How to Use the PAS Framework Without Being Cringy

PAS is a famous copywriting framework that identifies a problem consumers often face, raises the stakes by pushing the problem to its logical extreme, and comes up with a practical solution to that same problem. It’s commonly used in social media copywriting, paid ads, direct-response copywriting, TV commercials, sales letters, and email marketing.

More specifically, PAS stands for:

• Problem—You address your audience’s pain points by exploring a critical problem from their daily lives; they are suddenly made aware of the problem and are more willing to hear you out.
• Agitation—You introduce a real or hypothetical scenario to amplify the problem, make it worse, and agitate your readers; in turn, they are now feeling emotional discomfort and will do anything in their power to make their pent-up frustration go away.
• Solution—You organically uncover the solution to the problem, usually by channeling it to your product or service; your readers experience a lightbulb moment and are now ready to become paying customers.

PAS Formula Explained

A well-implemented PAS formula can make your audience crave your product or service in a few meticulously crafted paragraphs. In contrast, a badly realized PAS implementation will make your copy cringy and unserious, thereby discouraging your audience from ever interacting with your brand again.

This is why it’s crucial to understand each step of the PAS framework, how they contribute to the overall formula, and how they should be applied in your copy.

Here’s an example of the PAS formula in action:

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Unfortunately, not many aspiring copywriters have the time to scour the internet in search of reliable materials, which adds to the already widespread confusion and makes it difficult to take that first step. Also, prolonging inaction will place a more ambitious student way ahead of the curve—and constantly playing catch up is no fun.

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Let’s consider these steps in more detail below.

1. Identifying the problem

Before composing an effective PAS copy, first, you need to find your target audience. Simply speaking, PAS won’t have the intended impact if you’re writing for shoppers who are disinterested in your offer.

In our case, we’ve tailored our example to appeal to young and aspiring copywriters, usually students or junior writers who are overwhelmed by the trove of conflicting information online and look for a credible resource to start honing their craft. Our PAS copy will reflect their wants, needs, and desires.

Next, it’s time to identify the problem your target audience faces by asking yourself the following questions:

• What is the most important pain point of your customers?
• What are the obstacles that prevent them from solving it?
• Who else has faced this pain point and how were they able to solve it in the past?

In dealing with junior writers, we’ve come to realize that they often don’t know where to start and aren’t sure if they’re consulting the right materials at the beginning of their writing journey. Plus, they worry about spending their time right and a large number of them have second thoughts about the validity, reliability, and future prospects of their profession. Now, we know what we have to do:

Problem: Have a burning desire to become a world-class copywriter, but don’t know how, when, or where to start?

In addition to identifying the problem, these findings will help us later in the agitation and solution stages to craft the perfect, cringe-free PAS copy.

2. Amplifying the problem through agitation

In the second stage of the PAS formula, you need to demonstrate how the initial problem becomes worse over time. Amplifying it through agitation will make your readers uncomfortable to a point where they become open to solutions.

To come up with a believable agitation your readers can identify with, try answering the following questions:

• What are the consequences of not addressing the problem immediately?
• What will happen if the problem persists for more than a month?
• How much will your customers’ lives improve once they solve the problem?

In our example, we’ve identified three possible directions the problem could evolve if beginner copywriters don’t act now. These include limited time or compounding loss of productive hours, increased confusion regarding available copywriting materials, and lots of unknowns in regards to starting a new career.

First, students are overwhelmed by their extensive curriculums and are likely participating or interning somewhere else to self-support their studies. So, they don’t have enough time to find a reliable copywriting course without sacrificing another activity in their busy schedule.

Second, the internet in general is becoming more disorganized than ever. Google is scrambling to catch up with its upcoming AI-powered search engine competitors and is changing the mechanisms of its search algorithms almost weekly. This fact makes it harder for inexperienced users to find what they’re looking for—especially when it comes to courses on how to achieve professional expertise in any given field.

Third and final, students and young people find it increasingly difficult to choose a career path with so much uncertainty in the world. They must be sure they’re making the right decision for their circumstances, otherwise, they’ll skip making a choice altogether. To end the agitation stage on a more uplifting note, we’re also encouraging the students’ competitive spirit by comparing them with their peers and invoking the latter group’s hypothetical achievements.

Knowing all this, now we have a solid trifecta of reasons to let the initial problem escalate and become an undeniable mental nuisance. Hence:

Agitation: Unfortunately, not many aspiring copywriters have the time to scour the internet in search of reliable materials, which adds to the already widespread confusion and makes it difficult to take that first step. Also, prolonging inaction will place a more ambitious student way ahead of the curve—and constantly playing catch up is no fun.

