Loading…
AIDA and PAS: two formulas that work
6 minutes · 8 steps · workout 3 of 6 in this module
What you'll be able to do
By the end of this workout, you'll be able to build an ad in AIDA order, build one in PAS order, and choose which formula fits the product and the audience's mood.
A first look: AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action
AIDA is the oldest ad formula because it follows how people decide. Attention: the hook from lesson one. Interest: what the product does, in one or two lines. Desire: make them picture having it, and add proof (a number, a review, a guarantee). Action: tell them exactly what to do next. In a long ad, each part can be a paragraph. In a 15-second TikTok, each part is a few words. The order stays the same.
Example: Corner Coffee app, four lines: “8:15 and the line's out the door.” / “Order in the app while you walk.” / “Your name's on the cup before you're through the door. Members skip the line every day.” / “Download the app, first coffee's on us.”
What this workout covers
- AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action
- PAS: Problem, Agitate, Solution
- Case: AIDA vs. PAS for the same app
- The formulas are scaffolding, not a cage
A question from this workout: AIDA vs. PAS for the same app
Corner Coffee tested two texts for its order-ahead app on Meta. Same video, same budget, same audience: people who work within a few blocks of a store. The AIDA text opened with the app's new features. The PAS text opened with “8:15, line out the door, train in 6 minutes.”
- AIDA text: click-through rate
- 1.2%
- AIDA text: cost per click
- $0.50
- PAS text: click-through rate
- 2.0%
- PAS text: cost per click
- $0.30
What's the right conclusion?
- PAS always beats AIDA. Use PAS for every Corner Coffee ad from now on
- This audience lives the line-out-the-door problem every morning, so starting from the pain worked. For a product with no daily pain, like a seasonal latte, AIDA would still be the better bet
- The AIDA text failed because it was too long
- The difference is too small to matter. Keep both running
Pick your answer first, then open the reasoning below.
Show the answer and the reasoning
Answer: B. This audience lives the line-out-the-door problem every morning, so starting from the pain worked. For a product with no daily pain, like a seasonal latte, AIDA would still be the better bet
The formula that matched the audience's mood won. Commuters feel the line every day, so naming it first earned the click. The most common mistake is the first option: turning one result into a universal rule. PAS needs a felt problem. Nobody is in pain about not having a pumpkin latte, so for that ad you'd start with attention and desire, not with agitation.
The other steps work the same way: you decide first, then see why each option is right or wrong.
How you practice here
- 3 short concept cards
- 1 multiple-choice question
- 1 campaign case with real-looking numbers
- 2 put-in-order exercises
- 1 guided calculation
Part of the module: Ad Copywriting Basics
Copy that grabs attention in the first line, sells a benefit and gets people to act: hook, body, CTA and formulas that work.
More workouts in this module
- The hook: stopping people in the first line
- Sell benefits, not features
- Writing a call to action (CTA)
- Same message, different platform: Google, Meta, TikTok, marketplaces
- Ad policies and truth-in-advertising rules
Programs that include this workout