassing!”
— Interest: But, clearly, you’re a corn lover. I am too. Used to have this problem too but not anymore. Not since I created this…
Mrs. Smith is likely thinking “Yes! I am passionate about corn but also self-conscious about having it in my teeth. What did you do to fix this problem?”
— Desire: A mouthwash that makes your teeth slippery smooth so that nothing sticks. Repels corn, spinach, coffee stains, and chicken particles away from your teeth.
Mrs. Smith: “Ooh, a solution that keeps my teeth corn-free? Yes, I want that.”
— Action: Interested? Email me by the end of today and I’ll give you a bottle. It’s my last one.
And that’s how AIDA shapes writing.
Now, let’s get a little deeper with copywriting and the AIDA formula.
A famous copywriter, Joe Sugarman, compared copywriting to a “greasy slide.” Imagine going down a greased up slide at the playground. Wee!
Copy should flow in the same way. The goal of the headline is to get you to read sentence #1. The goal of sentence #1? To get you to read sentence #2, and so on. Like a greasy slide.
So, let’s disregard headlines (a world of its own) and focus on the body.
Sentence #1 should grab attention.
Attention.
This is step 1.
In the business of marketing and advertising, grabbing attention is the name of the game.
But just because something grabs doesn’t mean it will help you sell stuff or leave a reader satisfied. Insults are grabby. Gossip is grabby. Primal human desires are very grabby…
…but will it get you to vote for Bart?
Unlikely.
So, writing an attention grabbing introduction is, in my opinion, the harder part of copywriting. I go through a few variations before I settle on one. A/B Testing introductions is also a good way to see which one works better.
You must satisfy a few criteria. Your introduction must…
- grab attention
- Which also implies it must be easy to read and is concise
- be relevant to the reader and your product or service
- and of course, lead the user down to the “Interest”
In a way, the attention part must have bits of “interest” to get you to keep going. See? Told you. There’s a bit of gray area and interplay between the AIDA elements.
Some examples:
- Direct statements:
- You can’t sleep at night. Insomnia and anxiety.
- Tell a story:
- A million bucks. If Mrs. Smith knew how eating corn would cost her a million big ones, she’d rethink it.
- The pope, a rabbi and a high-heeled pole dancer walk into a bar.
- Facts and stats:
- You’ll die a lot sooner because of your bad sleeping habits. Studies say 95% of blah blah…
- According to experts, your iCellphone has a 1.5-year max. lifespan before planned obsolescence kicks in.
- Ask a question:
- You’re going strong at the gym… but why are you weak with your diet?
- Did you know that $5 can buy you a new computer?
- Something they can agree with:
- Because you’re a passionate coffee lover, you’ll also love…
- Make it personal:
- [ insert name ], you said you wanted to learn Russian.
- You made a New Year’s resolution in 2019 to…
- Note: As you can see, a majority of the lines above start with “you.” The use of personalization and “you, you, you” is a must in copywriting.
- Build curiosity:
- Door-to-door salesmen. Trick-or-treaters. Jehova’s Witnesses. They’ll all be afraid to knock on your door. Why?
- There’s one thing you and tech-millionaire Allan Muskrat have in common.
- Thank you for being a MovieFlix subscriber. Why are you getting 50% off this month?
- Include the Benefit:
- You could be drunk all day and no-one would know – no smell!
- Note: In one form or another, all of the lines above state or imply a desired benefit
- Say the F word
- If you buy 3, you get 3 FREE.
- I’m giving you the audiobook you’ve looked at twice but didn’t buy. At no cost.
- Free quiz reveals what kind of “pizza” you are.
- Note: This falls in line with the benefit point up top deserves its own point too. People like the “F” word.
Some bad examples:
- “Your advertisement sucks.”
- You won’t convince anyone by attacking them/their ways outright. Get attention? Yes. Convince? No.
- “Let’s face it.”
- Face what? I just personally hate this one. You’re attempting to be “punchy” by adding in 3 extra words before you get to the actual point. It’s a waste.
