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Skillscopy-frameworks

copy-frameworks

Marketing & growth

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Updated 10-15 23:44

About this skill

Copy Frameworks — AIDA / PAS / BAB

Three frameworks. One question: what structure fits this message, this audience, and this format?

Before using any framework: Check storybrand-marketing — the BrandScript gives you the character, problem, and stakes that feed every section below. Don't invent them from scratch.

Framework Selector

Use this matrix to pick the right framework before writing anything.

If your audience is... And your format is... And your lever is... → Use
Cold / problem-aware Ad, email, social post Fear, pain, urgency PAS
Warm / solution-aware Email, landing page section Hope, aspiration, desire BAB
Any temperature Full email, sales page section, VSL act Broad — need to cover all bases AIDA
Hot / product-aware Any format (short) Decision, conviction AIDA condensed
Long-form (1000+ words) Sales letter, webinar, VSL Transformation + offer → pastor skill

Rules of thumb:

  • PAS = push (pain away from). Use when the problem is visceral.
  • BAB = pull (toward an ideal). Use when transformation is the headline.
  • AIDA = universal. Works at any length; starts with stopping power, not pain.
  • Combine: Open with PAS, close with BAB. The agitation shows consequence; the "After" shows reward.

See detailed decision tree: references/framework-selector.md

Framework 1 — AIDA

Attention → Interest → Desire → Action

The universal framework. Maps the buyer's psychological journey in any format. Source: E. St. Elmo Lewis (1898), popularized by Jim Edwards.

A — Attention

Stop the scroll. The headline's sole job is to get the reader to read the next line.

  • Match to the reader's awareness level (see marketing-psychology → Schwartz Awareness)
  • Use a proven headline formula (see copywriting → references/headline-formulas.md)
  • 3-second rule: if they can't grasp the promise in 3 seconds, rewrite.

I — Interest

Hold the attention you earned. Expand the promise.

  • Use a shocking statistic, "Did you know..." pattern, or dramatic fact
  • Confirm their Problems, Questions, and Roadblocks (they feel understood)
  • This is where you earn the right to keep talking

D — Desire

Convert interest into wanting. Benefits over features.

  • Feature → Benefit → Meaning formula: "It [does X] so you can [do Y] which means [outcome Z]"
  • Stack 2-3 benefits using bullets
  • Paint the "After" state (borrow from BAB's After section here)
  • Use social proof to make the desire feel attainable, not just desirable

A — Action

Tell them exactly what to do. No ambiguity.

  • Use a direct command: "Click here to [specific outcome]"
  • See copywriting → references/cta-formulas.md for patterns
  • If the piece is long: recap the offer before the CTA

AIDA Template

[ATTENTION]  Headline: "How to [desired outcome] in [timeframe] even if [objection]"
[INTEREST]   "Did you know 99% of people who [action] never [result]? Here's why..."
[DESIRE]     "It [feature] → so you can [benefit] → which means [meaning to their life]"
             + 2-3 supporting bullets + social proof
[ACTION]     "Click here to [get X] — [optional urgency/risk-reversal]"

AIDA Variations

Variant What's added Best for
AIDCA Conviction (proof/testimonials) before Action High-ticket, unknown brands
AIDDA Determination (moment of resolve) before Action Premium emotional purchases
Micro-AIDA One line per stage Ad copy, subject lines

Framework 2 — PAS

Problem → Agitate → Solution

The most versatile pain-first framework. PAS identifies a problem, twists the knife, then offers relief. Compresses into 3 sentences or expands to 3 pages. Source: Dan Kennedy / Jim Edwards (DAS variant).

PAS → PASTOR: PAS is the skeleton. When the copy needs story, transformation, and offer architecture, escalate to pastor.

P — Problem

Name the villain. Be brutally specific.

  • Use the customer's own language (pull from reviews, support tickets, interviews)
  • One specific pain, not a category of pains
  • Maps to storybrand-marketing Module 2: External Problem

A — Agitate

Make it hurt. Most copy fails here by simply repeating the problem. Four agitation techniques:

  1. Future pacing the pain — "What happens in 6 months if nothing changes?"
  2. Social cost — "Meanwhile your competitors are..."
  3. Identity cost — "And every day this goes on, it says something about you..."
  4. Compound effect — "The problem doesn't stay the same size — it grows"

S — Solution

Introduce the product as the bridge. Don't just name it — connect it to the agitated pain.

  • Lead with the biggest benefit (not the feature list)
  • Include a credibility statement: why THIS solution, why you
  • Optional: one proof point (testimonial, number, result)

PAS Template

[PROBLEM]  "Are you still [specific frustration]?"
[AGITATE]  "Which means every day you [compounding consequence],
            and eventually you'll [worst-case outcome the reader fears most]..."
[SOLUTION] "[Product] lets you [core benefit + meaning].
            Here's how it works: [mechanism in one sentence].
            [Proof point]. Click here to [action]."

