Frameworks that work
Copywriting formulas
Proven structures used by the world's best copywriters. Each formula is broken down step by step — with real examples and guidance on when to use each one.
14formulas covered
4Ps — Sales page
Promise · Picture · Proof · Push
A powerful sales page formula. Makes a bold promise, paints the picture, backs it up, then asks for the sale.
Difficulty:
P
Promise
Your headline. Make a bold, specific, believable promise that speaks to the reader's deepest desire.
P
Picture
Paint a vivid mental image of what life looks like after they take action.
P
Proof
Back it up. Testimonials, data, case studies, credentials — make the promise believable.
P
Push
Ask for the action. Add urgency if genuine. Make the next step obvious and easy.
Real example — course sales page
Promise“Write copy that sells — in 6 weeks or your money back.”
Picture“Imagine sending an email on Monday and watching sales notifications roll in by Tuesday morning. Your words doing the selling while you sleep.”
Proof“2,400 students enrolled. Average student doubles their freelance rate within 90 days. See their stories below.”
Push“Enrol before Friday and get the Swipe File Vault free — 300+ high-converting examples. Doors close Sunday.”
Best used for
Sales pagesLaunch emailsWebinar scriptsVideo sales letters
Why it works
- Promise sets a specific expectation upfront
- Picture creates emotional investment before objections arise
- Proof answers the skeptic's voice in the reader's head
- Push converts emotionally ready readers into buyers
Watch out for
A weak Proof stage. If your promise is bold, your proof must be stronger. One vague testimonial kills credibility. Stack specific, named social proof.
Power tip
The Picture stage is where most writers under-deliver. Spend real time here. Sensory, specific language ("watching sales notifications roll in") converts better than abstractions.
ACCA — Email
Awareness · Comprehension · Conviction · Action
AIDA's more rational cousin — ideal when your audience needs to understand before they commit.
Difficulty:
A
Awareness
Make the reader aware of the problem or opportunity they may not have noticed.
C
Comprehension
Help them understand why it matters and what causes it. Educate without overwhelming.
C
Conviction
Build belief that your solution is the right one. Use data, proof, and logic.
A
Action
One clear, low-friction next step. Make acting feel like the natural conclusion.
Real example — B2B nurture email
Awareness“Most B2B companies lose 70% of leads because follow-ups arrive too late.”
Comprehension“The problem isn't your sales team — it's that lead scoring happens manually and nobody checks it until Friday afternoon.”
Conviction“Companies using automated lead scoring close deals 38% faster. Average 22% more revenue per rep.”
Action“See how LeadScore automates your follow-up in 10 minutes. Book a no-pitch demo →”
Best used for
B2B emailNurture sequencesComplex productsContent marketing
Why it works
- Works for logical, research-driven buyers
- Comprehension stage builds authority and trust
- Conviction differentiates from competitors using evidence
AIDA — Classic
Attention · Interest · Desire · Action
The original copywriting framework. Used in ads, emails, and landing pages for over 100 years.
Difficulty:
A
Attention
Stop the scroll. Your headline or opening line must be impossible to ignore.
I
Interest
Hold them. Expand on the promise with facts, a story, or a surprising insight.
D
Desire
Make them want it. Vivid benefits, testimonials, and emotional resonance.
A
Action
Tell them exactly what to do next. One clear, friction-free CTA.
Real example — email subject + body
Attention“Why your landing page converts at 1% (and what fixes it overnight)”
Interest“Most landing pages lose visitors in the first 5 seconds — not because the offer is bad, but because the headline doesn't match what the ad promised.”
Desire“Our clients fix this in one afternoon and typically see conversions double within a week.”
Action“Download the free headline audit checklist →”
Best used for
Email campaignsDisplay adsLanding pagesSocial adsDirect mail
Why it works
- Mirrors how humans naturally make decisions
- Easy to audit — check each stage is doing its job
- Works for both short and long-form copy
- Universally understood by clients and stakeholders
Watch out for
Skipping the Desire stage and jumping straight to Action. Readers who aren't emotionally invested won't click, no matter how strong your CTA is.
