There are a number of available copywriting formulas that assist in driving conversions. We’ve dealt with a few in previous articles already so let’s look at five others that can also be highly effective.
A FOREST
No, it’s not connected to The Cure song at all! It is connected to seven elements which, together or separately, are often used in everyday copywriting. When used together they form part of the A FOREST formula.
A – Alliteration: Playing on words starting with the same letter, which creates a poetic ease to text.
F – Facts: Although people are often driven through emotional responses, it is the facts that often drive the decision to buy.
O – Opinions: The opinions of other users or reviews by established experts help to sway a potential customer in the right direction.
R – Repetition: Repeating the benefits of your product or service tends to make them stick in the minds of your audience. Use this cleverly though.
E – Examples: Creating problem-solving example scenarios in your copy helps to show you are empathic to your target market’s needs and assists them to relate to you.
S – Statistics: Some accurate stats go a long way to drive potential conversions. Being more specific with numbers is positive copywriting. For example, “247 positive reviews…”.
T – Threes: This ties in with the ‘R’ letter in the middle. Repetition of something three times helps to make it more memorable. Any less may not be enough and any more can be, well, too much.
SSS – Star, Story, Solution
The Star-Story-Solution script was devised by marketing guru, Vincent James, and brought to prominence in Russell Brunson’s book, “Dotcom Secrets”. It maintains that when you create a star and base a story around the star will compel your reader to buy by providing a solution to the problem experienced and solved by your star in the story.
Introducing a character who is basically a persona of your audience assists them in identifying with your ‘star’. Then using emotion to really get to the source of the problem that your star is experiencing raises empathy and encourages your audience to read on, interested to see how things develop. Finally the solution to your star’s problems is revealed and, as it is your product or service that solves the problem, sales result from the outcome.
The Open Loop Formula
We all know what cliffhangers are. We see them often in our favourite television shows. The same principle applies to Open Loop copywriting. Although introducing characters and telling a story in print is possible, it would require a great deal of content so this form of copywriting is generally used more in digital copy like audio and video.
The idea is to introduce a compelling character or characters and tell their combined stories, culminating in a tension-building scene which has your audience clinging to every word. Then, just when the suspense has built to a climax, you cut it off with the promise of an answer next time. This creates a psychological impulse on the part of the listener, viewer or reader to investigate more themselves, or at least be sure not to miss “next time”, whenever that may be.
The 3 Reasons Why
Answering questions you have already posed about your product works well in copy. If you’ve thought of the questions that your audience could ask and answered them, your target market will have less reason to doubt your product.
Generally the questions would be something similar to these:-
Why should I trust you?
Why are you the best?
Why should I buy your product immediately?
This is not necessarily a standard, but if you can identify three questions from your audience that would potentially require answers, you can base your copy around those answers and circumvent delays in the conversion process.
The OATH Formula
This formula encourages you to identify the four stages of market awareness in your audience and work your copy around these. The four stages are:-
Oblivious
Apathetic
Thinking
Hurting
If you are able to picture your audience going through these stages and are able to focus your copy to counteract these and produce sound reasons for the use of your product, you will be very close to a resulting conversion.
Summary
I think that David Ogilvy, the “Father of Advertising”, said it best:
“Repeat your winners.”
There are multiple copywriting formulas that assist in driving conversions doing their rounds on the web. Identifying the ones that work best for your product and sticking to them will enable you to become proficient in the art of promoting your product with your copy. Persuasive copywriting drives sales and once you have defined your particular forms of persuasion, repeat and perfect them.
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