In advertising there are tried and true formulas that you can use to ensure effectiveness. One of these is called the AIDA formula.

AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.

Using this formula in all of your ad copy is a way to check whether or not the advertisement will be effective before you even test it.

Grab Their Attention

You can catch your audience’s attention with a headline, an image, a special font, or the way you use words. As you know, the best way to ensure that people read your copy is to do something that makes them stop and take notice.

Interest

As well as the above, the words on the page need to keep your audience’s interest. The best way to do that is to explain the benefits of your product using words that differentiate yourself from the competition.

Desire

Using the right words, you want to create a longing or desire within your audience to follow your call to action. You do this by showing them how your product will solve their problems and fill their desires.

Action

Grabbing your audience’s attention, keeping their interest, and finding the words that bring up a well of desire for your product, will induce your audience to answer your calls to action at a higher rate than without applying AIDA.

How to Apply AIDA

Craft bold headlines, use active voice, white space, images and other means to use AIDA in your copy. Understand that while you need to write copy for all four stages, your audience also goes through the four stages as they engage with your advertising copy. If you can clearly identify the stages as you create the copy – whether it is a sales page or a pay-per-click advertisement, then it’s likely you’ve accomplished AIDA.

It’s a Weeding Process

You have to remember that you don’t want just anyone to click on your headline. You want someone who will read your copy and buy what you’re selling. So, to make AIDA work, don’t use tricky or misleading headlines or images to attract readers. Be up front at all times and as clear as possible about what’s “inside” your headlines for the reader. Use images that are relevant to the copy, and you’ll attract better leads. Ad copy is not just an attraction method, it’s also a weeding process.

Whether you write copy for online or offline media, using the AIDA formula will help you create winning ad copy as often as you need to. Show your audience what your product can do for them and why they need to buy it using this method and it will work.