A blank page is the slowest way to write copy. A formula gives you the order of the argument, so you only have to supply the facts.
This page collects 105 copywriting formulas: long-form frameworks for sales pages and emails, value proposition templates, editing checklists, headline formulas and short ad formulas. Each one has what the letters stand for, who came up with it where that’s known, when to use it, and an example you can adapt.
I rebuilt this list in October 2026. I checked every attribution I could trace, corrected the ones that were wrong, cut six entries that weren’t really formulas, merged a duplicate, and added the classics that were missing, from Eugene Schwartz’s five stages of awareness to StoryBrand. Where nobody knows who invented a formula, I’ve said so.
To make the frameworks easy to compare, most of their examples use the same made-up product: Inbox Hour, a $49 course that teaches freelancers to write a weekly client newsletter in under an hour.
If you’d rather see persuasion moves in finished, documented ads, my 33 copywriting techniques post covers those. This page is the template library.
How to pick a formula
Start with how much your reader already knows. Eugene Schwartz’s rule from Breakthrough Advertising still holds: the less aware the reader, the further back your copy has to start (formula 12 explains the five stages).
Here’s the rule of thumb I use:
- Reader doesn’t know they have a problem: lead with a story. Star-Story-Solution (20) or Hook-Story-Offer (22).
- Reader knows the problem but not the fix: PAS (4), PASTOR (5) or QUEST (10).
- Reader knows fixes exist but not yours: BAB (6), the 4 P’s (8 and 9) or a value proposition from Part 2.
- Reader knows your product but hasn’t bought: proof and offer formulas like AIDCA (2) or Bob Stone’s seven steps (18).
- Reader is ready to buy: say the offer plainly. The Direct Approach (99) or a short ad formula from Part 5.
The last column of the table says how well each formula works as an AI prompt. “Good” means you can hand it to Claude or ChatGPT with your product details. “Needs your facts” means the formula depends on proof, numbers or stories the model will make up if you don’t supply them. “Checklist” means use it to critique a draft rather than write one.
Part 1: Persuasion frameworks
These give you the structure of a whole sales page, email, video script or post. Most are variations on the same sequence: get attention, make the reader want the result, prove you can deliver it, ask for the action.
1. AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action
The oldest formula on the list. It’s usually credited to E. St. Elmo Lewis, who around 1898 summed up advertising as “attract attention, maintain interest, create desire”. “Get action” was added a few years later (Sam Young’s history of AIDA).
- Attention: what would stop my reader?
- Interest: what would make them keep reading?
- Desire: what result do they want that my product delivers?
- Action: what’s the one next step, and why take it now?
The Write Life’s freelance writing ebook page follows it closely: a headline aimed at beginners, a short case for why this guide, the result (“everything you need to get started”), then a $19 button.
Inbox Hour example: “Your clients forget you between projects (attention). A weekly newsletter keeps you in their inbox, and most freelancers never start one because it eats a whole day (interest). Inbox Hour gets it down to under an hour, with a template you reuse every week (desire). Start today for $49 (action).”
2. AIDCA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Conviction, Action
AIDA with a proof step before the ask. Conviction stages show up in AIDA variants from the early 1900s, and no single person owns it.
Use it when the reader wants what you sell but doubts it will work for them. Conviction is testimonials, numbers, demonstrations and guarantees.
Inbox Hour example: after the desire section, add “312 freelancers have finished the course; their median writing time is 52 minutes” (only if true) and “If your first newsletter takes longer than an hour, email me for a refund.”
3. IDCA: Interest, Desire, Conviction, Action
AIDCA without the attention step. CopyRanger attributes it to Earle A. Buckley, a 1920s sales-letter writer, though I couldn’t confirm that in a primary source.
The thinking: if someone clicked your ad or opened your email, you already have their attention, so start with what interests them. Mark Manson’s homepage, at the time of this screenshot, did exactly that: who he is, what he can do for you, the outlets that featured him, and a low-commitment next step.
