A sales copy is a key element that can influence a customer's decision to buy a product. To create effective texts, you can use proven marketing formulas. These formulas help you grab attention, persuade the customer and lead them to take action – whether it’s making a purchase, signing up or subscribing. Below, we’ll go over 12 popular formulas with examples and tips for applying them in e-commerce, online-education, SaaS and mobile applications.
Formula 1. AIDA
Attention — Interest — Desire — Action
This classic formula works well for any type of sales text. It helps keep the reader's attention and leads them to take the desired action, whether that's making a purchase or signing up for a course.
Step |
Example |
Grab attention |
Dreaming of speaking English fluently? |
Create interest |
We’ve created a course that helps you reach Upper-Intermediate level in record time. |
Increase the motivation to buy |
After just six months, our graduates pass international exams, speak confidently with native speakers and work in global companies. |
Motivate the reader |
Join our free webinar and start speaking the world’s most popular language today! |
Use AIDA in advertising campaigns for Google Ads or Facebook Ads. It’s a universal formula that helps structure any offer, regardless of the type of product or service.
Formula 2: PMHS
Pain — More Pain — Hope — Solutions
This formula works great for a cold audience, especially in SaaS and mobile applications, where it’s important to highlight and intensify a pain point before offering a solution.
Step |
Example |
Highlight the audience's pain points |
Struggling to keep your team productive remotely? |
Intensify the pain |
Missed deadlines and lack of synchronization can cost you clients. |
Provide hope |
Our TaskFlow service offers full control over projects in real time. |
Offer a solution |
Try TaskFlow for free today and improve task management right away! |
In SaaS and mobile apps, focus on the customer’s pain but always offer a solution with a low barrier of entry – such as a free trial – to lower resistance to action.
Formula 3: ODC
Offer — Deadline — Call to Action
This formula is used for short formats: posts, banners or ad creatives. Also it’s great format for promotional offers in e-commerce and mobile apps.
Step |
Example |
Make an offer |
Get 20% off your first month with the FitLife app! |
Set a deadline |
Offer valid until the end of the month. |
Call to action |
Download the app and start training today! |
ODC is perfect for creating urgency and drawing attention to limited-time offers. Use it in Google and Facebook Ads to quickly convey your main offer.
Formula 4: PPPP
Picture — Promise — Prove — Push
This formula is effective when you have real proof of a product’s effectiveness, whether in user experiences or statistics. It’s well-suited for e-commerce, especially when demonstrating product or service benefits.
Step |
Example |
Create a clear image |
Imagine never spending hours stuck in traffic, driving your kids to and from school. |
Guarantee the benefit of the product |
Our service provides a driver and nanny in one, ensuring your child is safely delivered. |
Prove the product's value with facts and figures |
According to surveys, 30% of parents lose an hour a day on driving. AutoNanny solves this with certified drivers. |
Encourage to take action |
Sign up for a consultation with the AutoNanny service today. All our drivers undergo medical checks and vehicle inspections before each trip. |
PPPP is perfect for promoting products or services with real reviews and data. Use numbers to build trust, especially in e-commerce and mobile apps, where customers tend to look for reviews and proof.
Formula 5: ACCA
Attention — Comprehension — Conviction — Action
Like AIDA, this formula works for most types of sales copy. It’s particularly effective for educational projects and SaaS, where it’s important to convince the audience that the product solves their problem.
Step |
Example |
Grab attention |
Want shoes that are not only stylish but also good for your foot health? |
Demonstrate understanding of the problem |
Do you feel heavy legs, fatigue and pain? This is often due to wearing the wrong shoes and it can lead to serious consequences. |
Convince the audience we have the solution |
Our line of orthopedic footwear is created by doctors to provide you with comfort and improve your health. You will start feeling the benefits in just one month. |
Motivate to take the next step |
Sign up for a free consultation and get personalized footwear recommendations. |
ACCA is a great formula for niches related to online education and health, where proving competence and convincing the audience to try your product is important. Use this formula in landing pages and informational articles.
Formula 6: SCH
Star — Chain — Hook
This formula is ideal for short texts, especially when working with a warm audience that already knows your product. It can be used in newsletters, retargeting campaigns and product updates.
Step |
Example |
Hook the audience with a unique proposition |
Our designers at Tossa have created a masterpiece that will change your perception of SUVs. |
Highlight key benefits of the product |
The new Tossa Starland: a genuine off-roader with state-of-the-art tech – 7-seater, powerful engine and unique safety system. |
Drive the audience to act |
Feel the freedom behind the wheel. Book your test drive today! |
SCH is well-suited for promoting updates and new features in various products and services (e.g. e-commerce, automobile sales, healthcare, education, consumer electronics, SaaS etc.). This formula stimulates interest and engages users who are already familiar with your product.
Formula 7: DIBABA
Desire — Identification — Bump — reAction — Buy — Atmosphere
This formula is used for long texts – landing pages or in-depth product descriptions. It helps engage customers deeply and take them through the entire buying process, addressing their pain points, providing solutions and building a positive impression.
