I’ve got a nice little treat for you today. My go-to formula whether I’m writing an article, landing page, email, or a LinkedIn profile summary.
I’ve used it so much this formula has become second nature. And should become second nature for you, too.
It will help speed things along, allow you to structure difficult concepts and copy in a persuasive format.
Keep in mind this formula not only works for short-form copy, but long form as well. Most successful sales letters are structured this way.
In this 7-minute episode discover:
- How I found out about this formula (involves a television evangelist)
- My strong feelings about why everyone should learn copywriting
- How to make this formula second nature
- How to add variety to this formula
- A small challenge to you (involves this formula)
Listen to Rough Draft below ...

- Social:
- Link:
- Embed:
The Show Notes
The Transcript
My Favorite Copywriting Formula … Ever!
Demian Farnworth: Hi, and welcome to Rough Draft, your daily dose of essential web writing advice. I am your host, Demian Farnworth, the Chief Content Writer for Copyblogger Media.
And thank you for sharing the next few minutes of your life with me.
I hope you enjoyed last week. A week of interviews. A week of breaking the usual Rough Draft monologue mold.
Let me know what you think of those interviews. Drop a comment or hit me up on Twitter.
I’ve got a nice little treat for you today. A formula. My favorite copywriting formula. My go-to formula, whether I’m writing an article, landing page, email, or a LinkedIn profile summary.
I’ve used it so much, this formula has become second nature. And should become second nature for you, too.
It will help speed things along, structure difficult concepts and copy.
Speaking of copy, consider this episode an introduction to the next set of episodes where we are going to hit a stretch of shows that focus on copywriting.
And when I say a stretch, I mean a long stretch. A Route 66 sort of stretch.
My Strong Feelings About Why Everyone Should Learn Copywriting
See, the study of copywriting is essential for web writers because the tricks of persuasion you’ll learn from copywriting will keep visitors on your page.
In past episodes we talked about the on-page elements to keep people reading … things like sub-headlines, great sentences, internal cliffhangers, powerful endings …
And now we are going to talk about the emotional side of writing.
Because if you are online to build a business or an organization or promote a cause, then you need to be persuasive since, ultimately, you want people to act in some way.
And persuasion — this discipline of copywriting — is the ticket to getting there. The great thing about studying the art and science of copywriting is that when you master the fundamentals like this formula, you acquire skills that you can take anywhere.
How I Found Out About this Formula (Involves a Television Evangelist)
So, what formula am I talking about? I’m talking about the Problem-Agitate-Solve formula. That is my favorite copywriting formula in the world.
The formula works like this:
- Identify a problem
- Agitate that problem
- Trot out the solution
I learned this formula when I was a copy cub working for a world-famous television evangelist.
This woman toured the country every other week, held a three-day conference in a major city, and then hit the road again.
So she did this like 26 times a year.
After each conference the production team flipped the audio and video files into cassette and VHS tapes. My job was to write descriptions for the product sleeves.
And because I was limited in space — about six sentences total — and, more important, I was limited in time. (I had poems to write.)
I needed a fast way to knock these descriptions out.
So I dialed into AOL and rummaged through the search listings until I came across some direct-response copywriter’s email newsletter archive.
And for hours I laid waste to his treasures until I emerged with what I needed: the problem-agitate-solve (PAS) formula.
Or PAS.
How to Make this Formula Second Nature
From that point I experimented. Here’s an example of an ad I might have written back then.
Insecure? You’re not alone. Millions of people admit to being insecure. Yet, remain that way and you’ll live a life in the shadows. A life on the fringe. Always wishing, never doing. Fortunately, there’s an answer.
Then I’d introduce the television evangelist’s teaching for that tape, which was the solution. Worked like a charm.
This formula came in handy 18 months later when I was in charge of writing product descriptions for hundreds of products for an online store. At the time it was mind-numbing, but the deliberate practice made the formula part of me.
It was muscle memory.
