There’s an online ocean filled with copywriting formulas, tactics and frameworks…
To be honest…
I’ve only used a handful throughout the last 4 years of writing copy.
However, there is one copywriting formula that I’ll always use.
Why?
Because it simply works MAGIC.
It’s probably the most effective way to help your clients generate more leads and convert more sales.
Because this copywriting formula makes it easy for you to grab your reader's attention, hook them from the very first word, and have them drooling with excitement, begging for a way to buy from you.
What is this method I speak of?
The PAS copywriting formula.
This copywriting formula is used by some of the best copywriters, salesmen and marketers on the planet.
It’s stupidly simple to use and will almost instantly turn dull, ignored copy into money printing machines.
In this post…
I’m going to reveal what the PAS copywriting formula is… How YOU can use this formula to improve your copywriting skills INSTANTLY… hand you 5 specific PAS copywriting examples and give you a handy dandy template to practice this money-making framework TODAY.
What is the PAS Copywriting Formula?
The PAS copywriting formula is a tried-n-true framework used by salesmen, copywriters and marketers to sell products.
By using this copywriting formula, you can effortlessly write interesting, engaging, and persuasive copy that hooks your readers and gets them to take immediate action.
The PAS copywriting formula stands for…
Problem
Agitate
Solution
Now that you know WHAT the problem agitate solution copywriting formula is…
Here’s HOW to use it to inject selling steroids into your writing…
How to Use The Problem Agitate Solution Framework to Improve Your Copywriting Almost Instantly
This formula is very simple and easy to use…
Here’s a quick breakdown of how to apply each element.
Problem
Bring up the biggest problem your target audience is currently facing.
How do you find the biggest problem your audience is facing?
RESEARCH.
As a copywriter, research is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of the “writing” process.
If you can’t find the biggest problem from the market research info that your clients or company provides you… do this…
Go to reddit.com
Search for your market’s subreddit (just search the keyword in Reddit and click on the group – for example: “golf”)
Like this…
Now…
Browse your market’s subreddit.
Be on the lookout for common problems, pains, fears, frustrations, insecurities, etc. that keep popping up.
Click on the posts and read them & the comments.
After doing this for a few minutes you should be able to find your market’s BIGGEST problem they’re currently facing (related to whatever you’re writing about).
The best part is…
It will be in the market’s own words.
Meaning:
They’ll tell you exactly what their problem is – in a ton of unfiltered details.
Once you find the single biggest problem…
Place it front and center in your copy.
You can put it in your headline or bring it up right away in your body copy.
Make it crystal clear and direct.
Plus, you should call out your target audience…
Here’s an example:
For struggling golfers who are too embarrassed to play with their friends.
Then, after you’ve flagged down your readers by bringing up the BIGGEST problem they’re currently experiencing when stumbling across your copy…
Agitate
Agitate your target audience’s problem by tapping into their EMOTIONS.
Tap into their…
Anger, resentment, guilt, embarrassment, fear, insecurity, greed…
Any and every negative emotion.
The goal is to make their problem larger than life, worse than death.
Get them stomping around their house, with fists in the air, shouting - “This has got to stop! I’ve got to do something about this RIGHT NOW!”
To achieve this, you must paint a VIVID VISION (filled with emotions), inside their mind, of their PROBLEM.
The easiest way to paint this painful vision is to talk about their problems… using… specific details… and… word images.
Get as specific as possible when talking about their problems.
Cover all the details about their problem and their situation.
Here are a few examples to understand this better:
To make your copy more specific…
Don’t say – “Save lots of money.”
Do say – “Save $327 each month for the next 5 years.”
Don’t say – “ripe strawberries.”
Do say – “Fire red, mouth-watering strawberries hand-picked from Nana’s garden."
Don’t say – “I made a sandwich.”
Do say – “I grabbed ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, and baby spinach out of my fridge and placed them in between 2 slices of toasted whole wheat bread.”
You get the point…
Now, here’s how to paint vision in your reader’s mind using word images…
Word images = vivid words that hit your reader’s 5-senses:
- Touch
- Taste
- Smell
- Hear
- See
Use as many of these 5 senses throughout your copy as possible.
Doing so will paint a vivid picture in their mind’s eye of their problem and will agitate it, urging them to take action NOW to solve it.
Here’s a few examples:
Touch – I sliced my toe on a razor-sharp piece of glass.
Taste – the chocolate had hints of tart raspberry and sugar-sweet vanilla.
Smell – her perfume smelt like cotton candy from the carnival.
Hear – her deep, scratchy voice penetrated my ears.
See – his Jabba The Hut gut jiggled when he jumped up to catch the football.
Also…
Stories work like magic to paint vision and get inside your readers’ minds.
The easiest (and most effective) way to create stories that agitate their problems, is to tell a dramatic story of someone whom the reader can identify with and relate to (someone else in the market who has faced similar problems and found a solution).
Solution
Then…
After you’ve got them all hot & bothered…
Offer the solution to their problem!
Emphasis on what USING your client’s product (or service) will DO FOR THEM.
Tips:
Make the solution instant & effortless to obtain.
You want to convince them that they can solve their problem by using your client’s product or service.
Again, if you don’t already know the #1 solution that your client’s product or service solves then you have some digging to do, my friend…
You can use Reddit (similar to finding their problem on Reddit), Amazon reviews, your competition, Facebook groups, etc.
Find the BIGGEST solution that your client’s product or service solves and bring it up right after you’ve agitated your readers’ BIG problem.
5 PAS Copywriting Examples to Help You Write More Persuasive Copy
Here are 5 examples of the Problem Agitate Solution formula in action…
Use these PAS copywriting examples as inspiration when writing copy.
PAS Copywriting Example #1:
PAS Copywriting Example #2:
PAS Copywriting Example #3:
PAS Copywriting Example #4:
PAS Copywriting Example #5:
PAS Practice Exercise: How to Practice the PAS Copywriting Formula Today! (WITHOUT Clients)
Here’s a practice exercise you can use TODAY to practice the Problem Agitate Solution copywriting formula…
Go on Amazon.com.
Search for a product you’re interested in writing about.
Do some QUICK research…
Read the product’s description, some reviews, the benefits, etc.
Then…
Paste the product’s title into a Word Doc (or whatever online writing software you use).
And write…
Product:
Problem:
Agitate:
Solution:
Then simply add a couple sentences (or paragraphs, if you’re feeling frisky) for each section.
Conclusion
You now have one of the most powerful copywriting frameworks in your copywriting arsenal.
Practice the Problem Agitate Solution copywriting formula regularly to transform your copywriting skills and use it in your next copywriting project to explode sales and impress your clients.
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