4. PAS: Problem, Agitate, Solution
Name the problem, make the reader feel it, then offer the fix. Nobody knows who invented it. Dan Kennedy, who didn’t claim it, called it possibly “the most reliable sales formula ever invented”.
- Problem: what’s going wrong for the reader?
- Agitate: what does it cost them, and what happens if it continues?
- Solution: how your product removes it.
Inbox Hour example: “You meant to send a client newsletter this month. Then a project landed and it slipped again. Meanwhile the clients who’d hire you again are hiring whoever emailed them last. Inbox Hour gives you a one-hour routine you can keep even in a busy week.”
Agitate honestly. Making the problem bigger than it is works once and costs you trust after.
5. PASTOR
Ray Edwards’ framework for sales pages. In his 2016 book How to Write Copy That Sells, the letters stand for:
- Person, Problem, Pain: who you’re talking to and what hurts.
- Amplify: the cost of not solving it (and what they aspire to).
- Story and Solution: a story of someone who solved it, and how.
- Transformation and Testimony: what changed, in your customers’ words.
- Offer: exactly what they get.
- Response: the specific action to take (Entrepreneur summary).
His original 2014 version used Problem, Amplify, Story and Solution, Transformation and Testimony, Offer, Response.
6. BAB: Before, After, Bridge
Describe the reader’s world now, describe it after the problem is solved, then show the bridge between the two: your product. Buffer popularised it; its origin is unknown.
Inbox Hour example: “Before: you send clients a ‘just checking in’ email twice a year and hope. After: every Friday, 400 past and future clients get a short, useful note from you, and replies turn into work. Bridge: Inbox Hour’s template and one-hour routine.”
7. FAB: Features, Advantages, Benefits
An old sales-training model. Name the feature, say what it does better than the alternative, then say what the buyer gets out of it.
Example: “This phone’s pedometer also counts floors climbed (feature), so it tracks stairs that step counters miss (advantage). You see the real effort of your afternoon walk (benefit).”
Most copy stops at the feature. The benefit is the part the reader cares about.
8. The 4 P’s: Picture, Promise, Prove, Push
Attributed to Henry Hoke Sr., the direct mail publisher, though I found no primary source.
- Picture: paint the scene, either the pain or the future the reader wants.
- Promise: say how your product gets them there.
- Prove: back the promise with numbers, case studies or a demo.
- Push: ask for the action.
9. The 4 P’s, version 2: Problem, Promise, Proof, Proposal
Ray Edwards described this version in a free course. It opens with the problem instead of a picture, and ends with a proposal, which can be a single call to action or a set of next steps. It suits service businesses, where the “proposal” may be a call or a quote.
10. QUEST: Qualify, Understand, Educate, Stimulate, Transition
Michel Fortin’s formula, published by 2006 and still on his site. It’s built to take a sceptical reader step by step from stranger to buyer.
- Qualify: tell the right reader this is for them, and let everyone else leave. “Do you owe more than $10,000 to the IRS?”
- Understand: show you know what they’re going through.
- Educate: explain the solution and why it works.
- Stimulate: build desire with benefits, proof and the cost of doing nothing.
- Transition: turn the prospect into a customer with the offer and the call to action.
A common mistake (this page made it until 2026) is treating Stimulate as the call to action. Stimulate builds desire; Transition is the ask.
Inbox Hour example: “Freelancers with more than 20 past clients: this is for you (qualify). You know a newsletter would bring work back, and you’ve started one three times (understand). Here’s why it keeps stalling, and the one-hour structure that fixes it (educate). Graduates get their first reply from a past client within a month, on average (stimulate, if true). Join for $49 and send your first issue this Friday (transition).”
11. OATH: Oblivious, Apathetic, Thinking, Hurting
Also from Michel Fortin, who says he created it in 2003 (source). It sorts readers by how they feel about their problem:
- Oblivious: don’t know they have it.
- Apathetic: know, but don’t care.
- Thinking: aware and weighing options.
- Hurting: need a fix now.
