PAS Copywriting Formula: Why Your Marketing Fails Without It

Most marketing copy fails because it starts with features, not feelings. The PAS framework (Problem-Agitate-Solution) is the psychological foundation of every high-converting sales page, email, and ad. Here's how it works, plus 8 real examples and fill-in-the-blank templates.

⚡ Quick Takeaway

• 🎯 PAS = Problem, Agitate, Solution (the 3-step persuasion formula)
• 🧠 Why it works: Taps into loss aversion and emotional decision-making
• 📝 8 real examples across email, landing pages, ads, and social posts
• ✍️ Fill-in-the-blank templates for each section
• ❌ Common mistakes that kill the formula's effectiveness
• 📊 When to use PAS vs. other copywriting frameworks

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What Is the PAS Copywriting Framework?

PAS stands for:

• Problem – Identify the reader's pain point
• Agitate – Amplify the emotional cost of the problem
• Ssolution – Present your offer as the answer

The psychology: People are motivated more by avoiding pain than gaining pleasure. PAS leverages this by making the problem visceral before offering relief.

Where it's used:

• Sales pages and landing pages
• Email marketing campaigns
• Social media ads (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram)
• Video scripts
• Product descriptions
• Cold outreach emails

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Why PAS Works: The Psychology

The Science Behind PAS

Loss aversion: Research shows people feel losses 2x more intensely than equivalent gains. PAS capitalizes on this by highlighting what readers stand to lose.

Emotional decision-making: Neuroscience shows 95% of purchase decisions are emotional, then rationalized logically. PAS triggers emotions first.

The contrast effect: By presenting a painful problem followed by a solution, the solution feels more valuable by comparison.

Traditional vs. PAS Approach

Result: PAS converts 2-3x better because it connects emotionally before presenting features.

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Breaking Down the PAS Framework

Part 1: Problem (Identify the Pain)

Goal: Make your reader feel seen and understood.

How to write it:

1. State the specific problem clearly
2. Make it relatable and specific (not generic)
3. Use the reader's language (not industry jargon)
4. Focus on ONE core problem (not a list)

Example (B2B SaaS):

"Your sales team spends 4 hours a day on administrative tasks
instead of selling. Every hour on data entry is an hour not
closing deals."

Why this works:

• Specific number (4 hours) makes it concrete
• "Instead of selling" highlights opportunity cost
• Uses "your" to make it personal

Template:

[Target audience] struggles with [specific problem].
Every [time period], you're losing [specific cost/opportunity]
because [root cause].

Content Writing Tools: Need to expand your copy? Use our Paragraph Expander to develop your PAS sections, Sentence Expander for more compelling agitation, or Property Description Generator for real estate copy.

Part 2: Agitate (Amplify the Pain)

Goal: Make the reader feel the full weight of the problem.

How to write it:

1. Explore the consequences of inaction
2. Stack multiple pain points
3. Use vivid, emotional language
4. Paint a picture of the worst-case scenario
5. Make it urgent (what happens if this continues?)

Example (continuing from above):

"And it's not just the lost revenue. Your top performers get
frustrated with busywork and start looking elsewhere. Meanwhile,
your competitors using automation are closing 40% more deals
with the same size team. Every month you wait, you fall further
behind—and the gap gets harder to close."

Why this works:

• Multiple consequences (lost revenue, talent drain, competitive disadvantage)
• Comparison to competitors creates FOMO
• "Every month you wait" adds urgency
• "Gap gets harder to close" implies exponential loss

Template:

This means [consequence 1]. But it's worse than that—
[consequence 2]. And while you're dealing with this,
[competitors/others] are [better situation]. The longer
this continues, [escalating consequence].

Part 3: Solution (Present the Answer)

Goal: Position your offer as the logical, obvious fix.

How to write it:

1. Present your solution as the antidote to the agitated problem
2. Show how it specifically addresses each pain point
3. Make the benefit clear and immediate
4. Include social proof when possible
5. End with a clear call-to-action

Example (completing the sequence):

"That's why we built AutoCRM. It automates every administrative
task—data entry, follow-ups, reporting—so your team focuses
purely on selling. Companies using AutoCRM see their reps close
40% more deals in the first 60 days. No training required,
integrates with your existing tools, and you'll see results
this week.