PAS Variations

Variant Addition Use when
PASA Explicit Action CTA Short-form; forces clarity on next step
PASTOR Story, Transformation, Offer, Response Long-form sales; use pastor skill
PAS + BAB Open with PAS, close with BAB transformation Email sequence mid-nurture

Framework 3 — BAB

Before → After → Bridge

The transformation framework. Sells the journey — from painful present to ideal future — with your product as the bridge. Jim Edwards: "Future Pacing." Best for warm audiences who know the problem and need to see what life looks like on the other side.

BAB = pull copy. If you need push copy, use PAS first, then close with BAB's After.

B — Before (Painful Present)

Describe current reality vividly. The reader must recognize themselves.

  • Daily frustration: "You wake up and [specific painful moment]..."
  • Failed attempts: "You've tried [X], [Y], [Z] and nothing stuck..."
  • Hidden cost: "Every [week/month] you delay costs you [specific loss]..."

A — After (Desired Future)

Paint the ideal outcome. Make it sensory and emotional.

  • Emotional payoff: "Imagine [sensory scene of success]..."
  • Identity shift: "You walk into [context] and people notice something changed..."
  • Compound benefit: "And because [X] is handled, you finally have time for [Y]..."

Maps directly to storybrand-marketing Module 6 (Success Vision):

  • After (External) = tangible outcome
  • After (Internal) = how they feel
  • After (Philosophical) = who they become

B — Bridge (Your Product)

Connect Before to After with your mechanism.

  1. Show the hard/painful old way (1 sentence)
  2. Show how your product makes it automatic/simple (1-2 sentences)
  3. Present the product as the obvious shortcut

BAB Template

[BEFORE]  "Right now, you're [specific painful reality].
           Every [day/week] you [compounding frustration],
           and it means [emotional/identity cost]."

[AFTER]   "But imagine [specific ideal reality].
           You'd [emotional payoff],
           and [identity transformation]."

[BRIDGE]  "That's exactly what [Product] does.
           [Feature] → so you can [benefit] → which means [meaning].
           [Proof point or social proof]. Click here to [action]."

Combining Frameworks

These frameworks aren't mutually exclusive. The most powerful copy uses them together:

PAS + BAB (email / mid-length copy)

Open with PAS (3 paragraphs): Agitate the pain hard
Pivot: "But here's the thing..."
Close with BAB (2 paragraphs): Paint the After, then bridge with product

AIDA with BAB's Desire section

[A] Headline stops the scroll
[I] Shocking stat or story creates interest
[D] Use BAB's Before/After contrast to build desire — see the transformation
[A] CTA

Full email sequence mapping

  • Email 1-3 (cold/nurture): PAS per email
  • Email 4-5 (transition): BAB — show transformation via case study
  • Email 6-8 (sell): AIDA or PASTOR structure
  • (See emails skill for Soap Opera Sequence + pastor for long-form close)

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing any piece of copy using these frameworks:

  • Framework chosen matches traffic temperature and emotional lever (see selector)
  • Problem named with customer's own language, not company language
  • Agitation goes beyond repeating the problem (future pace, social cost, identity cost)
  • Benefits use Feature → Benefit → Meaning, not just feature list
  • "After" state is sensory and emotional, not just logical
  • CTA is specific (not "Click here" — "Click here to [outcome]")
  • BrandScript consulted for character, internal problem, and stakes (if available)

Gotchas

  • Skipping agitation: "Problem → Solution" without Agitate = PMS, not PAS. Readers feel understood only if the agitation lands. Don't rush to the solution.
  • Aspirational BAB without tension: A beautiful After with no painful Before = a dream, not a reason to act. The Before must hurt.
  • Generic AIDA: "Attention-grabbing headline" means nothing. The headline must stop this person for this reason. Specificity = attention.
  • Using BAB for cold traffic: Cold audiences don't know they have a problem yet. Lead with PAS (name and agitate the problem) before painting the After.
  • Forgetting the BrandScript: If you have a BrandScript, every framework section should pull from it. Don't invent a different character or problem.

Related Skills

  • storybrand-marketing ⭐ — BrandScript is the source of character, problem, and stakes for every section above. Complete it first.
  • pastor — Long-form escalation: when PAS needs story, transformation, and offer architecture
  • copywriting — Execution: tone, editing, and format-specific implementation
  • copy-frameworks/references/framework-selector.md — Detailed decision tree + full comparison table
  • marketing-psychology — Schwartz Awareness Levels determine which framework entry point to use
  • emails — Apply these frameworks per email in a sequence