Step |
Example |
Identify the target audience’s needs and pain points |
Is your laptop unable to handle modern apps and games anymore? |
Create a need |
Our new BoostBook features advanced cooling and a powerful processor for all your tasks. |
Show we are the best solution |
BoostBook lets you run heavy apps and games at max settings without overheating. |
Handle customer concerns |
Customers say BoostBook has been their ideal solution for both work and gaming. |
Motivate the audience to buy |
Get a 10% discount on the first 1000 orders. |
Build a favorable atmosphere for making a purchase |
Build a favorable atmosphere for making a purchaseAccording to tests, 98% of users recommend BoostBook for professional use and gaming. |
Use DIBABA when it's important to sequentially guide the audience from problem awareness to purchase. This formula is ideal for long landing pages where you can detail all the benefits of your product.
Formula 8: Bob Stone's Seven Steps
This universal formula works for most sales texts, especially when you have customer reviews. It helps to structure the copy and lead readers step by step towards a desired action.
Step |
Example |
Step 1: Announce the main value proposition |
Want to ride a taxi for the price of a bus? |
Step 2: Explain the benefit |
CarTogether allows residents of Barcelona to use taxis at fixed rates. |
Step 3: Describe the result |
Register, top up your balance and start using the service tomorrow. |
Step 4: Share customer reviews |
Over 1000 satisfied customers already save time and money with CarTogether. |
Step 5: Highlight what they'll lose if they don't act now |
Top up within a week and get a 50 usd bonus for rides. |
Step 6: Restate the benefits in different words |
Summer is approaching and taxi rides are more comfortable than ever on hot days. |
Step 7: Motivate the audience to act now |
Register now and get your first ride free! |
This formula is ideal for advertising campaigns focusing on social proof. Use reviews and specific figures to build trust, especially in e-commerce and SaaS.
Formula 9: FAB
Features — Advantages — Benefits
This formula works well for explaining products in a clear and brief way. It's great for landing pages that need to capture interest quickly, as well as for short promotional texts like PPC ads, where a direct and persuasive approach is key.
Step |
Example |
Present the product |
Want to learn Python in six months? |
Explain why our product is the best choice |
We’ve brought together experienced educators and developers to create an intensive practice-focused program. |
Describe what the customer will receive |
75% of our graduates receive a job offer in an IT company within six months of course completion. |
Use this formula in short ad texts, such as Google Ads or banners, where it is important to quickly convey the key information about the product and prompt the audience to take action.
Formula 10: The Attraction Formula
This formula works well for texts in a light format, with humor and jokes, where it’s important to establish informal contact with the audience.
Step |
Example |
Use a friendly and humorous approach to address the audience |
Ever felt like a failure when it comes to grammar? |
Present the problem |
We all want to improve ourselves but fear looking uneducated during public speeches. |
Explain how to solve the problem |
The “Digital Literacy” course by GrowFlow School will quickly help you master writing business emails confidently. |
Motivate the audience to take action |
Sign up for the course and get 25% off! |
The Attraction Formula works well for products related to education and personal development. Use a light and informal style to build trust with your audience.
Formula 11: BAB
Before — After — Bridge
This formula helps show how a product will change a customer’s life before and after using it. It’s a great way to visualize results and create a clear idea of how the product solves the problem.
Step |
Example |
Set the situation where the problem exists |
Constantly trying to cut production costs? |
Show the audience a vision of life without the problem |
Imagine cutting product costs by 10% without reducing salaries or quality. |
Explain how our product can help achieve this future |
The "Lean Production" course has already helped 250 companies optimize processes and reduce costs. |
Use BAB for landing pages and posts where you need to clearly show the “before and after” of using the product. Include specific numbers and examples for greater credibility.
Formula 12: QUEST
Qualify — Understand — Educate — Stimulate — Transition
This formula helps explain and educate the audience before leading them to make a purchase. It works well in educational projects and SaaS.
Step |
Example |
Qualify the right audience segment |
Tried many diets but still no results? |
Show a deep understanding of the audience's needs and pain points |
Constant hunger and fatigue weren’t what you expected from a healthy diet. |
Explain how our product solves the problem |
The Keto diet from Ketonix will rewire your body for fat-burning and help you keep hunger away. |
Drive the audience to act |
Summer is the perfect time to start. Get a personalized Keto plan with 20% off. |
Provide a link for payment or sign-up |
Book a consultation now. |
QUEST is ideal for complex products and solutions where you need to not only interest the audience but also educate them. Use this formula in blogs and educational articles to thoroughly explain the product.
All of these formulas help structure and effectively convey your offer. However, the key to success is testing and adaptation. Try different approaches, analyze results and optimize your copy. In e-commerce, SaaS, online education and mobile apps, these formulas can help improve conversions, customer retention and enhance your marketing efforts.
Each formula is a set of building blocks. You can put together the text like a construction kit, ultimately creating a funnel that guides the reader towards the desired action! It's important to understand the needs and pain points of your audience, build trust and lead them to take the desired action. This approach works across various types of businesses, not just limited to the four industries mentioned earlier. Keep testing and experimenting with these formulas to see what works best for your audience!