Ever felt stuck when tasked with writing copy to convert an audience? If yes, you are not alone.

Writing copy is easy—anyone can weave words together in the name of copywriting—but writing copy that gets attention and converts an audience requires skill, tact, and the employment of a few formulas, the AIDA formula being one of the most popular.

Thanks to good ol’ AIDA, you can get the right audience to do your bidding. However, it’s important to note that the AIDA formula isn’t a magic solution. To use it effectively, you must understand how it works and employ it strategically. Thankfully this blog post takes a deep dive into the AIDA formula and its application to persuasive copywriting.

What is AIDA formula?

AIDA, an acronym for attention, interest, desire, and action, represents the four phases a persuasive copy takes an audience through, from first contact to conversion.

According to the AIDA formula, the metric for assessing a persuasive copy is its ability to grab attention, spark interest, arouse desire, and motivate action. As St. Elmo Lewis, founder of the popular AIDA model, puts it, “The mission of an advertisement is to attract a reader so that he will look at the advertisement and start to read it; then to interest him, so that he will continue to read it; then convince him, so that when he had read it, he will believe it. If an advertisement contains these three qualities of success it is a successful advertisement.”

The idea is that each phase takes the reader one step closer to taking action.

Why AIDA?

Although invented in 1987, the AIDA framework has existed for the longest time. Thankfully it is still as relevant as ever, making it the most popular means of marketing products and services to a target audience.

As a marketer who dreams of increasing sales and conversions, you’ll find the AIDA formula a useful content tool for several reasons:

• It is a straightforward framework that makes it easy to take an audience through a series of stages that cumulates in them completing desired actions. 
• It helps to guide an audience through the sales funnel.
• It helps brands establish customer relationships by understanding the target audience, offering value, answering questions, and ultimately making sales.

The Formula

AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. This content framework is designed to:

•  Grab an audience’s attention and hook them in like a fish with bait.
•  Create a point of interest for them to continue reading.
•  Create desire.
•   Motivate the taking of an action.

Let’s get right into each phase of the AIDA framework, shall we?

1. Attention

The first and most important job of every piece of content is to grab attention—how else will an audience know how terrific your products or services are if you don’t first get their attention? 

8 seconds. That’s how short the human attention span is.

Studies reveal that people are drawn to media content for only 8 seconds, meaning you have just 8 seconds to grab and hold your readers’ attention or risk losing it to the myriad of online content churned out daily.

There are several tips and tricks for creating attention-grabbing content. For starters, every headline should be a head-turner because they are the first thing an audience sees.

Want a shot at great headlines? Then you should:

• Create a sense of urgency in your headline copy.
• Be specific, clear, and concise.
• Spark curiosity.
• Make use of numbers.
• Talk directly to your audience.

Next, you want to ensure your opening paragraph or the first few lines of it, is appealing and value-packed. Remember you have 8 seconds, sometimes less, to get them hooked and wanting more.

2. Interest

Now that your audience is where you want them, the next step is to spark their interest. This way, you can hold their attention for as long as you want.

There are several ways to get an audience interested in the details of your content. Some tips include:

• Appeal to their emotions. 
• Make it clear that you understand their needs and offer a unique solution to their problems.
• Use short sentences and paragraphs and help them seamlessly flow through your compelling offer. You don’t want to confuse or bore them.
• Subtly elaborate on your attention-grabber.

3. Desire

Remember the last time you went shopping and couldn’t help but remind the cashier at the pay point that the items you purchased were on sale at a discounted rate?

Well, that’s how humans are—a selfish bunch, always looking for benefits they stand to gain. And that’s what makes desire a vital component of the AIDA formula. The reason is simple; everyone wants to know what’s in it for them. Isn’t that why you are reading this article??? 

At this phase, you need to let your readers in on the benefits of your offer. 

Think about what your audience wants and needs. Focus on how your products or services meet those needs. In other words, get them longing for the solutions you offer. Succeed at arousing their desire, and they will take action with little or no further push.

4. Action

You have gotten your audience’s attention.

You have sparked their interest.

You have aroused their desire for your products and services.

Long story short, you have done the heavy lifting.

Guess what?

At this point, it is easy to make your audience take action.  

The secret to writing effective calls to action is clarity. You want your audience to know what you’ll have them do after engaging with your content.

Do you want them to buy a product? 

Click on a link?

Subscribe to a newsletter?

Take advantage of incentives and bonuses?

Don’t dance around the issue—spell it out.

Up your copywriting game

The measure of a successful copy is in its conversion rate. Anyone can write copy, but only a great copywriter can write copy that grabs attention, sparks interest, arouse desire, and motivate action. The copywriter’s secret is understanding your target audience and their struggles and using the AIDA formula to write engaging copy designed to convert.

Want to increase your conversion rate?

Then you might want to start implementing the AIDA formula, and we have just the right copywriters to help your brand produce engaging copy. 

You are a few clicks away from upping your copywriting game—contact us at The Fourth Writers, and let’s get you started.