Try it free for 14 days. No credit card needed."

Why this works:

• Direct response to each agitated point
• Specific outcome (40% more deals in 60 days)
• Removes barriers (no training, integrates easily, fast results)
• Low-risk CTA (free trial, no credit card)

Template:

[Product name] solves this by [how it works]. Instead of
[old painful way], you [new easy way]. [Social proof/stat].
[Benefit 1], [benefit 2], and [benefit 3].

[Clear call-to-action with low barrier].

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8 Real PAS Copywriting Examples

Example #1: Email Marketing (SaaS)

Subject: Is your team wasting 20 hours a week?

Body:

Problem: "If you're like most marketing teams, you're spending 20+ hours weekly on manual reporting. Copying data from Google Analytics to spreadsheets, building charts in PowerPoint, emailing updates to stakeholders."

Agitate: "That's 1,040 hours per year—26 full work weeks—doing tasks a computer should handle. Meanwhile, your analysts aren't doing analysis. They're doing data entry. Your CMO is making decisions on week-old data because reporting takes so long. And your competitors with automated dashboards are pivoting 10x faster."

Solution: "MarketingOS automatically pulls data from all your sources, builds beautiful dashboards, and sends stakeholder reports every Monday morning. Setup takes 15 minutes. Your team saves 20 hours per week starting next Monday.

Get your first month free: [Link]"

Why it works: Specific numbers, relatable pain, clear ROI, easy CTA.

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Example #2: Landing Page (Course)

Headline: Your LinkedIn Posts Are Invisible (And You Don't Know Why)

Problem: "You spend 30 minutes crafting the perfect LinkedIn post. You hit 'publish' with confidence. Then... 47 views. 3 likes. Zero comments. Zero leads. Again."

Agitate: "You watch others in your industry post simple updates that somehow get thousands of views and dozens of quality leads. You've tried different times, different topics, different formats. Nothing works. You're starting to think LinkedIn 'just doesn't work for you.' But the real issue? You don't know the algorithm's unwritten rules—the ones that separate viral posts from invisible ones."

Solution: "The LinkedIn Visibility System teaches you the exact formula behind posts that get 10K+ views. In this 3-hour course, you'll learn:

• The 7-word opening that forces people to click 'see more'
• The posting schedule that triggers algorithmic amplification
• The engagement hack that 3x's your reach in 7 days

1,847 students have used this system to 10x their LinkedIn engagement. Join them.

[Enroll Now - $97]"

Why it works: Relatable failure scenario, emotional triggers (watching others succeed), specific outcomes.

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Example #3: Facebook Ad (E-commerce)

Image: Person struggling with back pain

Headline: Your Office Chair Is Destroying Your Back

Body:

Problem: "You sit 8 hours a day in a chair that costs $89. By 3 PM, your lower back aches. By evening, you're sore and exhausted."

Agitate: "That pain isn't 'just part of desk work.' It's chronic inflammation that compounds daily. In 5 years, that becomes permanent posture damage, expensive physical therapy, and potential surgery. A cheap chair is the most expensive furniture you'll ever buy."

Solution: "The ErgoChair Pro was designed by orthopedic specialists to eliminate back pain. 94% of users report zero back pain after 30 days. It's an investment in your health, not an expense. And it costs less than one month of physical therapy.

Shop now with 60-day money-back guarantee. [Link]"

Why it works: Visceral pain point, long-term consequence framing, reframes price as investment.

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Example #4: Social Media Post (LinkedIn)

Problem: "Your best employee just put in their two weeks notice. You had no idea they were unhappy. Now you're scrambling to replace them, knowing it'll take 6 months and cost $50K in recruiting and lost productivity."

Agitate: "This happens because exit interviews are too late. By the time someone says 'I'm leaving,' they mentally left months ago. You're managing with lagging indicators—seeing problems only after it's too late to fix them. Meanwhile, quiet quitting is spreading through your team, and you won't know until more people leave."

