Are you struggling to convert leads?
You’re writing content like mad, reaching out on all the right channels, hell, you are even getting traffic to your website – why aren’t you converting leads to sales??
This is a very good question. Before I learned about copywriting frameworks, I asked myself the same question.
Now I know how to drive traffic and also convert that traffic. The key is using the right frameworks at the right times.
In this article, we’re going to cover the 7 best copywriting frameworks and how to use them.
So if you’re looking to take your conversion rates to new heights, read on.
What are Copywriting Frameworks?
Copywriting frameworks are strategic structures or guidelines that help you craft compelling copy. They’re like a roadmap leading the hearts and minds of your target audience to a desired destination.
These frameworks allow you to present information, evoke emotions, and prompt action in a logical, persuasive manner.
Copywriting frameworks have their roots in the early days of advertising and marketing. The concept of structured communication to persuade potential customers can be traced back to the late 19th century, during the golden age of print advertising.
One of the earliest known frameworks is AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action), which was introduced by American businessman Elias St. Elmo Lewis in 1898. This principle was designed to guide advertisers in crafting compelling narratives that would capture attention and motivate action.
Other frameworks, such as PAS (Problem, Agitation, Solution) and ACCA (Awareness, Comprehension, Conviction, Action), were developed in the following years as marketers looked for more effective ways to connect with their audiences.
These foundational frameworks, among others, are still used today because they work so well.
The benefit of using a framework is that it provides a tried-and-true method for engaging your audience, making your copy more impactful.
Why You Should Know How to Use Copywriting Frameworks
Copywriting frameworks give your content structure.
The all too common reality of modern copywriting is the prevalence of unstructured gibberish. People write a bunch of crap and throw it up on the internet hoping it works.
The pervasive thing about it is, that the more ad spend you have to waste, the sloppier your copy can be. This means that large companies with large budgets often have the worst copy.
Don’t be like them.
Knowing how to use copywriting frameworks is like bringing a bazooka to a knife fight – when you know how to capture your target audience’s attention and reliably move their attention toward action, you have a decisive advantage over the competition.
While they’re pouring money into ineffective ad campaigns, you can rest assured your copy will perform as it should.
Also, frameworks destroy writer’s block.
Instead of staring at a blank page, frameworks get you started and give you confidence that your copy is good.
As a personal tip, always remember that while frameworks provide a great starting point, they should be adapted based on your unique brand voice and the specific needs of your audience.
ARTICLE: Best Tools for Copywriting
Best Copywriting Frameworks
As we dive deeper into the art of copywriting, let’s take a look at some of the tried-and-true structures that seasoned copywriters rely on. Use these frameworks as guides, ensuring your content flows logically while engaging and persuading your audience towards that coveted sale.
Whether you’re writing an email campaign, a product description, or a blog post, having these tools in your arsenal will significantly enhance your writing.
1. AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action)
AIDA is a very popular copywriting framework. In fact, it’s the oldest known copywriting framework out there. It uses the principle of capturing attention and then guiding the user through a logical progression of awareness.
- Attention: Use a good hook. This is where you ask the reader a targeted question, present a contrarian viewpoint, or otherwise make a punchy and relevant statement.
- Interest: Introduce a concept that expands on your original hook. This topic should be relevant to the reader and should touch on their pains or benefits.
- Desire: Talk about why this topic is so important to the reader. Stimulate a deep desire to resolve the pain or to gain the benefit.
- Action: Tell the reader to take action now.
AIDA works very well in long-form content like blog posts or email newsletters. It does a great job of setting up a topic in the introduction paragraph.
For example, read other blog posts on mattnawrot.com and you’ll see the AIDA framework used frequently!
2. PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solution)
The problem, agitate, solution (PAS) framework is a very common framework in copywriting. It capitalizes on people’s negativity bias by focusing on the pain caused by relevant problems in their lives.