Hurting readers want the offer fast. Oblivious readers need a story first. Use it to decide how much warm-up your copy needs.
12. Schwartz’s five stages of awareness
From Eugene Schwartz’s Breakthrough Advertising (1966), usually summarised as Unaware, Problem-Aware, Solution-Aware, Product-Aware and Most Aware. Schwartz’s point: your headline should start where the reader’s awareness is, so the less they know, the more indirect the opening.
- Most Aware: knows your product, needs the deal. Lead with the offer.
- Product-Aware: knows your product, isn’t sure. Lead with proof or a new angle.
- Solution-Aware: wants the result, doesn’t know you exist. Lead with the result.
- Problem-Aware: feels the pain, doesn’t know a fix exists. Lead with the problem.
- Unaware: doesn’t connect their situation to a need. Lead with a story or identity.
I go deeper on choosing an opening in my summary of Great Leads, which builds on Schwartz.
13. ACCA: Awareness, Comprehension, Conviction, Action
From Russell Colley’s DAGMAR model (Defining Advertising Goals for Measured Advertising Results, 1961). Charities use it a lot, but it works for any product the reader needs explained before they’ll care.
- Awareness: a fact that makes the reader notice the issue.
- Comprehension: explain it, with evidence.
- Conviction: turn understanding into the feeling that something must be done.
- Action: one easy way to act, such as “less than a dollar a day”.
14. AAPPA: Attention, Advantage, Prove, Persuade, Action
Victor O. Schwab’s five steps from How to Write a Good Advertisement (1962): “Get attention. Show people an advantage. Prove it. Persuade people to grasp this advantage. Ask for action.”
The Advantage is one main benefit, not a list of features. Persuade means getting the reader to see that advantage applies to them.
15. AIDPPC: Attention, Interest, Description, Persuasion, Proof, Close
An AIDA variant that CopyRanger and Copyhackers attribute to Robert Collier, though it doesn’t match the “six essentials” in his 1937 Letter Book, so treat the credit loosely.
- Attention: stop the reader.
- Interest: give them new or striking information.
- Description: describe the problem and the solution in detail.
- Persuasion: give reasons to act.
- Proof: a demo, data or testimonials.
- Close: restate the main benefits and ask.
16. AICPBSAWN
Attention, Interest, Credibility, Proof, Benefits, Scarcity, Action, Warn, Now. Hard to remember, but it’s a complete checklist for a long page. Origin unknown.
- Attention: the biggest problem and the promise to solve it.
- Interest: why the reader should care.
- Credibility: why they should believe you.
- Proof: testimonials and data.
- Benefits: a full list.
- Scarcity: a real limit on time or quantity.
- Action: clear steps.
- Warn: what happens if they don’t act.
- Now: ask again, for today.
Only use scarcity that’s true. Fake countdown timers get noticed.
17. HELLYEAH
Brian McLeod posted this on the Warrior Forum in April 2009 (thread).
- Holler: a loud hook.
- Empathize: show you understand the pain.
- Lambast: blame whatever or whoever caused the problem.
- Legwork: prove you walk the walk.
- Yes: get the reader agreeing you’re the answer.
- Educate: explain why your solution works.
- Action: the call to action.
- Handle: remove the last doubt with risk reversal, such as a guarantee.
18. Bob Stone’s seven steps
Bob Stone, co-founder of the agency Stone & Adler, wrote these for direct mail letters in Successful Direct Marketing Methods (excerpt at Chief Marketer). They work as well for a sales email.
- Promise your most important benefit in the headline or first paragraph.
- Immediately enlarge on it.
- Tell the reader specifically what they’ll get.
- Back up your statements with proof and endorsements.
- Tell the reader what they’ll lose if they don’t act.
- Rephrase your main benefits in the closing offer.
- Incite action now.
19. Danny Iny’s 6+1
Danny Iny introduced it in Smashing Magazine in 2011 as a looser alternative to AIDA.
- Context: who you are and why you’re talking to them.