Solution: "Anonymous pulse surveys catch issues while you can still fix them. 10 minutes per month gives you leading indicators of team satisfaction. Companies using PulseCheck reduce turnover by 37% because they solve problems before they become resignations.

Free template in comments. [CTA]"

Why it works: Emotional scenario (losing top talent), quantified consequences, actionable solution.

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Example #5: Cold Email (B2B Sales)

Subject: Saw your site is losing customers at checkout

Body:

Problem: "Hi [Name], I noticed [Company]'s checkout process requires account creation before purchase. Just a heads up—this typically causes 68% of potential buyers to abandon their cart."

Agitate: "That means for every 100 people ready to buy, 68 leave and never come back. With your traffic levels, that's approximately $40K in lost monthly revenue from one friction point. Multiply that over a year, and it's nearly half a million in revenue walking away because of a 30-second account creation form."

Solution: "We help e-commerce brands like yours implement guest checkout and recover abandoned carts. Our clients typically see a 34% increase in completed purchases within 60 days. Happy to show you exactly how this would work for [Company]—15-minute call?

[Calendar link]"

Why it works: Personalized observation, quantified loss, specific outcome with low-commitment ask.

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Example #6: Video Script (YouTube Pre-roll Ad)

Problem: "Your website looks like it's from 2010. Blurry logo, tiny mobile text, 8-second load times. Visitors land on your site and immediately hit the back button."

Agitate: "Every day, potential customers are judging your business by your website. And every day, they're choosing your competitors because their sites look professional and yours looks outdated. You're losing customers before they even read about what you do. Your product might be better, but they'll never know."

Solution: "Webflow lets you build a modern, professional website in hours—no coding required. Drag, drop, publish. Mobile-responsive automatically. Load times under 2 seconds. Used by 3.5M businesses who got tired of losing customers to bad websites. Try it free."

Why it works: Visual problem, emotional trigger (being judged), democratizes solution (no coding).

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Example #7: Product Description (Amazon/E-commerce)

Product: Blue Light Blocking Glasses

Problem: "Staring at screens 10+ hours a day? Your eyes burn by afternoon. You get headaches. You can't fall asleep at night even though you're exhausted."

Agitate: "Blue light from screens suppresses melatonin production, disrupting your sleep cycle. Poor sleep leads to brain fog, low productivity, and long-term health issues. You're stuck in a cycle: screens ruin your sleep, bad sleep ruins your day, repeat. Eye strain now becomes vision problems later."

Solution: "Our Blue Light Blocking Glasses filter 95% of harmful blue light while keeping colors natural. Wear them after 6 PM and fall asleep faster. Wear them all day and eliminate eye strain. 30,000+ 5-star reviews from people who finally sleep well again. Try them risk-free for 60 days."

Why it works: Immediate pain (eye strain) plus long-term concern (sleep/health), strong social proof.

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Example #8: Webinar Registration Page

Headline: Why Your Content Gets Ignored (And How to Fix It)

Problem: "You publish blog posts every week. You're consistent. You optimize for SEO. You share on social media. But traffic flatlines at 200 visits per month. Your content disappears into the void."

Agitate: "Meanwhile, competitors with worse content somehow rank on page one. You've spent hundreds of hours writing content that nobody reads. Your boss questions the ROI of content marketing. You're considering giving up on SEO entirely. The truth? You're making 3 critical mistakes that Google's algorithm punishes. And until you fix them, more content won't help. You'll just be creating more content that gets ignored."

Solution: "In this free 45-minute workshop, I'll show you the 3 SEO mistakes killing your rankings—and exactly how to fix each one. You'll leave with a step-by-step action plan to get your content ranking in 90 days. 12,000+ marketers have used these strategies to 10x their organic traffic.

Register free: [CTA button]"

Why it works: Frustrating scenario (effort with no results), fear of wasted time, concrete value promise.

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Fill-in-the-Blank PAS Templates

Template #1: Basic PAS Structure

Problem:

[Target audience] struggles with [specific pain point].
Every [time period], [negative consequence happens].

