Copywriting
Key question
In what order does a text convince?
A compelling piece of copy follows a narrative arc. It meets people where they are, guides them step by step, and finishes with a clear call to action. Tried-and-tested frameworks such as AIDA or Problem-Agitate-Solve provide the structure to achieve this.
Learning objective: You will be able to structure texts using AIDA and other models, support arguments with evidence, and organise content for quick skimming.
A text is a path, not a pile.
4.1 / AIDA and other patterns
Tried and tested ways through a text.
AIDA is the best-known model: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. It originated in sales around 1900 and remains useful to this day. In addition, there are other patterns that may be better suited depending on the task.
01
AIDA
Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. Great for adverts, mailings and landing pages.
02
Problem – Solution – Proof
Identify a familiar problem, demonstrate the solution, convince with evidence.
03
Inverted pyramid
The most important things first, details later. From journalism, ideal for press releases and the web.
Patterns are tools, not rules. What matters is that the text has direction and that every paragraph has a reason for being where it is.
Every paragraph needs a reason for its place.
4.2 / Arguments and Evidence
Claims require evidence.
People only believe claims when there is evidence to back them up. Strong evidence is concrete: numbers, examples, customer testimonials, guarantees, comparisons. “140 commuters already use the season ticket” is more convincing than “very popular”.
Customer feedback must be genuine and may only be used with consent. Fabricated reviews are dishonest and often illegal. Better to have one real voice than ten made-up ones.
A concrete piece of evidence beats ten adjectives.
4.3 / Text to skim
What is found is what gets read.
On screen, most people don't read word for word; they skim. Eye-tracking studies often reveal an F-shaped pattern: the first few lines and the left-hand margin are read, whilst the rest is merely grazed.
That is why clear subheadings, short paragraphs, bullet points and highlighted key sentences help. Each subheading should make sense on its own. Anyone who reads only the headings should still be able to understand the story.
Anyone reading only the subheadings must still understand the story.
Exercise
Copywriting a landing page
Task: Write copy for a landing page for the Rheinrad subscription or an offer of your own.
STEP 1
Build the basic framework using the AIDA modular system.
STEP 2
Add three specific examples.
STEP 3
Structure the page using subheadings that make sense on their own.
STEP 4
Have two people skim the page for ten seconds and recount what they saw.
Evaluation: What did the test subjects remember after ten seconds?