/design

Copywriting Formulas

25 formulas for persuasive slide copy.

Core Formulas

PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solution)

Use: Problem slides, pain points Components: Problem → Agitate → Solution Template: "[Pain point]? Every [time frame], [consequence]. [Solution] fixes this."

AIDA (Attention-Interest-Desire-Action)

Use: CTAs, closing slides Components: Attention → Interest → Desire → Action Template: "[Bold statement]. [Benefit detail]. [Social proof]. [CTA]."

FAB (Features-Advantages-Benefits)

Use: Feature slides, product showcases Components: Feature → Advantage → Benefit Template: "[Feature] lets you [advantage], so you can [benefit]."

Cost of Inaction

Use: Agitation slides, urgency Components: Status Quo → Loss → Time Decay Template: "Without [solution], you're losing [amount] every [timeframe]."

Before-After-Bridge

Use: Transformation slides, case studies Components: Before → After → Bridge Template: "[Pain point before]. [Desired state after]. [Your solution] is the bridge."

Formula-to-Slide Mapping

Headline Patterns

Power Words

• "Stop [bad thing]"
• "Get [desired result] in [timeframe]"
• "The [adjective] way to [action]"
• "Why [audience] choose [product]"
• "[Number] ways to [achieve goal]"

Contrast Patterns

• "[Old way] is dead. Meet [new way]."
• "Don't [bad action]. Instead, [good action]."
• "From [pain point] to [benefit]."

Social Proof Patterns

• "[Number]+ [users/companies] trust [product]"
• "Join [notable company] and [notable company]"
• "As seen in [publication]"

Search Commands

# Find formula for slide type
python ../design-system/scripts/search-slides.py "problem agitation" -d copy

# Get emotion-appropriate formula
python ../design-system/scripts/search-slides.py "urgency cta" -d copy

Quick Reference