Agitate:

This means [consequence 1]. But it gets worse: [consequence 2].
And while this happens, [competitor/ideal scenario] is [better outcome].
The longer you wait, [escalating problem].

Solution:

[Product/Service] fixes this by [how it works]. Instead of [old way],
you get [new better way]. [Social proof]. [Benefit 1], [benefit 2],
[benefit 3].

[Call-to-action].

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Template #2: Advanced PAS (With Empathy)

Problem:

You've tried [common solution attempts]. You've spent [time/money]
on [failed approaches]. But [desired outcome] still feels impossible.

Agitate:

I get it. You're frustrated because [emotional pain]. You're starting
to think [limiting belief]. Every failed attempt makes you more
skeptical. And the advice you find online is either too basic or
completely overwhelming. You're stuck between [option A] and [option B],
and neither feels right.

Solution:

What if [compelling possibility]? [Product/Service] is designed for
people who [describe their situation]. It's not [what it's not],
it's [what it actually is]. [Specific outcome] in [specific timeframe].
No [common objection], no [common fear].

[Social proof quote].

[Clear next step with low risk].

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Template #3: PAS for Social Media Posts

Problem (First 2 lines):

[Attention-grabbing statement about the problem].
[Second line that makes it relatable].

Agitate (Middle section):

Here's what's really happening:
• [Consequence 1]
• [Consequence 2]
• [Consequence 3]

And it's getting worse because [reason].

Solution (End):

The fix: [Your solution in one sentence].

[Call-to-action or link]

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Common PAS Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake #1: Skipping Straight to Solution

❌ "Our software is the best project management tool!"

✅ First establish the problem and make it hurt, THEN present the solution.

Why it fails: Without emotional investment in the problem, the solution feels unnecessary.

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Mistake #2: Generic Problem Statement

❌ "Managing projects is hard."

✅ "Your team misses 30% of deadlines because tasks fall through the cracks between Slack, email, and spreadsheets."

Why it fails: Generic problems don't create emotional resonance or urgency.

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Mistake #3: Over-Agitating (Fear-Mongering)

❌ "If you don't fix this TODAY, your business will COLLAPSE!"

✅ "Every week you delay costs you approximately $X in lost productivity."

Why it fails: Over-the-top agitation feels manipulative and breaks trust.

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Mistake #4: Weak or Vague Solution

❌ "Our platform helps you work better."

✅ "Our platform automatically assigns tasks, tracks deadlines, and sends reminders—so nothing falls through the cracks."

Why it fails: After building up the problem, a vague solution is disappointing and unconvincing.

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Mistake #5: No Call-to-Action

❌ Ending with: "Thanks for reading!"

✅ Ending with: "Start your free 14-day trial (no credit card required): [Link]"

Why it fails: You've built desire but given no clear next step to act on it.

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When to Use PAS vs. Other Frameworks

Use PAS When:

✅ Your audience is problem-aware (they know they have the problem) ✅ The problem causes emotional or financial pain ✅ You need to overcome skepticism or inertia ✅ You're in a competitive market ✅ You're selling to people who've tried other solutions

Use Different Frameworks When:

AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) – When your audience doesn't know they have a problem yet

BAB (Before, After, Bridge) – When you want to focus more on the transformation than the pain

Features-Advantages-Benefits (FAB) – When your product is genuinely unique and the features sell themselves

Problem-Claim-Proof-Push – When you need stronger credibility elements (B2B, high-ticket items)

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Advanced PAS Strategies

Strategy #1: Stack Multiple Problems

For complex products, use multiple PAS sequences:

• Problem 1 → Agitate → Solution component A
• Problem 2 → Agitate → Solution component B
• Problem 3 → Agitate → Solution component C

Example: A project management tool might address communication breakdown, missed deadlines, AND budget overruns separately.

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Strategy #2: The PAS Loop

For longer content (webinars, VSLs), loop through PAS multiple times:

1. Macro PAS (big overarching problem)
2. Micro PAS #1 (specific problem subset)
3. Micro PAS #2 (another specific problem)
4. Return to macro solution

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Strategy #3: Implied Agitation

Sometimes you can skip explicit agitation if the problem statement is painful enough:

Problem: "Your website crashed during your biggest sale of the year. $50K in revenue gone." Solution: (You can jump straight to solution—the problem agitates itself)

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Strategy #4: Agitate With Questions

Ask questions that make readers realize the problem's severity:

"How many customers have you lost because your checkout process has 7 steps? How much revenue is that per month? Per year? What could you do with that money?"