When your audience understands the negative consequences of continuously ignoring the problem, they’ll become eager to look for a solution.

3. Offering a solution

The final stage of the PAS formula is where you outline the benefits of your product or service, showcasing the ways it will help your customers solve the initial problem, alleviate their concerns, and provide tangible value to their lives.

In our example, the solution boils down to making the most convenient offer for our customers, or something that won’t require jumping through hoops or visiting multiple websites just for them to be able to start honing their writing craft. Also, given that rookie writers are typically unsure about their skills, it’s a good idea to highlight the boost in confidence they’ll receive after attending our course.

Lastly, knowing that our audience is strapped for time, on top of being unsure about picking the right copywriting course, we are featuring all materials in a single, compact online hub they can access from anywhere. We’re also sweetening the deal by giving away the first chapter of the course for free:

Solution: Thankfully, we’ve compiled all the necessary resources to build your writing confidence from scratch, in a single 4-hour course, with chapter 1 featured completely for free. Enter your email to receive the course and start your copywriting journey today.

Don’t forget to include a call to action (CTA) in your copy, otherwise your readers might forget to act.

3 Real PAS Copywriting Examples

PAS is a fluid formula. It can be adapted to facilitate the strongest aspects of your product or service, showcase the highlights of your business practice, and introduce new audience members to your brand.

Here’s a list of three real PAS examples from some of the best minds in the marketing industry.

Dan S. Kennedy’s The Ultimate Sales Letter

This example comes straight from the father of modern direct-response copywriting himself—Dan Kennedy. In his bestseller The Ultimate Sales Letter, Dan introduces a more elaborate variation of the PAS formula that keeps making the rounds since the book originally came out in 2006.

The letter is targeted toward husbands who may have dropped the ball in terms of keeping their spouses emotionally engaged in the relationship. This data point provides Dan with the foundation to build the perfect problem:

Problem: Women are different than we are. Your loving wife needs, wants, and deserves special attention maybe more often than you think to give it to her.

He then agitates the problem by pushing it to its extreme conclusion, which, if not addressed, ends in a divorce:

Agitation: You are busy. Preoccupied with work. Aggravated with that dumb dumb that you have to deal with every day at the office. Tired. Who has time or the energy to even think about “romance?” (Two-thirds of all marriages end in divorce and the number-one reason given by divorcing women—”he just didn’t pay enough attention to me anymore.”)

Next, Dan smartly introduces the solution and turns the sales letter into a coupon:

Solution: With this letter, you are entitled to an evening charmed by all the creativity of Giorgio, the Official Romance Director!

When you and your Very-Significant-Other arrive at Giorgio’s, you’ll be ushered to the special dining room lit only by candlelight and the roaring fire in the fireplace…

After painting a vivid picture of the restaurant atmosphere at Giorgio’s Italian Grotto, Dan ends the letter with a clear call to action:

CTA: P.S. The cost? Everything, the entire Romance Dinner for two exactly as I’ve described it—just $59.99. If you wish you can even pay in advance with VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, or CARTE BLANCHE and not be troubled by a check the evening you are here.

Basecamp’s landing page

As our second example, we have a returning champion that we’ve already featured before in our Hero Image Best Practices post. This time, however, we’re considering Basecamp for a different reason: the apt PAS formula integration on its landing page.

The Basecamp PAS copy is short, sweet, and to the point. The problem is implied through the first headline in a way that feels natural and organic. In some way, it almost resembles a catchphrase:

Problem: Leave the grind behind.

The following agitation stems logically from the initial statement:

Agitation: It’s a struggle to juggle people, projects, clients, deadlines, and expectations—especially when you’re the underdog competing against larger companies.

To end the copy on a positive note, exactly like it’s outlined in the PAS formula, Basecamp promotes the intuitiveness, UX, and ease of use of its flagship SaaS:

Solution: We’re like you, we get it. That’s why we built Basecamp.

In Basecamp, each project lives on a single page. With everything in reach, and every piece of information tracked and organized, everyone knows where to find what they need, and say what they need to say.

Lastly, the project management software visually showcases its capabilities with a potent and colorful semi-interactive demonstration.

Justin Welsch’s promotional newsletter

For our final example, we’ll turn to solo entrepreneur and creative marketer Justin Welsch. His take on the PAS framework includes two additional stages: Intrigue and Positive Future. 

PAIPS, as Justin likes to call it, performs exceptionally well in social media settings such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and the X platform. In fact, we’d go as far as saying that he managed to build an entire empire on LinkedIn simply by leveraging and scaling the effectiveness of PAIPS!

