Most top copywriters use formulas to guide their copywriting. Myself included.
There are many proven formulas you can follow to make copywriting a bit easier with every copywriter having their personal favorites.
In this article, we’ll go over three of mine.
Let’s start with…
COPYWRITING FORMULA 1
PROBLEM – AGITATE – SOLVE
I’ve found this to be the most reliable and effective formula for writing almost any type of sales copy. It’s just as easy to write an email with this as it is a long-form sales page or a Facebook ad.
With this formula, you start by highlighting a BIG PROBLEM that instantly resonates with your audience.
Then you figuratively twist the knife in the wound by showing just how painful this problem is now or could be in the future.
Finally, you introduce the solution to that problem. Typically, that solution would be whatever you are selling.
In an email, it would start with the subject line and then continue in the first line of the message.
With an online sales page, you would begin with the headline and continues in the opening line.
This is an example I’m just quickly making up:
HEADLINE – “Are You Living with The Embarrassment of Warts?”
OPENING – “If you have warts then you know what it’s like trying to hide them, always afraid someone is going to make a snide comment or give you a dirty look.”
Now, we’re going to pour a little salt on the wound as we AGITATE the problem.
How do we do that?
Well, we could tell a painful story like this…
PAINFUL STORY – “I must be honest with you. Telling my story isn’t easy as it brings back a bunch of bad memories I’d rather forget. For years I’ve lived a lonely life, hiding in my bedroom, afraid to be seen due to my ugly warts …”
And then finally we introduce our product or service as the SOLUTION our prospect needs, whether they knew it before or not.
OUR PRODUCT – THE HERO – “Everything changed for me the day I discovered Dr. Markson’s Incredible Wart Removal Cream. I now have the confidence to go out in public and even to meet girls, in fact, I recently went out on my first date in years.”
COPYWRITING FORMULA 2
The next copywriting formula I want to cover is one I first heard about from a copywriter and publisher named Michael Masterson.
I’ve found this to be EXTREMELY useful as well. It’s called…
THE FOUR P’S OF PERSUASION
The four p’s stand for:
— > PICTURE
This is where you show your prospect a vivid picture of how their life will be better by buying your product or service.
— > PROMISE
Here you detail the promise of the Big Benefits your prospects will experience from what you are selling.
— > PROVE
In this step you highlight the value your prospect will receive using success stories, testimonials, and other proof.
— > PUSH
Here’s where you make an irresistible offer to your prospect and then unabashedly ask for the order.
This could be as close to a “perfect” copywriting formula as you can find. But for me, there’s one I like to use even more.
Now, I’m going to reveal my personal “Go To” copywriting formula here.
I first learned this from legendary marketer and copywriter Jay Abraham.
By following this when writing a sales letter or sales page, it will be hard to go wrong.
COPYWRITING FORMULA 3
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Say something that gets your prospect’s attention.
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Tell your prospect why he/she should be interested.
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Tell your prospect why he/she should believe what you are saying is true.
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Prove it’s true.
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Itemize and describe all the benefits of your product or service.
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Tell your prospect how to order.
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Tell your prospect to order now.
Pretty good, right? Well, this is just the start.
Make sure and check out my article on the ingredients of writing a perfect sales page.
About Freelance Copywriter Robert Sean Pascoe
Robert Sean Pascoe is a freelance direct response copywriter and marketing strategist who works with entrepreneurs worldwide to create advertising and marketing campaigns that maximize their profits.
With 16 years of copywriting experience and a lifetime in sales, Robert knows how to use the power of words to sell virtually anything to anyone, especially if the market has been properly defined.
Robert enjoys primarily working with small business owners to sell more of their products and services through the power of direct response advertising and marketing.
He has written sales copy for companies in such diverse niches as Weight Loss Supplements, Skin Care, Male Enhancement, Local Marketing Agencies, Live Event Seminars, Software Developers, Insurance Agencies, Real Estate Brokerages, Marketing Consultants, and many, many more.
