How to Use the AIDA Model to Write Better Emails

Effective communication lies at the heart of successful interactions. In our increasingly connected world, email remains a constant vital tool for conveying official messages. Whether it’s for marketing campaigns, or to simply stay connected with your email list, crafting effective emails is a vital skill.

However, most inboxes today are flooded with countless emails. Hence, it’s essential to stand out and capture the reader’s interest from the very beginning.

This is where the AIDA email writing model comes in.

In this article, you’ll learn this model in detail and discuss how it can be employed to write better emails. We will delve into each stage of the model, providing practical tips and examples along the way. By the end, you should be able to implement the basic principles of AIDA to captivate your readers and inspire them to take the desired action. Let’s get started!

What’s the AIDA model?

The AIDA model is an email writing framework used by marketers and general communicators to create engaging and persuasive email content.
The model was developed in the late 19th century, 1898, by Elias St. Elmo Lewis, an American advertiser. Lewis was speaking of the key principles of advertising that worked best for him throughout his career. He recognized the need for a structured approach to capturing and retaining the attention of potential customers.
Today, harnessing the rules of the AIDA model can help you elevate your email writing skills to achieve remarkable results.

But AIDA is only an acronym, so what does the name stand for?

The AIDA model breaks down the process of influencing a reader’s purchase decision into four key stages: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action:

• Attention: The first thing marketers should do is grab their customer’s attention.
• Interests: Get them interested in your content or product.
• Desire: Appeal to the recipient’s desires so they consider buying.
• Action: Guide them to take action like making a purchase, joining a mailing list, etc.

When applied to email writing, this model enables you to structure your emails in a way that grabs the reader’s attention, piques their interest, and creates desire. This ultimately motivates them to take your desired action, which then helps you lower your email bounce rates.

How to improve email writing with the AIDA Model

As we’ve mentioned above, your email writing skills can greatly benefit from the AIDA model.
In this section, we will delve into each stage of the AIDA model and explore how you can enhance your email writing using this powerful framework.

1. Attention

The first stage of the AIDA email model, Attention, is crucial for grabbing the recipient’s interest right from the start. The key to capturing their attention lies in a compelling subject line. After all, your email subject line is the first thing recipients will see. Research shows that 47% of the recipients will open emails based on the email subject, but 69% are also likely to make emails spam based on the same.

Hence, a well-crafted subject line will act as the gateway to your email content. So how do you craft compelling subject lines?

First, you need to personalize them. You can do this by using the recipient’s name or any other relevant personal information you may have from their transaction history. Such subject lines make the email personal, helping your email recipients feel valued. They also create a sense of familiarity and connection between the email recipient and the sender.

This screenshot has great examples of such subject lines.

Ensure your email subject lines are relevant to your recipients, else they won’t be bothered to click on the email. Focus on your customer’s journey with your brand or target audience’s interests and demographic factors like shopping habits, geographic locations, industry trends, genders, etc.

People generally hate missing out, so take advantage of that FOMO and create a sense of urgency through your subject lines. This will compel the readers to click on the email to learn more. To communicate the urgency, use words like “urgent,” “end tonight,” and “final day,” as shown below.

Urgency goes hand in hand with including offers in your email subject line. While most people might avoid mentioning offers to avoid looking spammy, using this strategy tactfully, with words like “free” or “offer,” may help you get most recipients’ attention.

You also want your recipients to want to know more by just reading the subject line. That’s why your subject line needs to spark curiosity. You can do this by posing a question or including teasers about the content of the email without revealing too much. Doing this will naturally intrigue your target audience and push them to click on the email.

If you don’t know where to start, you can use generative AI tools to craft email subject lines. Just ensure your prompt is clear on your desired style, tone, terminologies, and target audience.

Finally, when crafting your subject lines, consider how they will appear in the recipient’s email inboxes. This may greatly affect your open and conversion rates.

So, you should test how your subject lines will appear for different email providers and devices. In general, a long subject line is not a great fit since it’s not displayed in full on mobile devices.

2. Interest

Once you’ve captured your recipient’s attention and they’ve opened your email, the next AIDA email model stage is to maintain their interest throughout the email. Your email’s introductory sentences play a crucial role in accomplishing this. They must be captivating, relevant and clearly indicate the value recipients will gain from reading further.

To achieve this, you can start by referencing your email recipient’s recent activity or interaction with you. It shows you know them and value them enough to go the extra mile.

Alternatively, you can open with a compelling thought-provoking statistic or statement. For instance, if you’re an email service provider targeting SaaS companies, you can use a data-backed opinion on recent SaaS marketing strategies or trends. This will not only help you keep the recipient’s attention but is also proof of your authority.