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Measuring PAS Effectiveness

A/B test these elements:

Problem Section

• Test different pain points
• Test emotional vs. logical framing
• Test specific vs. general problems

Agitate Section

• Test mild vs. intense agitation
• Test short vs. long agitation
• Test fear-based vs. FOMO-based agitation

Solution Section

• Test feature-focused vs. benefit-focused
• Test different CTAs
• Test with/without social proof

Track: Click-through rate, conversion rate, time on page, bounce rate.

Pro tip: Use SocialRails' free tools to plan and optimize your marketing copy across all channels.

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Related Resources

Master copywriting and persuasion techniques:

• Landing Page Copy Examples - See PAS framework in action on high-converting pages
• Hook Generator - Create powerful problem-focused hooks
• LinkedIn Caption Generator - Use PAS for professional content
• B2B Sales Message Generator - Apply PAS to sales outreach
• Interior Design Copywriting - Industry-specific PAS applications

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FAQ

Can you use PAS for every type of product or service?

PAS works best for products solving clear, painful problems—B2B software, health products, financial services, coaching. It's less effective for impulse purchases, luxury goods, or low-consideration items. If people aren't actively seeking a solution to a problem, other frameworks (like AIDA or storytelling) may work better.

How long should each section of PAS be?

It depends on format. For ads: Problem (1-2 sentences), Agitate (2-3 sentences), Solution (2-3 sentences). For landing pages: Problem (1 paragraph), Agitate (2-3 paragraphs), Solution (3-5 paragraphs with bullets). For emails: Keep total under 200 words. For sales pages: Can extend to 1,000+ words. Match length to attention span of the medium.

Is PAS manipulative or unethical?

PAS becomes manipulative when you: (1) Exaggerate or invent problems, (2) Over-agitate with false urgency, (3) Sell solutions that don't actually solve the problem. Used ethically, PAS simply articulates real problems clearly and shows how you solve them. If your product genuinely helps, PAS is just effective communication, not manipulation.

What's the difference between PAS and fear-based marketing?

PAS identifies real problems and their consequences. Fear-based marketing invents or exaggerates threats to scare people into buying. Good PAS is honest: "You're losing $X due to inefficiency." Bad fear-mongering: "Your competitors will DESTROY you if you don't buy NOW!" The difference is honesty, accuracy, and whether the problem genuinely exists.

Can PAS work for non-profit or cause-based marketing?

Absolutely. Charities use PAS effectively: Problem ("10 million children lack clean water"), Agitate ("Every day without clean water means illness, missed school, and preventable deaths"), Solution ("Your $20 provides a family with clean water for a year"). PAS helps communicate urgency and impact clearly. Just stay factually accurate and avoid emotional manipulation.

Should I use PAS in combination with other frameworks?

Yes, often. Combine PAS with storytelling (use a story to illustrate the problem), or PAS with FAB (after presenting the solution, dive into features-advantages-benefits). Many high-converting pages use PAS as the structure, then layer in social proof, guarantees, bonuses, and FAQ sections. PAS is the foundation, other elements enhance it.

How do I know if I'm agitating too much or too little?

Test with your target audience. Too little agitation: People read the problem and think "meh, not urgent." Too much: They feel manipulated or overwhelmed. Good agitation makes them think "wow, this is costing me more than I realized—I need to fix this." Watch your analytics: High bounce rate after agitation = too much. Low conversion despite traffic = too little.

Does PAS work in video content?

Extremely well. Video makes agitation even more powerful through visuals and tone. YouTube ads, VSLs (video sales letters), and webinars commonly use PAS. Example: Show someone struggling with the problem (visual), describe escalating consequences (agitation with emotion), then demonstrate the solution. Video adds emotional depth that text alone can't achieve.