- Problem: Introduce a relevant problem. it should be emotionally driven for the best effect.
- Agitate: Rub proverbial salt into the wound and elaborate on all the bad things that will happen should the reader not address their problem.
- Solution: Provide relief by explaining the way to solve the problem and avoid all the bad things that could happen.
I really like PAS because it speaks to your reader’s subconscious. 95% of human brain activity is subconscious, so if you want to influence people, you have to get them emotionally involved. The PAS framework does a fantastic job of this because people have strong emotions surrounding their pains and problems.
Once the reader is emotionally involved, you immediately come to the rescue with the “solution”.
It’s a simple but deadly combo.
3. ACCA (Awareness, Comprehension, Conviction, Action)
The ACCA framework is very popular in sales copywriting. The formula is similar to the AIDA framework in it’s progression of awareness, but it differs by linking the emotional with the logical.
- Awareness: Use a powerful hook to get your reader’s attention. Make a confident statement, call out your target audience, or present a contrarian viewpoint.
- Comprehension: Elaborate the topic by explaining in simple language or using a metaphor to get your point across.
- Conviction: Include the information the reader needs to make a decision. This could include stats, testimonials, or FAQs.
- Action: Make a strong call to action.
ACCA works great for email marketing, sales pages, or any other direct response copywriting. Because of its focus on emotional and logical factors, it helps build emotional leverage while also leading your prospect toward the sale.
4. 4Ps: Picture, Promise, Proof, Push
The 4 Ps framework is another common sales and marketing technique. Very similar to ACCA, it sets up an emotional presupposition and supports it with logical facts.
- Promise: Capture attention by telling the reader what’s in it for them. Focus on benefits instead of features.
- Picture: Paint a vivid picture of how the reader’s life could look should they take advantage of the promise. use emotional and descriptive language.
- Proof: Provide logical information to add credibility to your pitch. This could be stats, studies, FAQs, customer testimonials, credentials, or anything that links the emotional with the logical.
- Push: Recap your emotional and logical reasoning, and provide a solid call to action.
This framework performs so well because it links emotional benefits, storytelling in the picture, logical proof, and a targeted promotion to inspire action.
The 4 Ps are very powerful for writing anything sales-related. It’s good for long-form content such as sponsored posts, sales pages, or promotional newsletters.
5. BAB (Before, After, Bridge)
The BAB framework is a tried-and-true approach to sales and conversion copywriting. It engages your reader’s imagination by presenting how their life could improve with your product or service.
- Before: Provide a detailed description of what the reader’s life looks like now. Include all relevant pain points and how they have a negative effect.
- After: Paint a vivid picture of what the reader’s life could look like. Talk about how the pains will be resolved and how good the reader will feel when this happens.
- Bridge: Show how your product or service will bridge between the before and after.
BAB’s power lies in its storytelling. People resonate with stories so if you tell one about them, it will capture and hold their attention. BAB works great for sales pages, email marketing, direct response, and really any other conversion-focused communications.
6. PASTOR: Problem, Amplify, Story, Testimony, Offer, Response
PATOR is very similar to PAS but with a few more added elements:
- Problem: Present a problem to the reader.
- Amplify: Describe the problem in detail. Use emotional language to describe how the problem is affecting the reader’s life.
- Story: Explain how someone you know solved this exact problem and how it affected their life for the better.
- Testimonies: Provide social proof in the form of testimonies to add credibility.
- Offer: Introduce a solution in the form of a structured offer.
- Response: Reiterate the problem and the pain associated with it, and tell the reader to take action and solve it right now.
PASTOR works great because it uses personalization to create trust. Once the emotional reasoning has been established, you hammer the personal angle by showing how other people solved their issues.
PASTOR is great for medium-form content and landing pages. Whether you; ‘re trying to get signups for your newsletter or make sales, this framework packs a powerful punch.
7. SLAP: Stop, Look, Act, Purchase
The SLAP framework is a quick conversion-focused banger. It aims to capture the attention of passive scrollers and get them to take action.