Modern variation
AIDCA adds Conviction between Desire and Action — useful for high-ticket or sceptical audiences who need extra proof before committing.
AIDPPC — Classic · Sales letter
Attention · Interest · Description · Persuasion · Proof · Close
Robert Collier's expanded AIDA. Adds Description and Proof as explicit stages — built for high-ticket sales letters where emotion alone won't close.
Difficulty:
A
Attention
Stop the reader with a headline or opening that earns immediate engagement.
I
Interest
Hold the reader by expanding on the Attention hook with relevant context, story, or insight.
D
Description
Clearly explain what the product is, what it includes, and how it works at a practical level.
P
Persuasion
Build emotional desire — show the reader the transformation the product delivers.
P
Proof
Substantiate the Persuasion claims with specific, credible, named evidence.
C
Close
Ask for the sale — with clarity, a specific offer, a visible guarantee, and one CTA.
Real example — sales letter for a high-ticket business coaching programme
Attention“How 23 service business owners crossed £250k revenue last year — without hiring, without paid ads, and without working more hours.”
Interest“In 2019, a study of 400 service businesses found that 78% of those stuck below £150k had the same problem: not a client problem, not a pricing problem — a systems problem. The owners doing the most work were ironically the ones growing the least.”
Description“The Scale Without Staff Programme is a 12-month, one-to-one coaching engagement. It includes 24 private coaching sessions, a proprietary systems audit, a custom growth roadmap, and access to a private community of owners at your revenue stage. It's built specifically for service businesses billing between £80k and £200k who want to reach £250k without adding permanent headcount.”
Persuasion“Imagine running a business where the revenue grows without you being the bottleneck. Where you take a two-week holiday without your inbox exploding. Where you price based on value rather than hours because your systems justify it. That's what this programme is engineered to create.”
Proof“'I went from £110k to £267k in 14 months. Took three weeks off in August for the first time in six years.' — Marcus T., Brand Consultant. Average programme participant grows revenue 68% in the first 12 months. 19 of 23 participants in the 2024 cohort hit their stated revenue target.”
Close“Investment: £12,000 for 12 months. Payment plans available. Accepted by application — 4 places remain in the September cohort. 90-day progress guarantee: if you haven't made meaningful progress toward your target by month 3, we'll refund in full. Apply for your place →”
Best used for
High-ticket sales lettersLong-form sales pages for complex offersB2B proposals and service presentationsPremium product launchesSubscription or retainer service sales copy
Why it works
- Description ensures clarity before desire — readers can't want what they don't understand
- Separating Persuasion and Proof means emotion and evidence each get their full weight
- The six-stage sequence matches the actual decision-making arc of high-consideration buyers
- Built specifically for offers where 'just make them want it' isn't enough — they also need to understand it and believe it
- Robert Collier's real-world testing across thousands of sales letters validated the sequence
Watch out for
Conflating Description with Persuasion. Description answers 'what is it?' — plainly and clearly. Persuasion answers 'why do I want it?' — emotionally and specifically. Mixing them produces copy that's neither clear nor compelling.
BAB — Emotional
Before · After · Bridge
Paint the dream, not just the solution. Show readers where they're going before you show them how to get there.
Difficulty:
B
Before
Describe the reader's current painful reality. Be specific — vague pain doesn't motivate.
A
After
Paint the ideal future state. Make it vivid and desirable. This is the dream they're buying.
B
Bridge
Your product or service is the bridge between those two worlds. Introduce it here.
Real example — SaaS onboarding email
Before“You're spending 3 hours every Monday manually compiling last week's reports from four different tools.”
After“Imagine opening your laptop on Monday to a single dashboard — every metric, every channel, every team update — already compiled and ready to share.”
Bridge“That's exactly what Dashify does. Connect your tools in 10 minutes. Your first automated report is ready tonight.”
