From Attention to Action

St. Elmo Lewis

No, he wasn’t a Saint.

He was actually a master in marketing, and his framework is still the basis of most persuasive online writing you see on Twitter and LinkedIn in 2025.

The interesting thing is, he invented it in 1898. However, the reason his framework remains effective is that it is based on human emotion and our innate desires, which haven’t changed in thousands of years.

Everyone has read a tweet that made you stop scrolling and was interesting enough to dig into a little deeper. This wasn’t accidental.

If your online content isn’t getting traction, this 126-year-old framework might be the missing piece.

In 1898, a man named St. Elmo Lewis noticed something interesting about how people make decisions.

Whether they were buying a car or listening to a sales pitch, their brains followed the same predictable path—from noticing something, to wanting it, to taking action.

Elmo mapped it out.

He called it AIDA:

What Lewis discovered wasn’t just a marketing trick but a blueprint for how humans process information and emotion.

It worked then.
It still works on TikTok, email, landing pages, tweets, and threads in 2025.

Why?

Because while platforms change, people don’t.

Our attention is still scarce.
Our interest is still emotional.
Our desire still drives our decisions.
And we still need a little push to take action.

That’s why some content “just works”... and some doesn’t.

It all comes down to following AIDA’s structure and flow—the blueprint for effective content.

AIDA isn’t a theory. It’s a repeatable structure you can use in almost any piece of writing, from tweets to sales pages to newsletters like this one.

Here’s how each part works (and how to actually use it):

People scroll fast. If you don’t stop them in the first second, you’ve lost them.

Your goal here is to get them to stop scrolling.

Now you have their attention.
Make them feel seen.

Example: “You write smart stuff—but nobody reads it. Here's why.”

Here’s where you make them want what you’re offering.

Example: “Imagine writing posts people can’t ignore—and converting likes into paying clients.”

Don’t assume they’ll know what to do next. Tell them.

Example: “Want the full AIDA checklist? Grab it free below.”

You can use AIDA to write an entire post—or just craft a tweet that leads to a click. Either way, it works because it aligns with how our brains are wired.

When you apply AIDA, your content does more than “sound smart”—it creates momentum.

Your posts don’t just get seen.
They get read, shared, and acted on.

Whether you're writing:

AIDA gives you structure—so your ideas convert, not just land.

You’ll write faster.
You’ll sound clearer.
And you’ll stop guessing what to say next.

It’s not magic. It’s just how attention and emotion work.
A formula from 1898, still outperforming content in 2025.

AIDA works because it speaks to how humans make decisions:

You’re not just writing to inform. You’re writing to move people—emotionally and behaviourally.

Here’s the truth most creators miss:

People don’t act because something is logical. They act because something feels right.

Conor