Most of Justin’s posts follow the same structure. First, he highlights an issue that evokes strong emotional reactions in his readers:

Then, he agitates the problem by pouring salt on the wound:

In step three, Justin introduces a healthy dose of intrigue to keep his readers engaged throughout the post:

Next, he weaves a positive future for everyone who can follow up on his advice:

Finally, Justin ends his newsletter with a solution plus a clear CTA tightly wrapped into a single package:

Why PAS is a Popular Copywriting Framework

PAS is very easy to learn, remember, and use. It provides a clear structure to marketers that makes writing an engaging copy easier than, for example, composing a sales letter from the ground up.

Furthermore, the PAS formula takes an overwhelming number of variables and divides them into three logical stages: problem, agitation, and solution. This step-by-step approach ensures that copywriters can address all essential points to capture the prospect’s attention, outline their pain points, offer a solution, and close the deal with a straightforward CTA.

This results in a clear, concise, and engaging copy.

In many ways, this type of framework serves as a reliable guide to both new and seasoned copywriters. On the customers’ side of things, it helps build trust, improve engagement, and increase conversions. On the writers’ side, it saves them tons of time and makes the process well-defined, smooth, and predictable. It also helps with keeping their focus to tackle the customers’ needs clearly, openly, and effectively.

If we compare it with the AIDA copywriting formula, which stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action, PAS is more beginner-friendly and far easier to use on the fly. PAS features fewer stages than AIDA, it’s easier to remember, and it requires little to no marketing or copywriting experience to put it immediately into action.

In contrast, AIDA features four stages and it’s a bit tougher to pull off effectively, especially for people with little experience in marketing, copywriting, or sales. It requires more thinking than PAS and more time to write a solid copy. You can easily rewrite a badly written PAS implementation in a matter of minutes, while a poorly done AIDA copy will require much more than that to fix.

Ultimately, each framework has its own uses, and the age-old question of AIDA vs PAS will remain open for as long as there are customers to serve. However, for putting together a quick sales copy, PAS emerges as the undisputed champion—bar none.

The Major Weakness of PAS (+5 Tips to Avoid Being Cringy)

By now, you may be wondering what a cringe-worthy PAS implementation would look like on paper. Here’s a small taste of a PAS copy gone wrong:

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Phew, that was a lot, wasn’t it? Follow these five tips to avoid accidentally (or deliberately) putting together a PAS copy that is so out of touch with the marketplace, that people will actively avoid your brand solely because of your misguided writing.

Be careful in addressing your audience with “you”

Unless you’re extremely confident that you’re absolutely nailing the problem on the first try, avoid addressing your customers with “you”. It’s very easy to make assumptions about your audience that might turn out invalid.

In other words, it’s extremely likely to misconstrue what your audience thinks—especially if you’re new to PAS. Then, after addressing them with “you”, you’ll produce a discrepancy between their desires and the wording in your copy and you’ll lose your prospects for good.

Go from the “clouds” to the “street”

Novice copywriters will often make the mistake of talking about the wrong problem or creating a problem out of thin air that notably misses the mark. Either they get “in the clouds”, like in our bad PAS example above, or their problem description doesn’t resonate with their target audience at all.

To prevent this, make sure to avoid lofty copy and instead talk about tangible, day-to-day occurrences in your audience’s lives. This is more relatable and will make your prospects say: “Wow, this sounds like me. Maybe it’s time I tried their proposed solution?”

Use language that your customers can understand

Look through surveys, sales calls, and any feedback you receive to match your copy’s voice to one your customers can understand. For example, if the majority of your target audience are MBA holders, it would be a BAD idea to talk to them using a high-school vocabulary.

Conversely, if the group you want to reach out to are suburban, working mothers, one of the better ways to approach them is by implementing relatable and down-to-earth language in your writing.

Edit and re-edit your first attempt at PAS

No one gets it perfect on the first try, not even proven talents like Dan Kennedy and Gary Halbert! In one of his letters, Gary has specifically advised to write whatever comes to mind first, and then edit it later until it resembles something that could be vaguely referred to as a sales letter.

Then, edit and re-edit your copy again until you have a better grasp of what makes it effective. Remove the filler, adjectives, and fluff parts, and inject some character into your work to make it stand out. Trim it down to three short, well-composed paragraphs, and edit some more. Finally, use A/B testing if you can and pick the best headline to better capture your target audience’s attention.

Have a coworker review your copy

Have a coworker review your copy and instruct them to mark any section where their mind starts to wander. This will tell you where you’ve gotten too deep and need to tighten things up.

Having an outside observer address your blindspots will result in a tighter, more effective, and a better sounding PAS copy.