Best used for
Onboarding emailsProduct demosVideo scriptsSocial proof sections
Why it works
- Focuses on transformation, not just features
- The "After" state sells the dream — people buy outcomes
- Makes your product feel like the obvious next step
- Works beautifully in testimonial structure too
Watch out for
Rushing to the Bridge before the After state is vivid enough. If readers don't desire the future you've painted, they won't care about what bridges them there.
Difference vs PAS
PAS twists the knife on pain. BAB focuses more on the aspiration. Use PAS when the problem is acute; use BAB when the dream is more motivating than the pain.
FAB — Classic
Features · Advantages · Benefits
The antidote to feature-heavy copy. Forces every product claim to answer the reader's silent question: "So what?"
Difficulty:
F
Feature
What it is or has. "256GB storage."
A
Advantage
What it does. "Holds 100,000 photos."
B
Benefit
Why it matters. "You'll never delete a memory to free up space again."
Real example — product bullet points
Feature“AI-powered grammar checker”
Advantage“Catches errors your eye skips over”
Benefit“Send every email with confidence — no more cringing at a typo after you hit send.”
Best used for
Product pagesBullet pointsSales decksBrochuresApp store copy
Why it works
- Forces benefit-first thinking on every claim
- Easy framework to apply to any product feature
- Makes technical specs feel human and relevant
- Great for training non-copywriters to write better
Watch out for
Stopping at the Advantage and calling it a Benefit. "Holds 100,000 photos" is an advantage. "Never lose a memory" is the benefit. Keep asking "so what?" until you hit emotion.
Quick rule
If your bullet starts with "It has…" or "Includes…" you're writing features. Rewrite it to start with "You get…" or "So you can…" to reach the benefit.
OATH — Audience Awareness
Oblivious · Apathetic · Thinking · Hurting
Not a writing formula — a reader awareness framework. Use it to decide which formula to reach for first.
Difficulty:
O
Oblivious
Doesn't know they have the problem. Lead with education, not selling.
A
Apathetic
Knows the problem, doesn't care yet. Agitate — make the status quo uncomfortable.
T
Thinking
Actively looking for solutions. Lead with your USP and proof.
H
Hurting
In acute pain. Lead with empathy, then solution immediately.
Real example — audience segmentation strategy
Oblivious“"New to email marketing? Here's why most campaigns fail in the first 90 days."”
Apathetic“"Still using the same welcome email from 2021? Your subscribers noticed."”
Thinking“"Comparing Mailchimp vs ConvertKit? Here's what the features page won't tell you."”
Hurting“"Your open rates dropped 40% overnight? Here's exactly how to fix it."”
Best used for
Audience segmentationAd targetingEmail sequencesStrategy planning
Why it works
- Prevents mismatched copy — wrong message to wrong audience kills conversions
- Helps you choose the right formula for each audience segment
- Guides tone: educational for O, empathetic for H
PAS — Emotional
Problem · Agitate · Solution
The most powerful short-copy formula. Empathise first, then offer relief.
Difficulty:
P
Problem
Name the pain precisely. Use the reader's own language — show you understand their world.
A
Agitate
Stir the emotional cost of the problem left unsolved. Make the status quo feel uncomfortable.
S
Solution
Present your offer as the natural relief. The reader should feel like you wrote this for them.
Real example — Facebook ad
Problem“Still rewriting your bio for the fifth time and it still doesn't sound like you?”
Agitate“Every day your profile sits bland, potential clients scroll past and hire someone whose copy did its job — even if their work isn't as good as yours.”
Solution“ProfileCopy.co writes your complete bio in 48 hours. Sounds like you. Converts like a pro. Starting at $97.”
Best used for
Short adsEmail subject linesSocial postsIntro paragraphs
Why it works
- Leads with empathy — readers feel understood
- Creates emotional urgency without being pushy
- Works in as few as 3 sentences
- Agitation is what separates average from great copy
Watch out for
Over-agitating to the point of feeling manipulative. The pain must be real and your empathy genuine — readers sense when it's manufactured.