- Attention: give them a reason to keep reading.
- Desire: make them want the result.
- The Gap: the consequences of acting and of not acting.
- Solution: your offer, clearly.
- Call to Action: one next step.
The +1 is credibility, kept up all the way through.
20. Star-Story-Solution
Introduce a character the reader relates to (the star), tell their struggle and how it turned out (the story), then show the product that made the difference (the solution). Origin unknown. The Wall Street Journal’s “Two Young Men” subscription letter, mailed for nearly three decades, is the best-known example.
21. Star-Chain-Hook
Often attributed to Frank Dignan in the early 20th century, though the original source is lost.
- Star: the big idea or promise that grabs attention.
- Chain: a chain of facts, benefits and proof that turns attention into interest and belief.
- Hook: the call to action.
22. Hook-Story-Offer
Russell Brunson’s framework from DotCom Secrets (2015). Every piece of marketing needs a hook to get attention, a story that builds connection and value, and an offer. When a funnel isn’t converting, Brunson’s diagnosis is that one of the three is weak, so test them one at a time. I use the same idea in my webinar tactics.
23. StoryBrand SB7
Donald Miller’s framework from Building a StoryBrand (2017): “A Character has a Problem, meets a Guide, who gives them a Plan, and Calls them to Action, that helps them avoid Failure, and ends in a Success.”
The customer is the hero. Your business is the guide. A homepage built this way names the customer’s problem first and puts your credentials second.
24. Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
Alan Monroe developed it for persuasive speeches in 1935: Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualization, Action. The Visualization step, where the audience pictures life with and without your solution, is what most written formulas leave out.
25. The six lead types
Michael Masterson and John Forde’s Great Leads (2012) sorts every opening into six types, from most direct to least: Offer, Promise, Problem-Solution, Big Secret, Proclamation and Story. Match the type to the reader’s awareness: Offer leads for the most aware, Story leads for the least. My summary of Great Leads has all six with examples.
26. The 1-2-3-4 formula
A classic direct-response sequence popularised by Copyblogger. Who created it is unknown.
- What I’ve got for you.
- What it’s going to do for you.
- Who I am.
- What you need to do next.
27. APP: Agree, Promise, Preview
Credited to Brian Dean of Backlinko. Open with something the reader agrees with, promise what they’ll get from the post, then preview what’s coming. The opening of this page uses it.
28. HIPASI: Headline, Image, Problem, Agitation, Solution, Invitation
PAS stretched to fit a blog post, from the Copyhackers formula guide. Headline and image pull the reader in, problem-agitate-solution carry the body, and the invitation is the call to action at the end.
29. Video sales letter template
A common 12-step structure for sales videos, with three calls to action. Its origin is unknown.
- A greeting that grabs attention.
- Name the problem and promise to solve it.
- Say why the offer is limited.
- Agitate the problem.
- Present your product as the solution.
- Its main features and benefits.
- First call to action, based on desire.
- Credentials, proof and testimonials.
- The guarantee.
- Second call to action, based on logic.
- The deadline.
- Third call to action, based on fear of missing out.
30. SLAP: Stop, Look, Act, Purchase
For selling something cheap straight from an ad. Stop the scroll, get them to look at the product, get them to act (click), and close the purchase on the product page. Origin unknown.
Example: a Facebook ad for t-shirts designed for nurses shows the best design (stop), the price and a short line (look), a “Shop the design” button (act), and a product page with one-click checkout (purchase).
31. AIU: Attention, Interest, Urgency
A three-step formula for getting one quick action. Its author on CopyRanger used it for envelopes: get attention (a $5 bill in the envelope), make the contents worth reading, then give a reason to act today.
32. ERERS: Emotional, Rational, Emotional, Rational, Social proof
Copyhackers named this sequence in 2015 after an AdEspresso Facebook ad example. Alternate emotional and rational reasons, then close with social proof. It works in the image as well as the text.
