Here’s a secret that every copywriter worth their salt has up their sleeve.

They never, EVER write copy from scratch. And I mean, never.

What do they do instead?

They use copywriting formulas.

They work wonders, and can be *almost* magical for generating email engagement or sales if you use them well.

They work so well that huge brands like Coca-Cola, Lincoln Motors, Wisita, and Nerdwallet use it, and that’s just scratching the surface.

You may not call yourself a copywriter like I do.

But if you’re in charge of getting emails written then there are a few “secret formulas” you should keep in your back pocket.

Below, I’m going to give you a quick rundown of what those are and some examples so you can see them.

🔥The 3 ‘go-to’ copywriting formulas to use in your emails

1. The AIDA Formula

When To Use It: Reactivation emails; launching a new product; abandoned cart emails; paid ads

AIDA stands for Attention → Interest → Desire → Action and it’s used in everything from ads to sales pages to commercials and of course — email.

The simplicity of the AIDA model makes it timeless and still as relevant today as ever. It follows the cognitive stages an individual goes through when buying a product or service, and it can help you craft your copy in a way that really resonates and drives conversions.

Here’s an example in an UberEats email.

The initial headline grabs attention by asking people to take another look.

The subheading stirs up interest in the offer by offering free delivery but only for a short time.

The paragraph builds on that by adding a desire to sweeten the deal with 2 full weeks of free food delivery.

And the CTA gives them the action path to take by ordering from them now.

It’s a simple approach you can layer into your emails or ad copy.

Hoppy Copy also has a Copy Booster template that helps you quickly write copy that utilizes the AIDA framework.

This makes it even EASIER to create copy that your brand can start to use ASAP.

2. The Four P’s Formula

When To Use It: Any sales email or sales page; welcome emails; paid ads

The Four P’s follow this flow: Promise → Paint → Proof → Push

This formula is a great way to increase your customer’s trust in your brand while driving them toward a specific action to take.

That could be to purchase a specific item or to sign up for a webinar or anything in between.

It works by focusing on the problems the target audience faces and how your offering can solve them. It does this by showing the audience a clear and concise promise of what they will gain from using the service/product, offers a tangible visualization of the benefits they can expect. And ends with proof points and a call to action.

Webflow uses this formula in their re-engagement email to do just that.

They promise to be there for their small business customers.

They paint a picture of a relationship they’re thankful for with this person.

They prove they will make good on this promise by offering resources this customer can take advantage of.

They push the customer towards the action they want them to take in the CTA.

Four P’s, one rocking email. Pretty nifty, eh?

3. The PAS Formula

When To Use It: Reactivation emails; lead nurture emails, launching a new product; sales email

Oooo, this is a good one.

PAS stands for Pain → Agitate → Solution and you’ll see it in a lot of emails that are selling products like SaaS or digital products.

Financial guru Ramit Sethi does this well.

Here you can see him state the problem of a dream job not falling in your lap.

That problem gets agitated in the sentences below. And the solution is offered as a quick follow-up.

This one can take some time to get right.

If you want to practice this while coming up with good ways to frame things for your own brand or product, Hoppy Copy’s Copy Booster can help you with that.

In the AI Wizard, go to Copy Booster then choose Pain → Agitate → Solution (PAS) template and give it whirl. It’s fast and easy!

So, which copywriting formula should you use? 🤔

The answer: all of them, really.

After writing thousands of emails, we’ve realized some formulas are better suited toward certain types of products and services, or types of emails. But, oftentimes something that you might not expect to work does.

The key: test.

Try several of them and go with what you think will make your audience tick. The ONLY way you can find out is to try it.