Power tip
The Agitate stage is where most writers are too timid. Spend the most words here. If the problem doesn't sting, the solution won't land.
PASTOR — Storytelling · Sales page
Problem · Amplify · Story · Transformation · Offer · Response
The most complete long-form sales formula. Combines storytelling, proof, and persuasion into a single powerful structure.
Difficulty:
P
Problem
Identify the core pain your reader is experiencing. Name it clearly.
A
Amplify
Show the cost of inaction. What happens if this problem goes unsolved?
S
Story
Tell a relatable story — yours or a client's — showing the journey from problem to resolution.
T
Transformation
Show the proof. Testimonials, case studies, results. Who has this worked for?
O
Offer
Present your solution clearly — what it includes, what it's worth, and what it costs.
R
Response
The close. Ask for the sale. Add urgency, a guarantee, and a single clear CTA.
Real example — long-form sales page
Problem“You're writing copy every day but your conversion rates haven't budged in months.”
Amplify“Worst part? You're losing clients to writers who charge double — because their copy actually works.”
Story“Three years ago I was in the same spot. Then I discovered a framework that changed everything. Here's what happened next.”
Transformation“'I applied the framework to my next launch and got a 6.2% conversion rate. My previous best was 1.8%.' — Dana K.”
Offer“The Complete Copywriting Formula Pack — 12 battle-tested frameworks with real examples. $47 one-time.”
Response“Start writing better copy in the next hour. 60-day money-back guarantee. Get instant access →”
Best used for
Long-form sales pagesVideo sales lettersWebinar scriptsHigh-ticket offers
Why it works
- Story creates trust and emotional buy-in before the pitch
- Transformation/testimonials handle objections automatically
- Complete structure means nothing critical gets missed
- Designed for cold-to-warm conversion in a single session
PPPP — Classic · Direct mail
Picture · Promise · Prove · Push
Henry Hoke Sr.'s four-P formula. Leads with a vivid picture before the promise — so desire is built before the claim is made.
Difficulty:
P
Picture
Open with a vivid image of the reader's desired outcome — before any claim is made.
P
Promise
Make the explicit claim — now that desire has already been created.
P
Prove
Back the Promise with specific, credible evidence — testimonials, data, case studies.
P
Push
Ask for the action — one clear CTA with genuine urgency and a risk-reversal.
Real example — direct mail letter for a financial planning service
Picture“It's a Tuesday morning and you have nowhere to be. The coffee is still hot. Your calendar is open — not with meetings, but with possibilities. A long lunch with your daughter. A week in Portugal next month because, why not. This is what enough looks like.”
Promise“We help people in their 50s build a retirement plan that gets them there in 7 years or fewer — even if they're starting later than they'd like.”
Prove“'I thought I'd left it too late. At 54, Margaret helped me build a plan that let me retire at 61 with more security than I'd expected at 40.' — David R., retired teacher. We've helped 2,300 clients build retirement plans since 2009. Average client retires 4.2 years earlier than they projected without professional guidance.”
Push“Book your free 30-minute retirement readiness call this week — we'll show you exactly where you stand and what the path forward looks like. No obligation, no sales pitch. Just clarity. Book your call →”
Best used for
Direct mail lettersPrint advertisingEmail to sceptical or claim-fatigued audiencesSales pages for transformation-oriented productsLong-form advertorials
Why it works
- Opens with desire rather than a claim — readers feel before they evaluate
- The Picture stage bypasses initial scepticism by creating emotional investment first
- By the time the Promise arrives, the reader already wants the outcome it describes
- The Picture-then-Promise sequence makes bold claims feel earned rather than asserted
- Particularly effective with audiences who are fatigued by direct claim-led copy
Watch out for
A Picture that doesn't connect tightly to the Promise. If the scene you paint in the Picture doesn't map directly to what the Promise delivers, the reader feels manipulated rather than inspired. The Picture and Promise must describe the same transformation.
QUEST — Long-form · Email
Qualify · Understand · Educate · Stimulate · Transition
Michel Fortin's five-stage formula. Opens by filtering for the right reader — so every word after speaks only to them.
