Copywriting is a process. It takes brain power. It requires deep research.

That’s why copywriters invent “copywriting formulas.” These are more like
writing templates for writing persuasive copy with zero guesswork. Instead
of stitching your copy together through a long, time-consuming process,
formulas cut the time short, and get to the point.

Searching around copywriting formulas, I landed on an ancient YouTube

interview featuring copywriting legend Michel Fortin. This article is me
taking notes, so if you’d like to compare notes, keep reading.

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One of the first copywriting formulas, as you know, is the AIDA model.
AIDA is a legacy copywriting formula. E. St. Elmo Lewis developed it in
1898.

Traditional marketers used it to optimize sales calls. Later, digital marketers

adapted it to copywriting. In copywriting context, it goes like this:

1. Attention: Grab attention with a catchy headline, and a quirky intro to

attract the reader’s attention so she actually wants to find out more.
Evoking curiosity.
2. Interest: Continue to the Interest phase by raising curiosity so she
becomes actually invested in learning more. Now she knows what it is, she
is interested in the story because it’s relevant to her.

3. Desire: Transition from I’m interested to I want in. Usually, this is done
when the reader identifies with the problem and want to solve it. Now, she’s
aware of the problem and seeking to remedy it.

4. Action: End the article with a Call to Action. What should the reader do
now that she is interested in the solution and want it? BUY, of course.
That’s not all, the call to action could be a request for an email subscriber,
or a share on social media, or just a piece of actionable advice.

Every piece of copywriting need this call to action. After all, this isn’t a daily
journal entry. Most copywriters will focus on this part, but they forget to
build for it.

However, you can apply this formula to blog posts, sales pages, and
emails. The limit is your creativity.

It's a proven formula, but it's not enough sometimes.

Michel Fortin, one of the best copywriters, came up with his professional
formula.

QUEST: A proven copywriting formula

The QUEST formula work as the skeleton for your copy. And your writing is
the flesh.

You can apply it to sales pages, emails, and even blog posts.

It's also how you can critique your and other's copy.

So what does Q.U.E.S.T really mean?

1. Qualify: Personalize your copy to your reader right from the headline.
Let her know you're speaking to her, understand her problem, and
empathize with her. In other words, it's speaking your reader directly.
Ideally, you better conduct the qualifying process at the beginning but you’ll
continue to tweak your copy as you go along. However, the earlier you
qualify the better so as not to waste her time, and she clicking “back.” You
need serious buyers only to stick around until the end of the copy.

2. Understand: To establish rapport show that you understand the

problem. Make sure she understand that you understand the situation. Give
your reader a generous dose of empathy.

Step in your reader’s shoes, and see the world from her point of view.

3. Educate: After establishing rapport, it's important to educate her about

the potential solution. Here, you'll tell her why your product is the best
solution for her, and why it works.

Education is an uphill battle. It’s harder than capturing attention because

you need to tackle every conceivable objection. At the same time, it’s
important to get the reader excited about the solution.

It's all about finding the framework. Find a new way of looking at the world,
different angles to see the problem.

The copywriter with the most frameworks has a great advantage. Why?
Because they can offer many points to solve the problem.

4. Stimulate: That's the "sales pitch." It's why she should buy the product
now. Write about the benefits of your product, and how exactly it’ll help her.
Make your copy address any “resistance” by offering solid justifications and
rationalizations on why you’re the best to solve the problem.

It’s what revolutionary copywriter Joseph Sugarman calls the “The Slippery
Slide” in Axiom 6: “You readers should be so compelled to read your
copy that they cannot stop reading until they read all of it as if sliding
down a slippery slide.”

At this point, you should have answered all the questions in the reader’s
mind.

5. Transition: Go for the close. At this stage, the visitor becomes a buyer.
Include your call to action: "Buy now." Or whatever you’re asking. Wrap up
your copy so your offer becomes the next irresistible and logical step.
Most copywriters focus on the Transition. The close is everything to them.
But again, education is the key.

Pro Tip: Contact current buyers and interview them. Dig deep, and ask
them how the product solved their problem. Reach the point where she’s
“selling you the product.”

Is your reader ready to take an OATH of commitment?

In essence, that was the QUEST formula.

OATH is another powerful copywriting formula that helps you adjust your
copy to the level of awareness of your readers.

It’s really important to match your copy with your reader’s level of
awareness. Level of awareness means how your target audience is aware
of the problem, the damage it’s causing, and how to solve it.

This is why readers trust or distrust you. You can’t ask me to buy from you
when I barely know you. You shouldn’t educate me about your products
when I’ve my credit card in hand and ready to buy. This is important
because you must make me trust you first.

We must be on the same page, so to speak. Read and learn what OATH
stands for.

1. Oblivious: The reader doesn't even know that she has a problem. It
means you must educate her on the problem, why it exists, and how it's
hurting her.

2. Apathetic: She knows that a problem exists but she doesn't care. Here,
you need to raise the level of urgency for the solution. You need to
emphasize it.

