The 12 Copywriting Formulas Every Direct Response Copywriter Uses

What Are Copywriting Formulas?

Copywriting formulas are proven structural frameworks that guide the sequence of a persuasive message. They answer the question every copywriter faces at the start of a new project: "What comes first, what comes next, and what comes last?"

These formulas were not invented in a boardroom. They were discovered through decades of testing — millions of split tests across direct mail, advertising, email, and digital sales pages. They represent the accumulated knowledge of what sequence works when the goal is to move a reader from scepticism to action.

Over 30 years and $523 million in tracked results, I have used every formula on this list — sometimes individually, sometimes in combination. Here are the 12 that appear most frequently in the highest-performing copy I have written and studied.

The 12 Essential Copywriting Formulas

1. AIDA — Attention, Interest, Desire, Action

AIDA is the grandfather of all copywriting formulas. Developed in the late 1800s, it remains the most widely used framework in persuasive writing because it mirrors the natural psychological journey from awareness to purchase.

Attention: Capture the reader's attention with a compelling headline or opening. This is the gate — if it fails, nothing else matters.

Interest: Build interest by identifying the reader's problem, aspiration, or situation. Show them that you understand their world.

Desire: Create emotional and logical desire for your solution. This is where proof, benefits, and transformation stories do their work.

Action: Tell the reader exactly what to do next — and give them a compelling reason to do it now.

Best for: Sales pages, VSLs, long-form sales letters, and any persuasion sequence where you have space to develop the full argument.

2. PAS — Problem, Agitation, Solution

PAS is the most effective short-form copywriting formula ever developed. It works because it mirrors how humans process and respond to problems.

Problem: Identify the reader's problem clearly and specifically. Not "Your marketing is not working" but "Your landing page converts at 0.8% when the industry average is 3.2%."

Agitation: Deepen the problem by exploring its consequences. What is it costing them? What opportunities are they missing? What will happen if they do nothing? The agitation section uses loss aversion — the most powerful motivational principle — to create urgency.

Solution: Present your product or service as the logical answer to the now-urgent problem. The transition from agitation to solution should feel like relief.

Best for: Facebook ads, email copy, landing pages, short social media posts, and any format where you need to persuade quickly.

3. The 4Ps — Promise, Picture, Proof, Push

The 4Ps formula is a compact framework that works particularly well for direct-response ads and shorter sales sequences.

Promise: State the primary benefit in clear, specific terms. What will the reader gain?

Picture: Help the reader visualise the result. Paint a concrete, sensory picture of what their life, business, or situation will look like after they achieve the promised result.

Proof: Provide evidence that the promise is achievable — testimonials, case studies, data, demonstrations. Without proof, the promise is just a claim.

Push: Create urgency and deliver a clear call to action. Give the reader a reason to act now and tell them exactly how to do it.

Best for: Ads, direct mail postcards, short-form landing pages, and email campaigns.

4. PASTOR — Problem, Amplify, Story, Transformation, Offer, Response

PASTOR extends the PAS formula with storytelling and transformation elements, making it particularly effective for offers where emotional connection drives the purchase decision.

Problem: Identify the reader's core problem.

Amplify: Intensify the problem by exploring what happens if it goes unsolved — the escalating costs, the compounding consequences.

Story: Tell a relevant story — your own, a client's, or a relatable scenario — that demonstrates the journey from problem to solution. Stories bypass intellectual resistance and create emotional connection.

Transformation: Show the reader what life looks like on the other side. Not just the product features, but the genuine transformation in their results, situation, or feelings.

Offer: Present your product or service with a clear value proposition.

Response: Drive the response with a specific, urgent call to action.

Best for: Coaching and consulting services, personal development, health and wellness, and any offer where the buyer's emotional journey is central to the purchase decision.

5. Before-After-Bridge (BAB)

BAB creates persuasion through contrast — showing the reader where they are, where they could be, and how to get there.

Before: Describe the reader's current situation in vivid, specific detail. They should recognise themselves immediately.

After: Paint an equally vivid picture of their ideal outcome — the results they want, the feelings they desire, the problems they have solved.

Bridge: Present your product or service as the bridge that takes them from Before to After.

Best for: Email subject lines and opening paragraphs, social media posts, short ads, and testimonial framing.

6. Star-Chain-Hook

This formula is built for persuasion through narrative momentum. It works by creating interest in a character, building a chain of evidence, and hooking the reader into action.

Star: Introduce a compelling character, product, or idea that captures attention. The star must be immediately interesting or relatable.

Chain: Build a chain of benefits, facts, testimonials, or logical arguments that create an irresistible case. Each link in the chain adds to the cumulative weight of the argument.

Hook: Close with a powerful call to action that capitalises on the momentum built by the chain.

