Quick answer: PAS = Problem → Agitate → Solve. Name a pain your viewer already feels, make the cost of ignoring it vivid, then hand them the fix. In a 30-second Reel: about 4 s of problem, 10 s of agitation, 16 s of solution and CTA. Copy the template below, or build a PAS script in the free template tool.
What is the PAS framework?
PAS is a three-beat copywriting formula. You start where your viewer already is: stuck with a problem. You agitate it by showing what it is costing them. Then you solve it.
It works because it opens on something the viewer recognises in themselves. Copywriter Dan Kennedy put the idea this way: people are "more likely to act to avoid pain than to get gain", and he called PAS possibly "the most reliable sales formula ever invented".
Nobody is sure who first wrote PAS down. It is a staple of direct-response copywriting, and Kennedy is the name most often tied to it.
PAS framework at a glance
| Step | What to say | 30 s Reel | 60 s Reel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Problem | Name one specific pain in the viewer's own words. They should think "that's me". | 0–4 s | 0–5 s |
| Agitate | Show what it costs them: time, money, embarrassment, the thing that keeps happening. | 4–14 s | 5–25 s |
| Solve | The fix, shown step by step, plus one clear next action. | 14–30 s | 25–60 s |
How to use PAS in a Reel
- Problem as the hook. In a Reel the problem is the hook. Say it in the first sentence and put it on screen: "Your coffee habit isn't why you're broke." Specific beats general.
- Agitate with one concrete picture. Don't stack five fears. Pick one consequence and make it visible: the declined card, the plateau photo, the Reel stuck at 200 views.
- Solve fast and clearly. The Solve beat should be the longest. Show the fix, don't just name it. Numbered steps on screen help.
- Close with one action. Save, comment a keyword, or follow for the next part. The solution earns the ask.
Agitation should feel like empathy, not a scare campaign. If the viewer feels judged, they leave before the Solve beat.
PAS examples: 3 Reel scripts you can adapt
All three are original scripts written for this guide.
Example 1: Fitness (30 s)
Goal: saves on a form-fix tip.
| Beat | Voiceover | On-screen text |
|---|---|---|
| Problem 0–4 s | "If your lower back hurts after deadlifts, it's not your back's fault." | Back hurts after deadlifts? |
| Agitate 4–14 s | "You keep adding weight, the pain keeps coming back, and eventually you skip the lift you actually need. That's months of progress gone." | Pain → skip → no progress |
| Solve 14–26 s | "Fix the start: bar over mid-foot, shins to the bar, chest up, then push the floor away. Film one set from the side and check your hips rise with your chest." | 1. Bar mid-foot 2. Shins in 3. Push floor |
| CTA 26–30 s | "Save this for your next pull day." | Save for pull day 📌 |
Example 2: Personal finance (45 s)
Goal: follows for a debt series.
| Beat | Voiceover | On-screen text |
|---|---|---|
| Problem 0–4 s | "You pay your credit card every month and the balance barely moves." | Paying… balance not moving? |
| Agitate 4–18 s | "That's because a big chunk of the minimum payment can go to interest. Keep doing it and you can end up paying for one purchase for years, long after you've forgotten what you bought." | Minimum → lots of interest |
| Solve 18–40 s | "Check your statement for the payoff estimate. Then pick one card, pay more than the minimum on it, and pay just the minimum on the others. When it's cleared, roll that amount onto the next one." | 1 card at a time → roll it over |
| CTA 40–45 s | "Follow for part two: which card to kill first." | Follow for part 2 |
Example 3: Creator / business (60 s)
Goal: install a tool that helps with research (soft CTA).
| Beat | Voiceover | On-screen text |
|---|---|---|
| Problem 0–5 s | "You post every day and your Reels still get stuck at a few hundred views." | Posting daily. Stuck at 300 views. |
| Agitate 5–25 s | "So you post more. You try new trends. You change your hashtags. Nothing changes, and you start thinking the algorithm hates you. Meanwhile someone in your niche posts twice a week and every Reel takes off." | More posts ≠ more views |
| Solve 25–52 s | "Stop guessing. Open that creator's profile, sort their Reels by views, and look at their top five. Transcribe them and write down the first sentence of each. You'll see the same two or three patterns. Use those patterns with your own ideas." | Sort by views → transcribe top 5 → copy the pattern |
| CTA 52–60 s | "I use a free extension for the sorting and transcripts. Comment SORT and I'll send you the link." | Comment SORT 👇 |
PAS script template
Copy this, fill in the brackets, then read it aloud with a timer.