33. PASOP: Problem, Agitation, Solution, Outcome, (new) Problem
Copyhackers’ tweak of PAS for drip emails. Each email solves one problem, shows the outcome, then opens a new problem that the next email solves. The final email is plain PAS with a link to the sales page.
34. Sujan Patel’s 3-sentence format
From Sujan Patel’s cold email templates at Mailshake: one sentence introducing yourself, one describing what you offer, one asking for something small. He says to keep it as close to three sentences as you can.
Example: “I’m Jo, and I’ll keep this quick. I write weekly newsletters for design studios that bring past clients back. Could I send you two examples?”
35. RAD: Require, Acquire, Desire
Lance Jones wrote it for Copy Hackers in 2012. Before a call to action works, the visitor must:
- Require: have the information they need to decide.
- Acquire: be able to see and click the button easily (size, colour, placement).
- Desire: want what’s on the other side of it.
36. [Do] [This] [When]
Start with a verb, name the thing, add a time. “Send your first newsletter this Friday.” “Download the template now.” Short, specific and hard to misread.
Part 2: Value propositions and offers
These give you the one or two sentences that explain what you sell and why it’s different. They go at the top of a homepage, in a bio, or in the first line of a pitch.
37. Geoffrey Moore’s positioning statement
From Crossing the Chasm (1991): “For [target customer] who [need], [product] is a [category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [main alternative], our product [main difference].”
Example: “For freelancers who know they should email past clients but never do, Inbox Hour is a newsletter course that gets each issue done in under an hour. Unlike general writing courses, it gives you one reusable template and a weekly routine.”
It’s usually an internal statement. The customer-facing version is a shorter cut of it.
38. Steve Blank’s “We help X do Y by doing Z”
Steve Blank’s value proposition format from his 2011 Lean LaunchPad post.
Example: “We help freelancers win repeat work by writing a weekly newsletter in under an hour.”
Gusto’s version is a good model of a specific claim: customers take 7 minutes on average to run payroll, which Gusto says is 75% less time than before they switched.
39. VAD: Verb, Application, Differentiator
Start with what the user does, say what it’s for, then what makes it different. Origin unknown; Copyhackers lists it.
Example (made up for Canva): “Create beautiful images for your marketing without learning Photoshop.”
40. [Product] is a [category] that [does one thing best]
Name the product, the category the buyer already understands, and the one thing it does better than the rest.
Example: “Inbox Hour is a newsletter course that gets each issue written in under an hour.”
41. [Company] is a [service] that [result] without [pain]
The “without” clause names the objection that usually stops people buying.
Examples: “Global Net is an internet provider with the fastest speeds in town and no monthly contract.” “Dave’s Repair guarantees a 30-minute oil change with no appointment.” (Both made up.)
42. We do [X], but [how we’re different]
Say the plain category, then the difference. “We build websites, but we write the words first.” KFC’s “We Do Chicken Right” (1981 to 1991) is a shorter cousin: category plus a claim of doing it better.
43. We’re the [fastest/easiest/cheapest] [category] for [target]
Pick one superlative you can prove, and narrow the audience until it’s true. “The easiest payroll tool for teams of under ten” is more believable than “the easiest payroll tool”.
44. Alex Hormozi’s value equation
From $100M Offers (2021): Value = (Dream Outcome × Perceived Likelihood of Achievement) / (Time Delay × Effort and Sacrifice).
It’s an offer formula more than a copy formula, but it tells you what the copy has to do: make the outcome bigger and more believable, and make the wait and the work feel smaller. For Inbox Hour: “a newsletter that brings back past clients” (outcome), “312 graduates” (likelihood, if true), “send your first one this Friday” (time), “one hour a week, template included” (effort).
Part 3: Checklists for editing copy
Run a finished draft through these. They’re also the formulas that work best as AI prompts, because asking a model to critique is safer than asking it to invent.
45. The 4 U’s: Useful, Urgent, Unique, Ultra-specific
Michael Masterson and Bill Bonner’s test for headlines and bullets, published by AWAI in 2001 (source).