Difficulty:
Q
Qualify
Filter for the exact reader this copy is written for. Tell everyone else it's not for them.
U
Understand
Show the reader you understand their world — their frustrations, constraints, and desires.
E
Educate
Give the reader information that reframes the problem and positions your solution as the logical answer.
S
Stimulate
Build desire — show the reader the specific results and transformation your solution delivers.
T
Transition
Move the reader to action — naturally, as the logical conclusion of everything that came before.
Real example — long-form sales email for a B2B SaaS tool
Qualify“If you run an agency with 5–20 people and you've tried at least two project management tools that your team stopped using within 90 days — this email is specifically for you.”
Understand“You've been here before: you spend a weekend setting up the perfect system, the team uses it for three weeks, then quietly reverts to Slack threads and sticky notes. You don't have a tool problem. You have an adoption problem. And you're starting to wonder if it's you.”
Educate“It's not you. Research from McKinsey shows that 70% of workflow software fails not because of features, but because the onboarding asks too much of the team too fast. The tools that stick are the ones that start with one workflow, prove value in the first week, and expand from there.”
Stimulate“'We'd tried Asana, Monday, and ClickUp. TeamFlow was the first one our team actually kept using. Within 30 days we'd cut our missed deadlines by 60%.' — Rachel K., Agency Director, 14-person team.”
Transition“TeamFlow starts with one workflow — your most chaotic one. We set it up for you in the first session. If your team isn't actively using it within 14 days, you pay nothing. Start your free setup call →”
Best used for
Long-form sales pagesEmail sequences for niche audiencesSales letters for specific reader segmentsWebinar scripts with a defined attendee profileHigh-ticket B2B offers
Why it works
- Qualification makes everything that follows feel personally relevant to the right reader
- The Understand stage builds deeper trust than most formulas achieve before the pitch
- Educate positions you as an authority without a single claim about your product
- By the time readers reach Transition, they've made most of the decision themselves
- Self-selection in the Qualify stage means your conversion rate reflects genuinely qualified readers
Watch out for
Qualifying too broadly defeats the entire formula. If everyone passes the Qualify filter, the rest of QUEST loses its specificity advantage. The Qualify stage must exclude someone real.
SLAP — Classic · Print
Stop · Look · Act · Purchase
Built for skimming readers. Each stage captures a different level of attention — from glance to commitment.
Difficulty:
S
Stop
Interrupt the reader. Your headline, visual, or opening must make them pause mid-scroll or mid-page.
L
Look
Hold their attention. Give the skimmer enough to understand the core offer without reading everything.
A
Act
Prompt the reader to take a micro-action — click, pick up, turn the page, or scan.
P
Purchase
Convert the committed reader into a buyer — with clear offer details, proof, and one path to checkout.
Real example — print ad for a productivity app
Stop“HEADLINE: 'Your to-do list is making you less productive. (Here's the science.)'”
Look“SUBHEAD: 'FocusStack users complete 40% more high-priority tasks in the same number of hours.' CAPTION under image: 'The app that hides everything except what matters most right now.'”
Act“CALLOUT BOX: 'Scan the QR code for your free 14-day trial. No card required.'”
Purchase“LANDING PAGE: 'FocusStack Premium — £9/month or £79/year. Includes all features, all platforms, priority support. 60-day money-back guarantee. Start free →'”
Best used for
Print advertisingPackaging copyDirect mailPoint-of-sale materialsDisplay and banner ads
Why it works
- Each stage is self-sufficient — a reader who only sees Stop still gets a message
- Designed for the real behaviour of readers: skimming, not reading
- The Act stage lowers commitment before asking for the full Purchase
- Forces copywriters to think in layers — headline, subhead, callout, body, CTA
- The progressive commitment structure reduces friction at every stage
Watch out for
Treating SLAP as a purely sequential formula like AIDA. In practice, different readers enter SLAP at different stages — some will only see Stop, some will scan Look, some will jump to Purchase. Each stage must be capable of holding and advancing a reader who missed the stage before it.