- Talking about yourself:
- Our app has been downloaded 12,000 times in one month. We were also featured in Widgets Magazine.
- Hello, I am [ name ], a representative of Widgets INC, a famous website for things relevant to the economic community. We started in 1995 which then Chairman H.J. Pennypacker decided that economics…
- Note: No-one cares about you, they care about the benefit. If it is worth mentioning, mention it later. This brings us to the next point example…
- No benefit:
- We like your website and think your readers will love our product.
- “Hey, you’re busy so I’ll make this quick”
- Oh, I guess I am. You’re right. And I guess your message isn’t worthy of my time. Thanks for the heads up!
- Note: This can work with personal emails but B2C, unlikely.
Interest.
You’ve gotten attention.
They’ve read the first line or two.
And if you’ve done it right, you’ve also touched upon some benefits.
In the attention and/or early interest stages, you should’ve mentioned…
- your product/service (or the solution)
- a benefit or two
Now you got to keep them going down the greased slide.
How? With interesting things. But what’s interesting? That depends on your product.
If you’ve made a crazy promise in the introduction, continue the thought! Provide proof (testimonials), quotes and stats (our app has been downloaded 1 million times) and address doubts or concerns.
In short, the interest stage must…
- continue the thought presented in the attention part
- introduce the product/solution, if you haven’t already
- introduce more benefits
- include testimonials, facts, figures, quotes
- take the reader’s perspective into account.
- How will they react? What will they want to ask if you told them “$5 can get you a new computer.” They’ll ask… “are you for real?”
Let’s work with some examples from up top.
- Attention: Free Audiobook
- I’m giving you the audiobook you’ve looked at twice but didn’t buy. At no cost.
- Interest:
- What’s the catch? None. This is a one-time special for brand new users of Audiblabla as a way of saying “Thank you for joining us.”
- Bob Bobson of USA says “I was surprised about the audiobook. thank you guys!“
- Attention: Drunk all day
- You could be drunk all day and no-one would know – no smell!
- Interest
- Introducing the no-smell, no-tell whiskey. A brand new line, here at Liquors-R-Us. And since it’s brand new…
- …you get 20% OFF too!
- Fact: Smelling like alcohol is the #1 way to ruin relationships. And the best way to let others know you enjoy a drink every now and then. Even if you’re a responsible drinker.
- But with the No-Smell, No-Tell Whiskey…
- Attention: Diet
- You’re going strong at the gym… but why are you weak with your diet?
- Interest:
- Fact: In order to get a six-pack and be ripped like [ insert body builder ], you need to get your diet right.
- Studies say that to cut fat and get 10% body fat, you need to do X, Y and Z.
- Arnold Schwartzshnitzel and Bulk Bogan both said “you’re a weak, noodle-armed, poodlewalker if you’re ignoring your diet”
- Attention: Stranger Repellant
- Door-to-door salesmen. Trick-or-treaters. Jehova’s Witnesses. They’ll all be afraid to knock on your door. Why?
- Interest:
- Because of Stranger Repellant Spray 1.0!
- Does it really work? “Crime rates and trick-or-treating have been down 40% in our neighborhood” said Chief Wiggum, of the Springfield Police department.
Desire.
They’re almost there.
You’ve introduced a few benefits and a solution. Other people say it works.
You just need them to desire your product now… and say yes.
How?
The desire stage must…
- continue the thought presented in the interest part
- bridge the distance between them and the product
- in other words, sharpen the image of what it will do
- offer product details in order support your claims and make it believable
- “The car is super safe. It’s made with titanium steel.”
- “The whisky is indeed “no smell.” We’ll give you a free sample at the store. See it for yourself.”
- remind them how easy it is
- “here’s how it works”
- “here’s how you’ll repel those nasty trick or treaters”
- “you can put on these miracle pants in seconds flat”
- offer them a discount or another way to justify the investment
- “and now, you get 50% off. that’s as low as $3.”
