4P Copywriting formula

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The 4 Ps Approach to Persuasion
The 4 Ps structure consists of promise, picture, proof, and push in place of the four elements of attention, interest, desire, and action. The 4 Ps provide more expansive elements than AIDA, which is why it’s a favorite of many top copywriters, notably John Forde.
Let’s look at what each element requires you to deliver to the reader. Oh, and keep in mind that although I refer to readers in this article, the 4 Ps structure works just as well for audio or video content.
1. Promise
The promise you make is designed to catch attention, but here you’re told how to catch attention, unlike AIDA. I’m sure we’ve all seen attempts to catch attention that we’re easily immune to, because it’s something ridiculous instead of beneficial.
That beneficial promise is made with the headline, perhaps elaborated in an initial subhead, and carried over into your opening. This is the most important part of the piece, because if the reader stops here, it’s game over.
This promise is “what’s in it for them.” Yes you want their attention, but the promise is the only reason the reader is willing to give it to you.
2. Picture
Instead of the vague notion of “interest,” here we segue into painting a vivid picture for the reader. You’re fleshing out the promise and beneficial payoff using vibrant descriptive language.
One way to do this is to get the reader to imagine themselves enjoying the benefit or desired outcome. Then you get very specific about how your proposed solution or idea makes that benefit happen.
The Picture phase suggests using storytelling and vivid descriptive imagery as a way to hold the reader’s emotional interest while you nudge them down the path to acceptance. It also keeps you focused on communicating the benefits associated with the features or facts that you need to get across.
3. Proof
In the preceding potion of your copy, you’ve communicated the foundational information you want readers to accept in a brain-friendly manner. Now you’ve got to back it up with supporting proof.
Statistics, studies, graphs, charts, third-party facts, testimonials, a demonstration that the features of your product deliver the benefits you’ve promised—these are all part of the Proof section of your piece. Now’s the time to play it straight and appeal to the reader’s logical mind to support the emotional triggers you pulled with the Picture.
Rhetorical arguments and promotional pieces fail when Proof is missing, skimpy, or lacking in credibility. While your relationship with the reader hopefully carries trust and authority, asking people to accept your assertions without supporting evidence is an easy way for your writing to fail.
4. Push
Now we come to the all-important action phase of the piece, which incorporates and expands desire. While “push” can carry a negative connotation, here we’re using it as a more expansive persuasive element that makes action more likely.
The Push phase is more than just a call to action. It’s delivering an outstanding offer in a promotion, and then asking for the purchase. It’s the grand finale where your big idea makes as much sense to the reader as it does to you.
Persuasive writing begins with the ending in mind, so during the push you’re tying the beneficial promise and the vivid picture to solid acceptance and concrete action. Don’t be shy about “telling them what you’ve told them” as a way to connect the dots, because an assumption of understanding is an enemy to acceptance.
Understanding is the Key to Persuasion
Persuasion is not about coercion or manipulation (we’ll leave that to the politicians). As Sean D’Souza wisely says in his training programs, persuasion is about understanding. Understanding leads to acceptance when the product is relevant and high-quality, and when the idea is sound and well-targeted.
Just don’t assume people understand on their own. It’s a noisy world out there, so you’ve got to educate your readers.
Good copy simply educates the reader in a way that the brain finds appealing. And a big part of brain-friendly language is the compelling structure that people need to see things your way.]

There are quite a few different methods and formulas out there. Some more effective than others.
But what if there was a really simple formula you could use to convince and convert people using the classic structure of some of the most successful sales copywriting of all time?
There is. It’s called the “Four P” approach, and marketers and copywriters have been using it for decades to turn casual readers into wallet-opening, salivating customers.
I first heard about this “4P” framework recently on Derek Halpern’s podcast. He interviewed a marketer who managed to raise $140,000 in 9 days on Kickstarter using this technique.
It’s not just for direct response sales copywriters. It can be used to get better results from any of your writing, from emails to blog posts, argumentative essays, to video scripts. It can even be used offline in things like conversations with leads, public speaking … you name it.
Here’s how it works.
The 4Ps are: Promise. Picture. Proof. Pitch.
Let’s go through them one at a time and see how they work together to convince the reader and motivate them to action.
Promise
This is your big claim. It’s how you get attention. It can take the form of a headline and/or the introductory copy of your piece.
This promise is what your product (or content) is going to DO for the reader. How will it improve their lives? This is the big claim that will get them in, get them interested, and which you’ll need to support later.
Picture
This is where you paint a picture for the reader.
You use emotive language to get them to visualise how your product or service is going to change their life.
You don’t want any facts or figures (or other proof) here. Just straight out emotive language that will paint a picture of how things are going to be when they adopt your solution. This should be as specific as possible. Use imagery to make it as real as possible.
The whole point of this step is to get the reader to engage on an emotional level with whatever it is you’re promoting.
Remember: people make the decision to buy based on emotion. That’s what we’re doing here – appealing to their emotions.
Proof
Next, we need to back up our promise and the picture we’ve painted using cold, hard facts.
By now the reader (or listener) is interested, wants your solution, and is ready to buy. But they’re looking for reasons NOT to buy because buying presents the risk of loss.
The little voice in the back of their mind is now trying to talk them OUT of buying. It’s raising all those objections such as “what if it doesn’t work for me”, “what if it’s a scam”, “how will I justify it to my partner when they ask why I bought this?” To deal with this, and to reinforce your preceding two steps, you need to present compelling proof of your earlier claims.
This proof can take the form of testimonials, case studies, stats, figures, research results, product demonstrations, and other compelling data that appeals to the logical side of your prospect’s mind.
Pitch
(This step is often also referred to as “Push”, but I like “Pitch” better.)
The pitch is the final step. Now you need a great offer.
It can’t just be some standard call to action saying “buy my stuff.” It has to be a really compelling reason for them to act now and take advantage of everything you’ve been saying up to now. You might also use this step to recap what you’ve already said earlier, reminding them of the outcome of taking action now.
If you have any free bonuses, discounts, limited time offers, guarantees, or other factors that the prospect may not have considered up until now, now’s the time to roll them out.
The Result?
You’ve just walked the reader through the entire sales process from beginning to end. You’ve given them all the information they need to make a buying decision, and no irrelevant information they don’t need and that will just get in the way. And you’ve done it in the order that will be most effective for motivating them to take action.
Once you start thinking about sales copywriting in this framework, it makes things much less confusing. Your sales letters and other material can now have a structured flow that you use to guide your reader through the all-important steps towards closing the sale.
The other great thing is that by sticking to this framework, you aren’t tempted to add irrelevant details (about the PROCESS of what you’re offering) and instead can just focus on the important OUTCOMES for your prospect.
What do you think? Have you tried the 4P or similar copywriting formulas? Share your experiences in the comments.

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