This email by Asana is a great example.

Another way to spice up your email’s introductory sentences is to tell a captivating story. You can do this by sharing an anecdote. Storytelling is a great strategy since it’ll play on your recipient’s emotions. As long as your story is relatable, they’ll read the email to the end.

You should also provide a solution to your recipient’s pain point. This is especially crucial if you highlighted this pain point in the subject lines in the first place. After all, most people will have clicked on your email to get that solution. So, in your introductory lines, highlight the problem, be empathetic, and then suggest your solution, in that order.

Here’s a great template of an email opening line that does this.

Let’s say you’re running cold email campaigns and are sending mass messages to addresses you got with the help of email finder software. I suggest you segment your customer prospects based on their personas. This will ensure the email each receives is relevant to them.

Research shows that segmented email subscriber lists generate a 94% open rate.

Finally, humor might just save your email. Just like in any other situation, people are more likely to remember messages when they’re funny. So try to use that to your advantage.

3. Desire

Creating desire is a pivotal aspect of the AIDA email model since this is the part you get the email readers to decide they want the product you’re selling in your email. It involves showcasing the benefits and features of your product or service in a way that resonates with the recipient’s needs.

To generate desire in your email, sell your product benefits. Your target customers will only want to take action if you can show them what’s in it for them. So, highlight how exactly your product can solve their pain points and improve their lives. State unique selling propositions (USPs).

This email by Webflow is a great example. It focuses exclusively on the value they have to offer small businesses.

You also want to paint a vivid picture of how your recipient’s life can be improved if they embrace your product offering. You can do this by using descriptive and persuasive language.

Here’s a great example: “Picture this: Your inbox overflowing with responses, inquiries, and sales confirmation messages. With our email marketing techniques, this will become your new reality.”

Also, provide social proof. The best evidence that your product is good should come from your previous customers themselves. So share testimonials, case studies, and user reviews. You want to show those positive experiences.

You can borrow ideas from the email below.

You can also use limited-time offers to appeal to the recipient’s desires. Remember, most people interested in a product don’t want to miss out.

Including these offers in your email copy might just get your email readers to decide whether they want your product or service. You can even go a step further and add a countdown timer to your emails. This is what you’ll see in the sample email above.

4. Action

The final stage of the AIDA model in email writing is Action. After capturing attention, generating interest, and building desire, the next step is to guide the recipient toward the desired action. So, it’s crucial to provide a clear call-to-action (CTA). The CTA should prompt them to act by showing them where to click next.

Compelling call-to-actions (CTAs) use actionable language. This means you need to start your CTA with a verb that clearly communicates the desired action. Doing this will create a sense of urgency and prompt an immediate response. Examples of such language include “Download now,” “Sign Up today,” or “Explore now .”

Your CTAs should also provide a sense of exclusivity. So, use text like “exclusive offer for you” or “join our VIP community.” This helps the recipient feel like they’re gaining access to something limited or special, encouraging them to click on the CTA.

Here’s another way to make your CTAs compelling: Make it about incentive offers. This is especially true for promotional emails. For example, use “claim your free trial” or “unlock your 50% discount” instead of “get started.” By highlighting the specific benefits your recipients stand to gain, you’ll motivate more recipients to take action.

A clear and concise CTA is easy for email recipients to understand and act upon. That brings us to our next point: avoid using jargon or general complex language that may confuse you. Use simple text. Your CTA copy should also be less than five words. Make sure, though, that they tell people exactly what to expect when they click.

Additionally, your call-to-action button or text should be visually appealing. You also want it in a color that contrasts with your email background. Check out the Calm example below. With this strategy, you ensure your CTA is conspicuous. This will make it easier for readers to see. It will also get their attention, too, and get them to click.

Finally, as with the other email marketing elements, remember to test out the different variations of your CTA to see which version performs best. Some of the factors you can test include color, copy, and placement.

In Closing

By applying the AIDA model to your email writing you can craft compelling messages that stand out, engage readers, and elicit the desired response. So incorporate these principles–Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action–into your strategy if you want to achieve remarkable email marketing campaign results.

Remember, the AIDA email writing model is not a rigid formula, though. It’s a flexible framework that allows you to strategically structure your emails for maximum conversion. So, experiment with different approaches, and test your subject lines, introductions, and call-to-actions. You still want to find what resonates best with your audience.

Now that you understand how to use the AIDA model in your email writing process effectively, start implementing it today. Watch your email conversion rates grow. All the best!