Email Framework #7: ACCA

When it comes to generating leads and driving conversions, it’s hard to beat email marketing. Few options are as cost-effective, but coming up with good emails can be a challenge. 

That’s where email frameworks can give you a hand by easing the writing burden.

Here’s a closer look at the ACCA email framework and how you can use it for writing sales emails and other copy.

What is the ACCA email framework?

The ACCA email framework is an approach to writing sales emails that build a lead’s awareness and drive them to action. ACCA is especially useful for helping prospects understand their challenge and conclude that your solution is their best option.

This framework is comprised of four key elements:

• Awareness – Highlight an issue the prospect might not know
• Comprehension – Help the prospect understand how your solution solves the issue 
• Conviction – Build trust through social proof and credibility
• Action – Close with a call to action

Messages that follow the ACCA framework are logical and persuasive, and they smooth the way for your audience to take the next step.

What are the core elements of the ACCA framework?

The ACCA framework breaks down into 4 primary elements: Awareness, Comprehension, Conviction, and Action. Each element plays a specific role in moving your prospect closer to taking the action you want them to take.

Awareness

This is where you need to grab the prospect’s attention, which you can do with the help of the data in your ideal customer profile and buyer persona.

There are a few ways to catch their eye. You might highlight a problem or pain point they’re likely facing, or you can share a statistic or insight that’s relevant to their business.

You want them stop and think, “Yeah, this matters to me.”

Comprehension

Once you’ve got your prospect’s attention, you need to explain the challenge with a bit more info (without going too deep into detail and overwhelming them) or start introducing your solution as a way to address the pain.

You’ll want to use simple, straightforward language to describe the problem, why it needs to be addressed now, and how your solution helps without getting too salesy.

For instance, you might say,

“Many sales teams struggle to book meetings because they rely on outdated templates like mass sends using templates that end up going straight to spam. AiSDR solves this by creating unique emails that are tailored to each prospect’s pain and position, and gradually sending out emails without resorting to massive blasts.” 

Conviction

After you’ve positioned yourself as the solution to your prospect’s pain, now you need to start building trust and doubling down on what makes your solution the best choice. 

You don’t want to just show your product is a good idea. You want to show that you’re the right choice for them.

But to build your case, you need proof.

The type of social proof you should use depends on what your target audience wants to see. Some audiences prefer hard numbers or easy-to-digest success stories, while others prefer seeing testimonials written by real people.

If you’re a very early-stage start-up that hasn’t signed many clients, you can use any impressive personal accomplishments you have, such as studying at an elite university (e.g. Ivy League, Stanford, Oxford) or acceptance into a start-up accelerator like Y Combinator.

At the end of the day, your goal here is to remove doubt and objections.

Action

Last and certainly not least, you need to tell your prospect what to do next.

Whether it’s booking a demo, replying to the email, or visiting a specific webpage, make your call to action simple and direct.

The clearer the action, the more likely they are to take it (assuming all the other sections are written well).

There are a few best practices you can follow at this point:

• If you’re sending a cold email, don’t include a link in your initial message. This will likely trigger spam filters.
• Use actionable language that leaves no room for confusion. For example, “Book a demo now” is better than “Learn more”.
• Focus on one action, not multiple.
• Align your CTA with where the prospect is at in their buyer journey. For cold emails, a soft ask like “Open for a quick chat?” works better than hard sells like “Book a demo”.
• Keep your CTA short and simple. A few concise words are more effective and easier to act on.

You can also run several A/B tests and try out different CTAs to see which approach works best.

How does ACCA differ from AIDA?

ACCA bears some resemblance to the AIDA model, but they have some key differences.

AIDA focuses more on grabbing attention and creating desire. Since you want people to get excited enough to take action quickly, it’s great for short, catch emails whose goal is to spark immediate interest.

ACCA goes further by emphasizing comprehension and conviction. You want people to not just get interested, but to believe your product can solve their pain before they act. This makes ACCA better for situations where you need to prioritize trust.

When to use the ACCA framework in sales outreach

The ACCA framework shines when your product isn’t easy to explain in one sentence or when your audience needs to see the whole picture and understand its value before making a decision.

Here are some cases where you might want to consider using the ACCA framework over other frameworks:

• Your goal is to educate and guide prospects from awareness through understanding to making a decision 
• You’re dealing with complex products and need to break down information carefully for prospects
• You need to build trust, explain benefits, and address concerns to establish credibility and convince prospects
• You need to lead prospects step by step through the decision-making process
• You’re nurturing warm leads who have already expressed interest in your solution

ACCA framework example

Here’s the structure and an example of an email based on the ACCA framework.

You can create campaigns using this framework and many others found in AiSDR’s framework library. Just tell the AI your ideal customer, and AiSDR will handle the prospecting, research, and email writing using this framework.

General framework

The ACCA framework isn’t limited to a specific template. As a model, it follows a general structure.

This is how the ACCA email structure typically breaks down.

Email example

Here is an example of an email you might write using the ACCA email framework.

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