---
genome: copywriting
reference: frameworks-classical-formulas
load_priority: medium
---

# Classical Direct Response Formulas

The foundational toolkit of compressed persuasion structures. Use within the 5-act structure as micro-frames per act, or as standalone for short-form copy.

## The 3 foundational formulas

### AIDA — Attention, Interest, Desire, Action

**Structure:**
1. **Attention** — capture the reader's attention
2. **Interest** — engage with relevance
3. **Desire** — create want
4. **Action** — drive to CTA

**Best for:**
- Short-form copy (ads, single-screen sales pages)
- Email subject + opening
- Social posts with conversion goal

**Compressed version of the 5-act:**
- AIDA's Attention = 5-act's Lead (Act 1)
- AIDA's Interest = 5-act's Background (Act 2)
- AIDA's Desire = 5-act's Mechanism + Offer (Acts 3-4)
- AIDA's Action = 5-act's Close (Act 5)

When the 5-act doesn't fit (length budget too tight), AIDA is the compression.

### PAS — Problem, Agitate, Solve

**Structure:**
1. **Problem** — name the pain
2. **Agitate** — make the pain feel urgent (hidden consequences)
3. **Solve** — present the solution

**Best for:**
- Email subject lines + first paragraph
- Ad hooks (3-5 line ads)
- Section openers within a sales page (especially Act 3 Mechanism intro)

**Pattern within 5-act:**
- Act 3 (Mechanism) often uses PAS: Problem articulated → Agitated with hidden consequences → Mechanism revealed as Solve

### BAB — Before, After, Bridge

**Structure:**
1. **Before** — current painful state
2. **After** — desired future state
3. **Bridge** — your product connects them

**Best for:**
- Testimonial sections
- Hero copy (compressed transformation)
- Case studies
- Email sequence emails focused on transformation

**Pattern:**
The Bridge is **always the product**. The Before-After contrast creates the emotional pull; the Bridge closes the gap.

## When to use which

| Situation | Formula |
|-----------|---------|
| Short ad / scroll-stop content | AIDA (compressed) |
| Email subject + first paragraph | PAS or AIDA |
| Section opener within long-form | PAS |
| Testimonial section | BAB |
| Hero section of landing page | BAB or AIDA |
| Long-form sales page | 5-act with AIDA / PAS / BAB as micro-frames |

## Combining within 5 acts

A 5-act sales page typically uses ALL three formulas:

| Act | Formula(s) deployed |
|-----|---------------------|
| 1. Lead | AIDA Attention + Interest |
| 2. Background | BAB (your own Before-After-Bridge story) |
| 3. Mechanism | PAS (problem → agitate hidden costs → mechanism solves) |
| 4. Offer | AIDA Desire + condensed BAB (current state → product → after-state) |
| 5. Close | AIDA Action |

The formulas COMPLEMENT the 5-act — they don't compete.

## Why these 3 (and not others)

Many other formulas exist:
- 4 Ps (Promise, Picture, Proof, Push) — used in Georgi tradition
- FAB (Features, Advantages, Benefits) — used in Georgi tradition
- Star-Story-Solution — used in Brunson tradition
- The Ultimate Sales Letter 10-step — Kennedy tradition

These 3 (AIDA, PAS, BAB) are foundational because:
- **Universal:** work across niches and formats
- **Compressed:** can deploy in tight space
- **Modular:** combine cleanly within larger structures
- **Time-tested:** decades of direct response use

Master genomes add specialized formulas; the foundational 3 are the substrate.

## Compressed vs. expanded application

### Compressed (short-form)

In a 100-word ad:
- AIDA: 3-4 sentences total
- PAS: 1 sentence per phase
- BAB: 1 sentence per phase

### Expanded (long-form)

In a 5000-word sales page:
- AIDA: spread across the whole page (Attention in Act 1, Action in Act 5)
- PAS: deployed within Act 3 Mechanism
- BAB: deployed in testimonials throughout, plus Act 4 offer framing

The same formula scales by adjusting per-phase length.

## Common violations

### Violation 1 — Single formula throughout long-form
Symptom: monotone arc; reader fatigue.

Fix: layer multiple formulas within the 5-act structure.

### Violation 2 — Wrong formula for content type
Symptom: copy feels misaligned with the format.

Fix: run the diagnostic table — pick formula based on situation.

### Violation 3 — AIDA stretched to long-form
Symptom: shallow long copy because AIDA is being used as the macro structure.

Fix: use 5-act as the macro; AIDA as micro within an act.

### Violation 4 — Skipping the Bridge in BAB
Symptom: testimonial paints transformation but doesn't connect to the product.

Fix: BAB without Bridge = aspirational story without sales connection.

## Modern application

The 3 classical formulas transfer directly to:
- Short-form ads (TikTok, Instagram Reels, Twitter — AIDA dominates)
- Email sequences (PAS or BAB per email)
- Landing pages (BAB hero + 5-act below)
- VSL scripts (5-act with PAS in mechanism reveal)
- Long sales pages (5-act with all 3 formulas as micro-frames)

The formulas are the **building blocks**. The 5-act structure is the **scaffolding**. Master genomes are the **specialty**.

## Decision Weight context

The classical formulas don't have specific Decision Weights — they're tools, not dogma. The Decision Weights apply universally; the formulas are how you operationalize them.

For example:
- **Specificity 90/10** → applies regardless of formula (PAS pain must be specific; BAB Before/After must be specific)
- **One CTA 90/10** → AIDA's Action is one CTA; never multiple
- **Real urgency 100/0** → PAS Agitate uses real consequences; never manufactured
