PAS
Problem, Agitate, Solution — make the pain real before you offer relief. Popularized by Dan Kennedy.
Problem, Agitate, Solution — make the pain real before you offer relief. Popularized by Dan Kennedy.
Best for: Pain-point marketing, complaint-driven content, and contrarian takes.
Origin
PAS was popularized by Dan Kennedy, one of the most influential direct-response copywriters of the late 20th century. Kennedy's philosophy was simple: people buy to solve problems, so your job is to make the problem unbearably vivid before offering relief.
When to use it
Pain-point marketing, complaint-driven content, and contrarian takes.
How it works
- 1
Problem — Name the thing they are struggling with, specifically
- 2
Agitate — Show the cost of not solving it
- 3
Solution — Present your answer as the obvious way out
Common mistakes
Naming a problem that is too generic — 'struggling with content' is weak; 'posting for a week then ghosting for a month' is vivid
Skipping the agitation stage and jumping straight to the solution — without tension, the solution feels premature
Offering a solution that does not directly address the agitated pain — the fix must match the specific wound you opened
Use PAS on your content
Install Repurposito to apply PAS to any webpage, YouTube transcript, or social thread — and paste the result straight into your scheduler.
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PAS FAQ
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