- Useful: does it offer the reader something they want?
- Urgent: is there a reason to read it now?
- Unique: has the reader seen this a hundred times?
- Ultra-specific: would they know exactly what they’ll get?
Score each from 1 to 4. Rewrite anything that scores low on two or more.
46. The 4 C’s: Clear, Concise, Compelling, Credible
Origin unknown, and widely used. Is it clear? Is every word earning its place? Will the reader want what you’re selling? Will they believe you?
47. SCAMPER
Bob Eberle’s 1971 creativity checklist, built on Alex Osborn’s questions from Applied Imagination (1953). Copywriters use it to rework a page into something new.
- Substitute: swap a weak line for a stronger one.
- Combine: merge ideas from two pages or formulas.
- Adapt: borrow a structure from another industry.
- Modify (magnify or minify): enlarge one point, shrink another.
- Put to other uses: could this angle sell to a different audience?
- Eliminate: cut what doesn’t earn its place.
- Reverse or rearrange: change the order, or flip a positive argument into a negative one.
48. A FOREST
A persuasive writing checklist taught in UK schools: Alliteration, Facts, Opinions, Repetition, Examples, Statistics, and Threes (the rule of three). Its origin is unknown. Use it to check an argument has evidence as well as opinion.
49. The 4 S’s for testimonials: Specific, Short, Sizzling, Signed
From John Carlton, writing for AWAI in 2006. Send it to happy clients when you ask for a testimonial, because most people don’t know what to write.
- Specific: what exactly changed?
- Short: a few sentences.
- Sizzling: vivid, in their own words.
- Signed: full name, role and, ideally, a photo.
50. TEASE for testimonials
Tactful, Emphasize, Authentic, Short, Engage. Origin unknown. Run each testimonial through it before you use it: does it make its point without overselling, does it stress one real strength, does it sound like a real person, is it short, and will a reader see themselves in it?
Part 4: Headline formulas
Fill in the brackets, then check the result against the 4 U’s (45). For more on headlines, see my 7 headline formulas and fascination bullet formulas.
51. You’re sick of [problem]. But you want [result]. So it’s time you met [product]
Names the problem, the desire and the fix in three short sentences.
Example: “You’re sick of tossing and turning all night. But you need real sleep. So it’s time you met the Body Comfort memory foam mattress.”
52. [Perform] like [expert]
Short and aspirational. “Dunk like LeBron James.” “Speak like a TED speaker.” Unless the expert actually teaches it, make sure you’re not implying an endorsement.
53. Are you still wasting money on [thing], with nothing to show for it?
Makes the reader count what the old way has cost. “Are you still paying for Facebook ads with nothing to show for it?”
54. [Respected person] teaches you how to [skill]
Borrowed credibility. Only use it when the person really did teach it. “A National Geographic photographer explains how to light a portrait.”
55. Build [asset] you can be proud of
“Build a website you can be proud of.” Ownership and pride sell harder than features.
56. Get the [strong adjective] power of [thing] without [downside]
“Get the full power of compound interest, without the market risk.” The “without” clause does most of the work.
57. Get rid of [problem] once and for all
“Get rid of lingering pet odour once and for all.”
58. [Do something hard] in [specific time]
“Write your first book in 90 days.” The time has to be achievable for a normal buyer.
59. [X] out of [Y] [group] can’t [do something]. Are you one of them?
Readers want to know which side of a statistic they’re on. The statistic must be real and sourced. “2 out of 3 app developers can’t…” with no study behind it is a made-up claim.
60. They laughed when I [did thing], but when I [result]!
John Caples wrote “They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano, But When I Started to Play!” for the U.S. School of Music in 1925 (often dated 1926). It’s one of the most copied headlines in advertising.
Example: “They laughed when I said I’d send a newsletter every week. Then three past clients replied to the first one.”
61. Who else wants [result]?
Number 20 of the headline methods in Caples’ Tested Advertising Methods, with examples like “Who else wants a whiter wash, with no hard work?” It implies other people already want the result. “Who else wants a second source of income?”