SSS — Storytelling
Star · Story · Solution
A narrative-first formula that makes the reader the hero. Used in video scripts, email, and VSL openers.
Difficulty:
S
Star
Introduce a relatable character — the reader, a customer, or you — in a situation the reader immediately recognises.
S
Story
Tell the struggle. The Star faces a real problem — build tension before you offer any resolution.
S
Solution
Reveal what changed — and position your product as the turning point in the Star's story.
Real example — VSL opener for a freelance writing course
Star“Three years ago, Jamie was sitting in the same Monday morning meeting she'd sat in for four years. Same agenda. Same people. Same feeling that her actual life was happening somewhere else.”
Story“She'd tried starting a blog — it went nowhere. She'd applied for remote writing jobs and heard nothing back. She'd taken two online courses that taught theory but left her with no clients, no portfolio, and no idea how to actually charge for words. Every month she told herself 'next month.' Every month nothing changed.”
Solution“Then she found a framework that changed the equation — not more theory, but a step-by-step system for landing her first paid client in 30 days. In six weeks she had three retainer clients and had handed in her notice. That framework is what this course is built on.”
Best used for
Video sales letter openersBrand story videosEmail welcome sequencesAbout page copySocial media long-form posts
Why it works
- Character-first structure creates emotional investment before any selling begins
- The Story stage builds tension that makes the Solution feel like genuine relief
- Readers identify with the Star's struggle and see their own situation reflected
- Works exceptionally well in video where emotional pacing is easier to control
- The narrative arc makes the product feel discovered rather than advertised
Watch out for
Rushing from Star to Solution without building genuine tension in the Story. The Story stage is where most writers are too brief. If the struggle isn't felt, the Solution doesn't land — it just reads as another pitch.
STAR — Storytelling
Situation · Task · Action · Result
The case study and testimonial formula. Turns customer success stories into conversion machines.
Difficulty:
S
Situation
Set the scene. Who is the client? What was their world before?
T
Task
What was the specific challenge or goal they needed to achieve?
A
Action
What did they do — or what did you do for them — to address it?
R
Result
The measurable outcome. Specific numbers always outperform vague praise.
Real example — case study
Situation“Sarah ran a 6-figure e-commerce store. Traffic was growing, but conversions stayed flat at 0.8% — well below the 2–3% industry benchmark.”
Task“Redesign the product page copy for the 12 bestselling SKUs to close the gap between traffic quality and conversion rate — without a redesign or additional ad spend.”
Action“Rewrote 12 product descriptions using FAB framework, added comparison table addressing the three most common objections, simplified the CTA from three options to one.”
Result“Conversion rate climbed to 2.4% in 30 days. That's $28,000 in additional monthly revenue from the same visitors.”
Best used for
Case studiesTestimonialsPortfolio pagesPitch decks
Watch out for
Burying the Result or leaving it vague. "They were very happy" is not a result. "Revenue increased 34% in 60 days" is.
At a glance
Quick reference table
| Formula | Stands for | Best for | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIDA | Attention · Interest · Desire · Action | Emails, ads, landing pages | ★★☆☆☆ |
| PAS | Problem · Agitate · Solution | Short ads, social, email intros | ★★☆☆☆ |
| BAB | Before · After · Bridge | Onboarding, video scripts | ★★☆☆☆ |
| FAB | Features · Advantages · Benefits | Product pages, bullet points | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| 4Ps | Promise · Picture · Proof · Push | Sales pages, launches | ★★★☆☆ |
| PASTOR | Problem · Amplify · Story · Transformation · Offer · Response | Long-form sales, VSLs | ★★★★☆ |
| ACCA | Awareness · Comprehension · Conviction · Action | B2B, nurture sequences | ★★★☆☆ |
| STAR | Situation · Task · Action · Result | Case studies, testimonials | ★★☆☆☆ |
| OATH | Oblivious · Apathetic · Thinking · Hurting | Audience strategy | ★★★☆☆ |