PAS Formula by John Henny

PAS Formula by John Henny
August 28, 2019

Here’s a preview from my upcoming book, tentatively titled, Voice Teacher Influencer.

Here, I write about sales copy, or how to be convincing on your website, emails, videos, etc. in order to get more students, fill your master classes or sell your online product.

The PAS Formula
There are many different approaches to advertising and copy but one that tends to be incredibly popular and effective is Problem, Agitate, Solution or PAS.
By using the PAS formula as the basis for your copy you will be able to effectively lay out your case as to why someone should study with or buy from you, and motivate them to take action, especially if you are tuned into your customer and writing directly to them.
Here’s the way it works – first we identify a problem, the more specific to your audience the
better. The problem should also be specific to the solution you wish to sell – and everything we sell is a solution to a problem.

For example: if your audience is musical theatre performers you can focus on the embarrassment of a poor audition.
A typical headline could be: “Was Your Last Audition a Disaster?”
Then you can dive into and agitate the problem more.  We want the reader to feel an emotional response, to really experience and remember why they need to solve and eliminate this problem from happening again.
We can then continue: “You knew you were perfect for the role, you felt prepared and ready, and yet everything fell apart when you started singing. That awful feeling of walking out of the audition knowing you could have done so much better.”
At this point the reader is likely worked up, especially if singing is incredibly important to them.

Now we need to offer a solution, showing them that we, as the wise guide, can change their story into a happy one.  Now is a good time for a little self-promotion, but again the focus is on how your experience can help them, about how you have helped others like them.
“As a voice teacher I have helped hundreds of singers learn to nail their auditions and get the role. Get the specific skills you need to confidently walk into the audition room every time and deliver your best.”

The PAS formula is one you will see again and again because it works. It is simple, direct
and emotionally effective.  Most decisions are made on emotion and then later justified with logic. By appealing to the reader's emotions of frustration and embarrassment and then providing the solution, you become a strong emotional choice to end the pain they are experiencing.

The deeper the pain point, the more likely they are to make the choice to have you solve it.