Best for: Testimonial-driven pages, case study presentations, narrative sales sequences, and long-form sales letters.

7. The 4Us — Useful, Urgent, Unique, Ultra-Specific

The 4Us is primarily a headline and subject line formula, but its principles improve any piece of copy.

Useful: Does the headline promise something the reader can actually use?

Urgent: Does it create a reason to read or act now?

Unique: Does it offer a perspective, approach, or promise the reader has not seen before?

Ultra-Specific: Does it use specific numbers, timeframes, or details rather than vague generalities?

A headline that scores high on all four criteria will almost always outperform one that scores high on only one or two.

Best for: Headline writing, email subject lines, ad copy, and blog post titles.

8. FAB — Features, Advantages, Benefits

FAB is a translation formula — it transforms product specifications into language the reader cares about.

Features: What the product or service includes or does.

Advantages: How each feature is superior to alternatives.

Benefits: What the reader gains personally from each advantage — the emotional or practical outcome.

Most weak copy stops at features. Good copy includes advantages. Great copy reaches the benefit — the specific, tangible improvement in the reader's life or business.

Best for: Product pages, website copywriting, feature sections on sales pages, and email nurture sequences.

9. The Slippery Slide

The slippery slide is not a structural formula but a writing principle articulated by legendary copywriter Joe Sugarman: every element of your copy — from the headline to the last sentence — has one purpose: to get the reader to read the next sentence.

How to apply it: Make your headline compel the reader to read the subheading. Make the subheading compel them to read the first paragraph. Make the first paragraph compel them to read the second. Every transition should feel effortless, every sentence should create curiosity about the next, and the reader should slide through the entire piece without ever finding a comfortable place to stop.

Best for: Everything. This principle improves any piece of copy in any formula.

10. QUEST — Qualify, Understand, Educate, Stimulate, Transition

QUEST is designed for audiences that need to be educated before they can be sold to — typically for complex, unfamiliar, or high-ticket offers.

Qualify: Identify who the message is for (and who it is not for). This self-selection increases relevance for the right readers.

Understand: Demonstrate deep understanding of the reader's situation, challenges, and goals.

Educate: Teach the reader something valuable that shifts their perspective or understanding.

Stimulate: Build desire by showing how the new understanding connects to a specific solution.

Transition: Move the reader from educated interest to action with a clear offer and call to action.

Best for: B2B sales, complex service offerings, high-ticket products, and audiences unfamiliar with the category.

11. SSS — Star, Story, Solution

SSS is a streamlined narrative formula that works by leveraging the power of storytelling.

Star: Introduce a person the reader can identify with — ideally someone who faced the same challenge the reader faces now.

Story: Tell the story of that person's struggle, discovery, and transformation. The story should be specific, emotional, and relevant.

Solution: Reveal that your product or service was the solution that created the transformation. The reader connects the story's positive outcome with your offer.

Best for: Case study presentations, testimonial-driven pages, email narratives, and social media content.

12. The Reverse

The Reverse formula starts with the result and works backward — an approach that is particularly effective when the result itself is the most compelling element of the message.

Start with the result: "Last Tuesday, Sarah generated $47,000 in revenue from a single email."

Explain how: Walk backward through the steps, decisions, or factors that produced the result.

Reveal the mechanism: Show that the result was produced by a specific, reproducible approach — your product or service.

Invite the reader to duplicate it: Close with an offer that positions the reader to achieve similar results.

Best for: Case studies, results-driven ads, email sequences, and any situation where you have a specific, impressive result to lead with.

How to Choose the Right Formula

The formula you choose depends on three factors:

Format: Long-form sales pages and VSLs can accommodate AIDA, PASTOR, or Star-Chain-Hook. Short-form ads and emails benefit from PAS, BAB, or the 4Ps.

Audience temperature: Cold audiences who do not know you need education before persuasion — use QUEST or PASTOR. Warm audiences who already trust you can be persuaded with PAS or the 4Ps.

Offer complexity: Simple, low-cost offers work well with PAS or BAB. Complex, high-ticket offers benefit from AIDA, QUEST, or Star-Chain-Hook because they allow space to build a complete argument.

Formulas Are Starting Points, Not Destinations

The most important thing to understand about copywriting formulas is that they are tools, not rules. No formula will save weak research, a misunderstood audience, or an offer that does not match market demand.

The formula provides the skeleton. Your audience research, your understanding of the offer, and your skill as a writer provide everything else. The best copywriters have internalised these frameworks so deeply that they no longer think about them consciously — the structure emerges naturally from years of practice and testing.

If you need help applying these formulas to your specific sales pages, VSLs, email sequences, or sales funnels, book a free strategy call to discuss your project.