Business legend Dan Kennedy calls it the Problem-Agitate-Solve

copywriting formula.

It's poking at the problem while offering a solution. In other words, putting
your copywriting finger into the wound.

Simply put, address the pain point, amplify it, and point at the solution.
3. Thinking: This is the part when she knows the problem and thinking
about your solution. But, she isn’t serious enough about taking action.

That's where you add a sense of urgency and raise her concern.

You need to talk about how your solution is the most sensible for her,
confirm her beliefs, and banish any lingering doubts.

4. Hurting: Not only she’s aware of the problem, but also she’s hurting
because of it. She'll buy with closed eyes, eager to find a solution, and
desperate. The copywriter's paradise is a desperate market.

This will also determine the length of the copy. It brings back the old
question: Long copy vs. a short copy.

And it depends on the level of awareness of your market.

Think of it this way, the more oblivious the longer the copy should be.
Because you need to educate her first on the problem, the solution, and
why they must solve the problem now.

Start with the headline

The copy starts with the headline because it will qualify who will click and
who won't. If you get qualify right, you get understand right, you get the
education right, and you get the stimulation right.

And it'll be more likely to transition from prospect to customer than if you
write randomly.

It applies to email subject lines, sales letters, and the very first few slides
on a video sales letter.

It's easy to get her attention, but it's important to immerse her in the copy.

The headline's most important job is to get qualified readers curious\self-

interested to read further. To evoke her emotion so she will click. It doesn't
have to be clever or pushy.
Dan Kennedy noted that readers will most likely bounce at the first few
paragraphs. Because she knows it’s not for her. But if she reached the end
she’s less likely to quit. Why? Qualified readers will read to the end.

You can use your headline to qualify and disqualify, you can also use the
sub-headline, and the lead copy. In the first few paragraphs.

A simple example: A company that sell skin care products could use a
headline like “The best skin care products.” And it will work, but it’s not Q
enough. It doesn’t mention demographics and psychographics.

So how do you tweak that headline? The modified Q version may sound
like: “Are you a woman who’s suffering from skin care problems?”

See the difference?

The first one is vague, it doesn’t mention who this is for. You might wonder:
“is it baby skin care product?” or “is it for me?” if you were a man.

The second one is clear enough and targets specific readers, and address
her “suffering” outright. Still, it could get better: “Are you a teenager girl
suffering from acne problem?”

The deeper you dig, the better. And that’s why Q is very important. You
have to be quick and dirty about it.

Achieving copywriting Nirvana

If you do the necessary research, the copy will write itself. As a copywriter,
your job isn't to “write copy that sells,” but to create a connection through
your words. Before you can make a sale, you need to make a relationship
first.

Your copy should stress on what's in it for her. And how would you know
what's that without proper research? Dig deep. Ask questions like:

 What are the top 5 misconceptions about the product?

 How your clients tend to confuse you with your competitors?
 What are the features of your product, and how would she benefit
your client?
  What are the most common questions about your offer, and what are
the answers to them?

These are samples of the questions you should be asking.

You must love interviewing your clients. Understand your client on a deep
level as an individual, not as a random buyer. This will help you sell your
products, and hers.

Build a buyer persona and fill it with all the details from their pain points to
their favorite songs. Leave nothing. So that when you write a copy it will be
more one-on-one and less you standing on a stage and preaching to the
masses.

When that happens, you’ll achieve “copywriter’s nirvana.” You’re her best
friend. Master copywriter Brian Keith Voiles once said, and I paraphrase:
“Your target client must feel like you’re a godsend when she read your
copy. She must think of your offer as a life-saver, a solution to an insane
problem that’s keeping her up all night."

Understand your audience. Put the Copy back in COPYwriting.

Before you go
Believe it or not: I’m a big disbeliever in copywriting formulas. My rationale
is this: isn’t everybody using the same formulas, how would that make me
different?

But, there is more than one way to apply copywriting formulas to your
industry.

I’ve used copywriting formulas in the past with great success. Sometimes,
they bomb, and sometimes they stink. So I’m standing my ground, and
devising my personal formulas. My favorite part is that they save time,
especially when you need to deliver your copy fast. Time doesn’t stop for
nobody.

I’m not about to divulge all my secrets. I’ve done enough secret-revealing
for the day. It’s your turn.
What do you think about copywriting formulas? Have you used them? Did
you find them useful? What’s your favorite?

Drop your answers in the comments sections. I can’t wait to read them.

Further Reading
The Aida Model: what is it and how to use it?
How to Use the FAB Formula in Copywriting to Create Effective Headlines
The Ultimate Guide to No-Pain Copywriting (or, Every Copywriting Formula
Ever)
If Don Draper Tweeted: The 27 Copywriting Formulas That Will Drive
Clicks and Engagement on Social Media
21 Incredible Copywriting Formulas (I Use)
Master This Copywriting Formula to Dominate Any Social Media Platform
Why Most Copywriting Formulas Stink (and How to Really Write for the
Web)
114+ Copywriting Formulas to Get Traffic & Leads