How to Add Variety to this Formula
You can also add a little variety. For instance, you can ask two or three questions in your opening: “Frustrated with your job? Hate your boss? Love to work for yourself? You’re not alone.”
And so on.
Keep in mind this formula not only works for short-form copy, but long form as well. Most successful sales letters are structured this way. Brian Clark’s Site Sensor post is a great example. I’ll link to that in the show notes. Brian identified the dominant pain point, aggravated it, and then trotted out the solution.
And that’s my favorite copywriting formula.
A Small Challenge to You (Involves this Formula)
So here’s my challenge to you. An opportunity to practice this formula. Jump on Twitter or in the comments here on the podcast and convince me of something … something like following you or listening to your podcast or reading an article you wrote … and make sure you use the PAS formula.
Make sense? Okay. You got your marching orders. Go and write. I look forward to hearing from you.
And until next time, take care.
Greetings from Vancouver Demian. Great show. Just what the doctor ordered.
I am Inbound Certified and intend to target entrepreneurs and brand myself either as a VA or a virtual social media assistant.
Aside from going to the chiropractor to have my spine adjusted day-in and day-out (an ongoing journey since 2011), I spent relentless hours learning and polishing my skills at Udemy.
According to Hubspot Academy, creating buyer personas is an important element of an effective inbound strategy.
And according to Adele Revella (the CEO of Buyer Persona Institute), hiring an expert interviewer would cost me $350 per interview. That leaves me with getting a copy of Adele’s book “Buyer Personas” since the branding of my site so desperately depends on getting this part right.
Your PAS formula for sure comes in handy once I overcome the preliminary hurdle.
Hey good to hear from you, Bonnie. I will be in Vancouver in September for the Unbounce conference. Going?
Hi Demian. Perhaps in future years. For the moment, I intend to focus on my career aspirations, my brand and how I want to show up. Aside from figuring out how I can offer value, I need to sort out my money house. I need to earn before I can invest in expensive seminars: truth be told.
Exhausted from hours of podcasting? In need of some inspiration to recharge those batteries? Not sure where to turn? Well, you’re not alone. It’s not easy producing a podcast and growing an audience. Fortunately, for those times when you need some inspiration or a laugh, there’s http://www.johnpatrickweiss.com! Artful articles on better living and cool, hand drawn cartoons! Just the prescription to renew your creative spirit!
So that’s my first stab at your PAS strategy! I enjoyed the podcast!
That’s perfect, John! Love it man.
Feel like you’re on a treadmill? Like that one your little girl’s gerbil, Benny, runs on for hours on end in the living room.
Feel like there’s no way out? Every solution you come up with means letting down those who depend on you — like your little girl and her little Benny?
Well, I’m heare to tell you: don’t worry. That’s right, don’t worry — not even for a second.
Give it up, and start enjoying life again. Enjoy your sweet little girl again, her darling smile and half-baked attempts at English. And even dirty, dear little Benny.
Because today I have the solution. And it works everytime. And all you have to do is open the email I’ll send you tomorrow for all the details.
So, if you must wallow in your misery, do it today. Because after tomorrow, you’ll never get to do it again.
Until then.
Love it, Terrence. Great opening. Nice close. Resonates. 😀
Struggling to find time to update your blog regularly or give thought to your online content?
Need help with writing an article, crafting a compelling newsletter to your clients, or just pumping up your social media bio so people will actually want to connect with someone as awesome as you?
Whatever it is, when it comes to the written word. We can help.
We write to save you time and money.
Don’t delay, let’s get started! http://kreativforditas.com/
Great job, EL! Glad to see you around these parts, too. 😀
This my favourite formula too and I find myself using it in almost every copywriting project.
Even if I don’t follow the formula strictly, it’s a great to think through the big, hairy pain point and how I can add salt to the wound most effectively. I figure that if I know how to do that, I probably know my audience pretty well. And that’s always a good start, right?
That’s the key: realizing you can play with the formula. I think that’s what makes a great writer. Understanding the rules, and then playing with them.
Exactly the theme of your recent post. SNAP!
You are paying attention. 😀