The AIDA copywriting format

This has been around for many years, and originated offline. However, copywriters have brought it over to the online world, and continue to use it very successfully.

AIDA stands for...

Attention
Interest
Desire
Action

Attention

This is your first job, to grab the attention of the customer. So the top headline, and the following sub-heading or paragraph is probably the most important bit of text on your whole page.

Take a look at as many sales pages as you can, and it won't be long before you recognize the pattern.

You might not believe the headline above, but it has caught your attention, hasn't it? If so, then it has done its job perfectly. Grab attention right from the opening headline.

Interest

So you have your (potential) customers attention. How do you keep their interest? I bet you have read plenty on how you should stress the benefits, not features of the product.

What is the difference between a feature, and a benefit?

An autombile gets 30mpg. That's a feature.

You can save thousands each year on fuel costs. Extra money in your pocket that you could use for family vacations. That's a benefit.

The patented pulley system on your fitness machine is a feature. The fact that you won't have to stop your exercise routines to fix broken parts is a benefit.

Okay, so you get the idea. Now, what about maintaining the interest?

Use of headings

Make sure you use plenty of headings, breaking the text into easily digested sections. Put plenty of thought into these... many people will skim through the headings first, read the odd bulleted list, and then go back to read the parts that take their interest. Stick to the rule of 5.

• Keep to 5 items (benefits not features!) per list
• Keep paragraphs to 5 lines if possible
• No more than 5 paragraphs between headings

Desire

The thing that you must understand is the way people decide to make a purchase. And here it is, in one sentence...bold and highlighted so you don't forget it. Yes,. it is that important.

Most people buy products or services based on an emotional "want", then justify the purchase logically.

Please think about this concept. It is one of the most important things to understand, if you want to get inside the head of your customers.

That is why you stress benefits rather than features of a product. Painting a picture of how your product will benefit the purchaser is appealing the the emotional side of the brain. Features play on the logical side. And people often make a buying decision based on emotion, not on logic.

Action

The final part of the equation, is your "call to action". Imagine you were a carsaleman. You have got the customer all ready to sign up on the dotted line. What do you do now? Say to him...

"Hey look, Joe. Why not go home, talk about it with the wife, and sleep on it? Come back and see me in the morning."

Of course not, you need to get that sale now.

It's exactly the same thing with our sales page. We want the customer to perform the desired action (purchase a product, sign up for an ecourse, get onto a mailing list etc) immediately. If they leave the page, will they come back again? Maybe, but do you want to risk that?

You have worked hard with your copy up to this point. Don't blow it now. A call to action can use "doing words" Buy Now, Send XYZ to me! Get immediate access, etc etc.

Combine emotions with your CTA (Call To Action). An example of that might be....