62. Do you make these [N] mistakes in [topic]?
Maxwell Sackheim’s “Do You Make These Mistakes in English?” for the Sherwin Cody School ran for about 40 years. Caples credited the word “these”: it beat “Are You Afraid of Making Mistakes in English?” because readers had to find out which mistakes. I tell the full story in 33 copywriting techniques.
63. The only [keyword] made to [outcome]
Puts the search phrase and the benefit in one line. “The only project management software built for one-person businesses.” Only claim “only” if it’s true.
64. The only [category] that doesn’t [objection]
“The only billing software that doesn’t need an accountant to set up.”
65. Now you can [desirable thing] [without the usual cost]
“Now you can grow your list without writing a lead magnet.” The second half has to be believable.
66. Now you can [desirable thing] [in a great circumstance]
“Now you can work four days a week and keep your clients.”
67. We promise you this: [result] or [consequence]
A guarantee in the headline. “Your order in 30 minutes or it’s free.” Only promise what you’ll honour.
68. Here’s the [adjective] way to [solve problem]
“Here’s the fastest way to get your home ready for spring.”
69. [Remove a pain] in an unexpected way
Pairs a familiar pain with a surprising method. “Pay off debt by spending more on one thing.” The body copy has to explain it honestly, or it’s clickbait.
70. [Get something good] in an unexpected way
The positive version. “Raise better kids without raising your voice.”
71. [Known flaw] but [best benefit]
Admit the obvious weakness, then trump it. A Chattanooga jobs site used “Long name… amazing results!” A burger joint might use “Ugly building, award-winning burgers.”
72. Make your first [$amount] in [time]
It gets clicks, and it’s also the headline regulators look at first. In the US, the FTC requires earnings claims to reflect what typical customers achieve. Use it only with real, typical results.
73. How to permanently stop [embarrassing thing], even if you’ve tried everything
“How to stop procrastinating on your newsletter, even if you’ve tried every app.”
74. [Competitor] does [annoying thing]. [You] do [better thing]
A direct comparison. Keep it factual and current, because competitors change their pricing and features. “Most hosting plans charge extra for backups. Ours include daily backups.” (Made up.)
75. Can your [current solution] pass the [test]?
“Can your phone case pass the drop test?” It invites the reader to check.
76. You are [more/less something] than you think
“You’re more persuasive than you think.” It challenges the reader’s view of themselves.
77. Let [product] work on your [thing] for just [time]
“Let our assistants work on your inbox for just two hours a day.”
78. Overcome the [unexpected cause] that keeps you [stuck]
“Overcome the one habit that keeps your newsletter in drafts.”
79. Is it worth [low price] to you to [result]?
Puts the price next to the result so the reader does the comparison. “Is it worth $19 a month to never write a status report again?”
80. One word
A single word can work when the image or product does the rest. “Effortless.” It’s risky without context, so test it against a longer version.
81. Put something in [brackets]
A HubSpot and Outbrain study of 3.3 million headlines, published in 2015, found headlines with a bracketed clarification, such as [Template] or [Interview], got 38% more clicks (summary at CustomerThink). Brian Dean of Backlinko often cited the finding, but he didn’t run the study.
Examples: “[Template Included]”, “[Case Study]”, “[Updated October 2026]”.
82. How [industry] is like [absurd comparison]
“How account-based marketing is like a Renaissance fair.” The odd pairing gets the click; the post has to earn it.
83. What [hobby or experience] taught [person] about [topic]
“What running a marathon taught me about writing sales emails.”
84. How [company] increased [metric] by [amount] in [time]
The case study headline. The numbers must be real and checkable. Kindlepreneur’s ads for KDP Rocket (now Publisher Rocket) ran a customer’s story with an earnings chart.
85. Get [result] without [common objection]
“Get more clients without making a single cold call.”
86. [Number]+ [resources or tips]
This page was called “100+ Persuasive Copywriting Formulas” for years. If the title promises 100+, deliver 100+.