PAS REEL SCRIPT (30 s version; 60 s timings in brackets) [PROBLEM | 0-4 s (0-5 s)] Say: "[the pain, in the viewer's own words: 'If your ___ keeps ___...']" On-screen: [the pain as a question] [AGITATE | 4-14 s (5-25 s)] Say: "[what it's costing them: one concrete consequence]" Show: [the frustrating moment on camera] On-screen: [cause -> consequence] [SOLVE | 14-26 s (25-52 s)] Say: "[the fix in 2-3 steps]" On-screen: [1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___] [CTA | 26-30 s (52-60 s)] Say: "[ONE ask: save / comment ___ / follow for part 2]" On-screen: [the ask]
Prefer a form? Open the free video script template with PAS pre-selected.
What IShort's reel data shows
From IShort's data: Only 17 of 653 classified scripts in our sample followed PAS end to end, too few to publish a reliable number. Most viral reels use a lighter structure, so the useful signal is in how they open:
73% of scripts named the topic in their first sentence; the median hook was 12 words.
The median English script was 166 words, spoken at about 3.4 words per second.
| Hook type (first sentence) | Reels | Median views |
|---|---|---|
| Number / list (“5 habits that…”) | 30 | 448k |
| Question (“Ever wondered why…?”) | 82 | 386k |
| Stop / don't (“Stop doing this…”) | 21 | 368k (small sample) |
| Bold claim | 74 | 230k |
| Personal story (“I…”) | 79 | 116k |
IShort's sample: 1,227 public reels that IShort users chose to transcribe (July–September 2026). 653 transcripts (567 English, 86 Hindi in Devanagari) could be classified by keyword rules. Because users mostly transcribe reels that already did well (median 206k views), treat these as patterns in successful reels, not proof of cause.
PAS vs AIDA vs Before-After-Bridge
| PAS | AIDA | BAB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opens with | A pain | An attention hook | The viewer's current state |
| Middle beat | Makes the pain worse | Builds interest and desire | Paints the better after |
| Tone | Empathy, urgency | Aspirational | Hopeful |
| Best for | Fixes, services, mistakes | Products, launches, offers | Transformations, results |
If your viewer can't feel the problem yet, PAS falls flat; use AIDA to build the want first. If your story is a transformation, Before-After-Bridge is gentler than agitation. See all the options in the reel script frameworks hub.
Common PAS mistakes
Vague problem
"Struggling with money?" is too broad. "Your card balance won't move" gets the nod.
Over-agitating
Fear without a fast fix feels manipulative, and people leave before the Solve beat.
Slow solution
The Solve beat should be the longest. Show the steps, don't just tease them.
Invented pain
If the audience doesn't have the problem, no amount of agitation will create it.
When not to use PAS
- Sensitive topics (health scares, grief, debt shame). Agitating real distress can feel exploitative, so lead with empathy and a gentle fix.
- Aspirational or entertainment content. Travel, food, comedy and trends are about gain and joy, not pain.
- Brand-new categories. If people don't know the problem exists, start by teaching it, or use AIDA.
- Every single Reel. A feed full of problems gets tiring. Rotate PAS with story and list formats.
Find reels that already use PAS
Install IShort and transcribe them. Sort any public profile's reels by views and Viral Score, click Transcribe on a winner, and read its script beat by beat. Free on Chrome and Edge.
Add to Chrome Add to EdgeFrequently asked questions
What does PAS stand for in copywriting?
PAS stands for Problem, Agitate, Solve (sometimes Problem, Agitation, Solution). You name a problem the audience already has, agitate it by showing what it costs them, then present the solution and a clear next step.
Who created the PAS formula?
Nobody knows who first wrote PAS down. It is a long-standing direct-response copywriting formula, and it is most often associated with copywriter Dan Kennedy, who called it possibly the most reliable sales formula ever invented.
How long should each PAS step be in a Reel?
In a 30-second Reel, try 0–4 s Problem, 4–14 s Agitate and 14–30 s Solve including the call to action. In a 60-second Reel, stretch Agitate to about 20 seconds and give Solve at least half the runtime.
Is PAS better than AIDA?
Neither is better overall. PAS works best when the viewer already feels the problem, because it opens on that pain. AIDA works better when you need to create the want first, such as for a new product or an aspirational offer.
Can PAS feel manipulative?
It can if the agitation exaggerates the pain or the solution does not deliver. Keep the problem real and specific, agitate with one honest consequence, and make the Solve beat the most useful part of the Reel.
Sources
- How to Write With Emotion (and Persuade People to Buy) — Enchanting Marketing — Dan Kennedy's PAS quotes
- Copywriting Formulas: Craft Compelling Business Messages — Mailchimp — PAS definition
- AIDA (marketing) — Wikipedia — for the AIDA comparison
How we wrote this: we compared these frameworks with 653 classified transcripts of public reels in IShort's sample (aggregate stats only), wrote every example script ourselves, and list our sources above. By the IShort team. Last updated: 26 Sep 2026.