“My go-to copy formula for cold traffic ads”

Photo by Marten Bjork on Unsplash

This is an adaption of AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) — one of the most popular copywriting formulas.

I’ve since innovated upon this formula, added my twists and transformed it into my go-to ad copy formula for all cold traffic ads — potential prospects who’ve never seen your brand, offer or ads.

Attention: Subject line or headline

You want to have these 3 things:

1. Pattern interrupts things like intrigue, controversy, controversy, conspiracy, embarrassment, betrayal, depravity, and conflict.
2. Curiosity: A need to know what comes next
3. Relevant benefit: What is the outcome or take away from this content

Interest: Opening or lead sentence

You have to hook the reader.

1. Start with a scroll-stopper

The first sentence is previewed in Facebook and Instagram Feed ad placement before the “see more…” option to expand the text. These are two of the highest-converting ad placement, followed by Facebook and Instagram Stories.

The objective of this first line of copy is to capture the attention of the “scroller” and get them to stop and read the second line.

This is critical to increasing your click-through rate (CTR).

2. Yes/no question

Follow up with a question that speaks directly to the promise/one big idea of your offer and your prospect’s pain point.

Remember, getting the prospect to a clear “Yes” or “No” is the anchor that hooks your prospect’s attention even deeper.

The objective is to make them read the 3rd sentence.

3. Disarmed disbelief

Your prospects have a built-in “sales pitch detector.”

You must build rapport and “humanize” your connection with your prospect to lower their defenses by telling your personal story.

A personal story that relates to your prospect says, “I know what you are going through; I have been there and here’s what I did to solve that problem.”

Desire: Deepening

You want to connect your prospect deeper with your copy, your story, and your “opening” by making it clear why they should continue reading.

You do this by building credibility. You can do it from 3 angles:

1. I am an expert on this topic. Here’s what I think.
   Example:
   Over the course of 6 years, I’ve helped more than 300 businesses to generate leads. I want to teach you how you can generate your first lead online.
2. I went out and interviewed all the trusted experts on this topic. Here’s what they think.
   Example:
   I went out and found 30 best list-building advice from experts who started and built newsletters from 0 to more than 10,000 subscribers.
3. I am just sharing my journey/opinion. But it is the most relevant and articulate one of all.

Action: Pitch and call-to-action

Introduce your core solution, list the primary features and benefits and say, “here’s how you can get it.”

Be super clear and concise about what you want your reader to do.

1. Clear direction: “Click the button below now...”
2. What’s in it for them: “…to discover why/how/what….”
3. Trackable working link
4. Call-to-action button: Learn more