- Stop: Use a powerful hook to get your reader’s attention.
- Look: Present a quick and compelling reason to consider your product or service.
- Act: Tell the reader what to do next – usually visit your website, but it is to fill out a contact form or really anything else that leads to a sale.
- Purchase: Tell the reader to buy now.
Use the SLAP framework primarily for social media advertising. Aim to capture the attention of passive scrollers and get them to take action right away.
How to Choose the Right Framework
In marketing, all communications have an end goal.
Choosing the right copywriting framework involves setting an end goal and working backward.
If you want to boost brand awareness, you would want to use the BAB or the PAS framework because they’re not as focused on immediate sales.
If you need content for the conversion stage in your sales funnel, the SLAP, ACCA, or other action-oriented frameworks might be in order.
The most common problem I see in marketing strategies is only focusing on one stage in the sales funnel. When you do this, you are narrowing the pool of prospects that you can reach and making it harder to convert them.
Ultimately, I recommend building a full sales funnel and nurturing every stage in the sales process:
- Awareness
- Problem
- Solution
- Conversion
- Retention
Copywriting isn’t just about making sales. It’s also about capturing attention, providing value, and building a brand. When combined, you will create a steady pipeline of qualified leads coming into your funnel and converting to sales.
How to Implement Copywriting Frameworks
The easiest way to implement copywriting frameworks is to save them and learn them inside and out.
Whenever you have a marketing challenge to face, pull out your trusty list of copywriting frameworks and choose one that fits the bill.
I highly recommend bookmarking this article so you can reference it later.
Don’t worry, these copywriting frameworks have been around for decades, they won’t become obsolete anytime soon!
Using AI Tools to Implement Copywriting Frameworks
AI writers are revolutionary text-creating tools. Copywriters everywhere are leveraging this amazing technology to write for all kinds of purposes.
For example, you can use AI to write personalized mass emails, write blog posts faster, or generally make your ad copy more effective.
AI tools are great for writing copy because you can train them to use copywriting frameworks.
In fact, many AI tools already have copywriting frameworks baked in. One of my favorites is Jasper.ai. Like many other AI tools, it uses the GPT framework to generate text. But the main selling point is its built-in templates.
Instead of digging through my notes to pull out a copywriting framework, I can just tell Jasper which framework to use and the tool will generate the text for me.
If you write a lot of copy, this process will save you hours of time in a week!
NOTE: AI tools are not perfect. They frequently generate incorrect information or write in a bland and repetitive style. Always review your AI-generated text to ensure it is correct and sounds human.
How to Measure the Success of Your Copywriting Framework
To get the best results with copywriting frameworks, always track their performance and optimize them over time. The best way to do this is to identify relevant KPIs and track them as you test different copy.
Several different KPIs gauge the success of your campaigns, such as conversion rates, click-through rates, time spent on a page, or even the number of shares on social media. These metrics will tell you how well your audience is responding to your copy.
For example, I once used the AIDA framework for an email campaign and it didn’t get the click-throughs I expected. Instead of through it out altogether, I tweaked the ‘Interest’ and ‘Desire’ sections. I relaunched the campaign and it got significantly more clicks.
Don’t be discouraged if a particular framework doesn’t give you immediate results. Testing like this is the name of the game in copywriting.
Start off with the frameworks and keep experimenting until you find the one that best resonates with your audience. Success in copywriting depends on your ability to adapt and evolve based on tangible feedback and real-world results.
Conclusion
Copywriting frameworks are a powerful weapon in every copywriter’s arsenal. These tried and true frameworks have been used in advertising for years because of their effectiveness.
Hopefully, this article has given you a resource to lean on in your copywriting journey. But remember, the best copywriting is always unique and validated with empirical evidence.
Don’t just blindly follow the frameworks – always test, try new things out and develop your own creative flair.
