AIDA and 4 more sales copy formulas, with examples

A blank page is the hardest part of writing an ad or a landing page. Copywriters rarely start from nothing: they use formulas, simple structures that lead the reader from the first glance to the purchase. A formula does not write the text for you, but it tells you what to say and in what order.

Here are five formulas that work for most small businesses, each with a short example for an imaginary home coffee roastery.

1. AIDA: attention, interest, desire, action

The oldest and the most universal formula.

• Attention. A headline that stops the scroll.
• Interest. A fact or detail that makes the reader want to know more.
• Desire. What the reader gets, in their own words.
• Action. One clear step.

Example: "Coffee roasted this morning. Most supermarket beans were roasted months ago and have lost half their aroma. Ours reach you within three days of roasting, so every cup smells like a coffee shop. Order your first bag today."

Use it for: landing pages, longer ads, product pages.

2. PAS: problem, agitation, solution

Start with the pain, make it felt, then offer the way out.

Example: "Your morning coffee tastes flat? Old beans lose their aroma long before they reach the shelf, and no machine can fix that. Order freshly roasted beans, delivered within three days."

Use it for: short ads and emails, when the customer already knows the problem.

3. BAB: before, after, bridge

Show the reader's life now, then how it could be, and your product as the bridge between the two.

Example: "Before: bitter coffee you drink out of habit. After: a cup you look forward to every morning. The bridge: fresh beans from a small roastery, delivered to your door."

Use it for: social media posts and stories, where a picture of the result matters.

4. FAB: features, advantages, benefits

Translate each feature into what it means for the buyer.

Example: "Roasted in small batches (feature), so every bag is fresh (advantage), so your coffee at home tastes like the one in your favorite café (benefit)."

Use it for: product descriptions and comparison pages.

5. 4U: useful, urgent, unique, ultra-specific

A checklist for headlines rather than a full structure. A strong headline has at least two or three of the four.

Example: "Fresh beans in 3 days: 20% off your first bag until Sunday."

Use it for: headlines, subject lines, ad titles.

How to choose

• The reader does not know they have a problem: AIDA or BAB.
• The reader knows the problem and is looking for a solution: PAS.
• The reader compares products: FAB.
• You need a headline: check it against 4U.

Whatever the formula, test more than one version. Two ads with different headlines often differ in clicks more than any change to the body.

In short

Formulas save time and keep the text on track: each part does one job and leads to the next. If you would rather have the text written for you, order sales copy: you describe your offer and audience, and get ad variants, a landing page or a call script. Payment is released only after you approve the work.