Why Starting With Copy Formulas Is Not a Good Idea (And What to Do Instead)
I’m pretty sure when you first started learning copywriting, you will find a lot of articles and youtube videos on copywriting formula.
AIDA, PAS, BAB, 4 Ps, and so many others!
They seem to be the magic key to shortcut your process and make you an instant copywriter.
You end up studying them, memorising them, and trying to apply them to every piece of copy you write. And for a while, it feels like progress, like you’re finally doing things right.
You follow the formula perfectly. You have an attention-grabbing hook, a clear problem, an emotional agitation, and a strong CTA.
But then… something weird happens.
Technically, the copy is correct. Yet… it falls flat. Something doesn’t click. The words feel robotic. Like it could have been written for any brand, any product, any audience. And worse, it hardly converts to sales, clicks, or sign ups.
If this sounds familiar, this article is written for you.
Why Copy Formulas Feel Like the Answer
I’m not saying copywriting formulas are useless. They can be helpful if used correctly.
Formulas give you a structure to follow, especially when you’re just starting out and staring at a blank page.
They help you understand how copy is meant to flow from beginning till the end, from attention to interest to desire to action.
But here’s where most beginners go wrong: they use the formula as a shortcut, skipping the most important part of the copywriting process altogether.
And that is the copywriting research.
The Real Problem With Leading With Formulas
When you write copy using a formula first and research later (or never), what you’re essentially doing is filling in a template with guesses.
You’re guessing what your audience cares about. You’re guessing what language resonates with them.
You’re guessing what their real pain points are, what words they use to describe their problem, and what would actually make them want to buy.
The reader scrolls past it because nothing in it made them feel seen. The headline didn’t stop them. The body copy didn’t make them lean in.
The offer didn’t make them think, “This is exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Here’s the hard truth: formulas are the skeleton of your copy. But without research, that skeleton has no flesh, no soul, no heartbeat.
The formula tells you where to put things. Research tells you what to put there.
What Actually Makes Copy Convert
Over the years (working as a full-time copywriter, a freelancer, and now teaching other copywriters) I’ve learned that the ONE thing that separates average copy from highly-paid copy isn’t which formula you use.
It’s how well you understand these 3 things:
- The product or service — What does it actually do? What’s the real transformation it delivers? What makes it different?
- The audience — Who are they? What do they want? What are they afraid of? What have they already tried that didn’t work? What exact words do they use to describe their problem?
- The market — What else is out there? What are other brands saying? What angle hasn’t been used yet?
When you truly understand all three, your copy almost writes itself. The formula becomes a tool you reach for naturally, not a crutch you lean on before you know what you’re even saying.
What to Do Instead: Copywriting Research
I teach something inside my membership that I call The Master Copy — a structured research document that you fill in before you write a single word of copy.
It’s not the kind of boring, dry research you did back in university. I call it fun research — the kind where you’re digging into what real people are saying, feeling, and searching for.
And honestly, any copywriters can create their own research template.
Here’s a simplified version of what the research process looks like:
Step 1: Understand the product deeply
Before you write anything, get close to what you’re selling. Use it if you can. Read every testimonial, review, and case study.
Talk to the client. Ask: what problem does this solve? What results have real customers seen?
The best copy doesn’t describe a product, it describes what life looks like after using it.
Step 2: Get inside the audience’s head
This is where most beginners skip straight to the formula and miss everything.
Go where your audience talks — Facebook groups, Reddit, reviews on Shopify or Lazada, YouTube comments, DMs from customers.
Look for the exact words and phrases they use to describe their problem. You’re not looking for inspiration. You’re looking for language to steal — ethically.
When your copy mirrors the words your reader already uses in their head, they feel like you understand them on a deep level.
That’s when copy starts to feel less like a sales pitch and more like a conversation.
Step 3: Study the market
Look at what competitors are saying. Use Facebook Ads Library to see what’s already running. What angles are being used? What promises are being made repeatedly?
Then ask yourself: what hasn’t been said yet? What gap can your copy fill?
This is how you find a fresh angle that makes your copy stand out instead of blending in with everything else in the feed.
How Copy Research Changes Everything
When I started applying this research process consistently, the quality of my copy shifted a lot! And I didn’t even had to use different formilas. I was actually using the same formulas I always had.
But now they were filled with real insight — real language from real people, real pain points, real desires. And that made all the difference.
Copywriting Formula vs Copywriting Research
| Approach | What it gives you | What’s missing |
| Formula first, no research | Structure | Substance |
| Research first, then formula | Structure + substance | Nothing — this is the winning combo |
| Research only, no formula | Deep insight but messy output | Organisation |
The goal is always research first, formula second.
So When Should You Use Copy Formulas?
You can still use copywriting formula, but not as your starting point.
Once your copywriting research is done and you will deeply understand your product, audience, and market, that’s when you reach for a formula.
Use it to organise everything you’ve learned into a clear, flowing piece of copy that takes the reader from where they are to where they want to be.
At that point, the formula stops feeling like a template you’re filling in. It starts feeling like a natural flow that your research was already pointing toward anyway.
Use FB Ads Library
If the idea of research feels overwhelming, here’s the most accessible place to begin: Facebook Ads Library.
It’s free, requires no sign-up beyond a Facebook account, and gives you a window into how real brands are talking to real audiences right now.
Pick a brand in a niche you want to write for. Find their active ads. Study the angle, the language, the structure. Then look at the comments — that’s where the audience tells you exactly how they feel.
Final Thoughts
Copywriting formulas are a tool you can use, but they should not be a foundation.
If you’ve been relying on them too heavily and wondering why your copy still doesn’t convert — now you know why. It’s not that you’re doing the formula wrong.
It’s that the formula needs something to work with. Give it research, and it will do its job.
Start with your audience. Understand what they’re REALLY going through. Learn the “language” of their problem and their desire.
Then let the formula do what it was designed to do: organise all of that insight into something that moves people to action.
That’s how you write copywriting that converts.