87. [Number] lies [group] believe about [topic]
“7 lies freelancers believe about email newsletters.”
88. [Number] [tips or hacks] for [specific role]
The narrower the role, the better. “11 shortcuts for freelance designers who hate admin.”
89. Are you prepared for [threat]?
“Is your business prepared for a data breach?” Pair it with one easy step, or it just scares people.
90. Warning: [problem your reader fears]
“Warning: your newsletter may be going to spam.” Back the warning with a real fact.
91. The [year] guide to [topic]
Signals that the content is current. Only use it if you’ll actually update the guide every year.
92. How [person or company] did [surprising thing] using [topic]
“How Wall Drug built a tourist stop using free ice water.” A surprising result plus a familiar method.
93. It’s time to stop [common advice]
“It’s time to stop posting every day.” Contrarian, so the post needs a real argument.
94. How to [result] like [fictional character]
“How to handle rejection like Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber.” Light and memorable.
95. [Question about the topic] [bracketed promise]
“Still budgeting in Excel? [3 tools to use instead]”
96. Announcing [news]
It has to be a real event. Walt Disney World stretched its 25th anniversary into a 16-month celebration from October 1996 to January 1998.
97. [Attention grabber]: [rest of headline]
A short phrase before the colon sets up the rest. “Special delivery: three nurse t-shirts for $20, free shipping.”
98. [Number] [likes, downloads or views] and counting
If something is popular, say so. “4,000 downloads and counting.” Use the real number.
Part 5: Short ad and offer formulas
These are for ads, social posts and short promotions, where you have a line or two.
99. The Direct Approach
Say exactly what’s on offer. “20% off nurse t-shirts.” “Free video course.” For readers who already want the thing, cleverness gets in the way.
100. Ad copy template: headline, one sentence, ask
A good headline, one compelling sentence, and a line asking for the click. Most small ads need nothing more.
101. Free [specific thing] for [specific audience]
Make the prize something only your buyers want. An Apple Watch attracts everyone. “12 of the best business books of the year” attracts readers.
102. Free [resource], no opt-in required
People are tired of handing over an email for every download. Giving one away freely builds trust, and you can still retarget visitors who view the page.
103. Join [timeframe] for only [price]
“Join today for $1 for your first month.” The low entry price is the hook; the copy has to explain what happens after.
104. How did you like [free resource]?
Ask people who downloaded something what they thought, then offer the next step. It works well as a retargeting ad or a follow-up email.
105. [Something unexpected] for [your audience]
A plain ad that sounds like every other ad gets scrolled past. Pair a familiar offer with an unexpected image or opening line. “Your newsletter, rewritten by a former newspaper editor.”
Using these formulas with AI
Formulas and AI models fit together well, because a formula is a set of instructions. The risk is that a model fills every slot, including the ones that need real proof.
Here’s how I’d use them with Claude or ChatGPT:
1. Give the model your facts first: who buys, what they get, the price, and any real proof (numbers, testimonials, guarantees).
2. Name the formula and its steps. “Write a sales email using PAS: Problem, Agitate, Solution.”
3. Ask for three versions with different angles, so you have something to compare.
4. Tell it not to invent anything: “If a step needs a number or testimonial I haven’t given you, write [NEEDS PROOF] instead.”
5. Run the best version through a checklist: “Score this subject line on the 4 U’s from 1 to 4 and suggest a rewrite for the lowest score.”
The formulas marked “Needs your facts” in the table are where models go wrong most often. They’ll write a testimonial nobody gave you or a statistic nobody measured, and it’ll read perfectly. My primer on ChatGPT for copywriting goes further on prompting, and Bionic Business, my weekly newsletter, covers AI workflows like this one for online businesses.
Where to start
Pick one formula from Part 1 for your main sales page or email, and run your three most important headlines through the 4 U’s. PAS and BAB cover most small-business copy. QUEST is worth learning for anything over $500.
