What is the PAS formula?
Problem, Agitate, Solution: name a real problem, show the cost of leaving it, then offer a path.
What it means
PAS is a short copywriting formula. The letters stand for Problem, Agitate, and Solution. You name a real problem, raise the cost of leaving it alone, and then offer a way out.
- Problem: a real problem the reader is likely to have.
- Agitate: the stakes of leaving it alone.
- Solution: the path that relieves it, after the problem, not before.
PAS is a sales method: a framework for how to think and write. It is not a study result, and this page does not attach a win rate or reply rate to it. This site is not affiliated with its authors or with any company that teaches it.
What it means for a sales email
Agitate means stakes, not shame. Showing what a problem costs is fair. Making the reader feel foolish, or inventing fear, is not. Keep the solution short and follow it with one ask.
PAS works well on a short cold note because it is naturally problem first. The mistake to avoid is leading with the solution and bolting a problem on afterward.
Writing practice and method guidance, not a study result.
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