- “and we’re including a free microwave with your purchase.”
- the price is $25. if you do the math, that’s less than $1 a month.
- reduce the risk:
- If you’re not satisfied, you get your money back.
- If it breaks, we’ll replace it free.
The length of this part depends on the product. If the product is simple, like a hammer or a no-smell whisky, there’s not much more you can say here.
If the product is slightly complicated, you’ll need to let the reader know about how it works and what they get.
For example:
- Attention: Diet
- You’re going strong at the gym… but why are you weak with your diet?
- Interest:
- Fact: In order to get a six-pack and be ripped like [ insert body builder ], you need to get your diet right.
- Studies say that to cut fat and get 10% body fat, you need to do X, Y and Z.
- Arnold Schwartzshnitzel and Bulk Bogan both said “you’re a weak, noodle-armed, poodlewalker if you’re ignoring you’re diet”
- Desire: And yes, you can do it too.
- “I did it in 3 months” Bob B. of USA
- “I’m a 50 year old and it took me 6 months but wow.” Rob. B of USA
- With this diet plan, you get the step by step guides that will burn off fat. Take a look:
- Week 1: How to set the diet up so you don’t fail
- Inside: Meal guides for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Shopping List included
- Inside: Snacks that are delicious but won’t ruin your results.
- Week 2: Why you’ll see a 2 pound drop in 1 week
- Inside: Foods to stay away from
- Inside: Exercises to keep you lean
- Week 3: How you’ll slowly stop eating carbs
- Fact: Extreme diets don’t work. We teach you how to slowly cut down on carbs, the guaranteed way
- Week 1: How to set the diet up so you don’t fail
Action.
This part is simple.
If you’ve covered Attention, Interest and Desire, you now must ask them to act! Take action! Join now! Buy the thing.
“But hurr durr, do I really need to? Like… It sounds so salesy and gimmicky. Whiney whine whine. I just don’t know… what is life all about?”
Oh-my-god-mother-the-holy-grant-me-the-power…
Shut up!
Yes. Yes you do.
Because human inertia (laziness) is a real thing. If you don’t ask, they won’t do. And if you don’t ask directly, they won’t do it either. It’s like asking someone out on a date.
“Hey Betsy… maybe… would you probably… possibly go out… maybe one day with me?”
No! Imagine what Betsy is thinking.
But if you said, “Hey, come grab dinner with me 8PM, tomorrow, at that fancy Italian place. Badabing badoom.”
The point is – now, you’re more specific and have a clear call to action. Will it get you a “yes?” Okay, I’m not writing dating advice here…
…but, it definitely improves your chances. It makes it easier to respond to. Yes or no.
And, if your audience has read that far into your copy, they’re likely still interested.
In the action part, you need to include a few things:
- Continue the thought presented in the desire part
- Call to action
- So click here now and join
- Buy the product now and I’ll give you 30% off
- Get your free audiobook now
- Urgency – set a deadline/limit.
- This offer ends in 3 days. September 21st, 2018.
- Note: Definitely include a deadline. There’s a reason why we get deadlines for bills, homework and work assignments. Things get done.
- Specifics
- Click on the link, fill out the form and I’ll send you your diet plan.
- Click on the link. You’ll get an email. Come down to Liquors-R-US for your “No Smell Whisky.” Show the 20% off coupon.
Conclusion
That’s all you need to know abut the AIDA copywriting formula…. for now.
You have a basic grasp of all of the elements and what to write.
As mentioned before, you can definitely play around. The workings of AIDA are somewhat flexible and depend on your audience and product. If your product is simple, you won’t need to write a lot about it. If your audience knows you, it’s better to give them the benefit, offer and and call to action earlier.
But, that’s a conversation for later.
What to do now:
First — Now that you’re feeling smart and wanting to learn more about copywriting, check out these books below. It’s one thing to read an online article for toots and giggles. It’s another thing to immerse yourself in copywriting: writing that sells.
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