Use this article to empathize and connect with your audience. No matter how short on time or resources you are, this 3-step formula will save your day while helping engage your target audience. Plus, you can package all stories using the PAS framework – be it verbal, written, or video-based stories.
A thorough product/service demo, your audience profile, a notebook.
You can create this on your own as well in collaboration with members of your team who have a deep understanding of the product/service and/or the audience.
Begin with understanding the problem your product/service solves. Then, dig into understanding the problem your target audience struggles with.
For example, you may think that your product solves the problem of making to-do lists. But that’s the solution – not the problem. The problem solved then is helping people stay organized, in control of their schedule, therefore, helping them practice work-life balance.
The key to success with the PAS Play is knowing what your audience struggles with and how your product can seamlessly fit into the picture by helping solve that problem.
An early-stage startup founder, for example, might not necessarily be invested in work-life balance as the CEO of a mature SaaS company.
Having this information will help you identify which emotions to highlight in your Play.
Now, work on describing P or the ‘problem.’
The goal? To capture your audience’s pain point as accurately as possible. This way, the opening scene or line (depending on your story format) will instantly capture their attention.
For starters, identify one problem your audience faces and run with it. You can describe three problems at a time as well. But that can dilute your message unless you become a pro at using the PAS Play and can effectively capture all your audience’s problems in one scene/line.
Create characters that showcase the problem your audience faces so they can see themselves in the story. Grammarly does this best in this video — everyone’s been in Tyler’s shoes so they’d want the same solution.
Introduce not just one but multiple characters in your PAS story structure. This helps you explain your product’s various use cases.
Next, rub or agitate the problem — the ‘A’ in the formula.
You don’t want to make fun of your audience’s struggles. Instead, aim to empathize – show you understand them.
Done well, agitating the problem will help your audience relate with you. They’d end up thinking ‘this is exactly what I feel – these folks just get me!’
Take a look at how this landing page clearly outlines the feelings its audience must be feeling: “frustrated, embarrassed, scared of wasting time, and paralyzed by the fear of being stuck.”
Finally, pull out the solution ‘S’ – your product, service, or proposal. Show exactly how it can help your audience get rid of the negative feelings that you introduced in the story’s start.
Identify the problem, capture how it makes your audience feel, and present a solution. Simple, isn’t it?
And while there are several ways to mould the PAS Play such as introducing characters, start with keeping it simple. Try different twists to the formula only after you’ve developed a grip over it.
Masooma Memon is a freelance writer for B2B SaaS and ecommerce brands writing actionable content for clients like CoSchedule, Vimeo, and Databox. She's also an avid reader and shares content writing and marketing tips in her weekly newsletter, The Content Workshop.
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