Writing Frameworks for Marketers

Writing without a framework is like building without a blueprint. You might get lucky, but most of the time you’ll end up with something that doesn’t hold together.

Frameworks give your writing structure. They help you organise your argument, keep the reader moving forward, and make sure you don’t bury the point. They’re not creative straitjackets — they’re scaffolding you can build on.

Here are the most useful writing frameworks for marketers, when to use each one, and how they work in practice.

Table of contents

PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solve)

PAS is probably the most widely used copywriting framework, and for good reason. It mirrors the way people actually make decisions — they notice a problem, feel the pain of it, and then look for relief.

• Problem — Name the specific pain your reader is experiencing. Be concrete.
• Agitate — Make the problem feel urgent. What happens if they don’t fix it? What’s the cost of inaction?
• Solve — Present your solution as the clear path forward.

PAS works well for landing pages, ads, emails, and any short-form copy where you need to grab attention and drive action quickly.

Example:

Struggling to convert website visitors into leads? (Problem) Every day without a fix, you’re losing potential customers to competitors who make it easier to buy. (Agitate) Our landing page templates are designed to guide visitors toward a single, clear action — so you stop leaking revenue. (Solve)

For more on PAS and other conversion-focused techniques, see our guide to conversion copywriting.

AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action)

AIDA has been around since the 1890s and it still works. It’s a four-step sequence that moves the reader from awareness to action.

• Attention — Open with something that stops the scroll. A bold claim, a surprising stat, a question that hits home.
• Interest — Give the reader a reason to keep going. Share relevant information, a story, or a fresh angle.
• Desire — Make them want what you’re offering. Show the transformation, the outcome, the result.
• Action — Tell them exactly what to do next. Be specific and direct.

AIDA is a natural fit for longer-form copy — sales pages, email sequences, video scripts, and product launches.

Example:

73% of B2B buyers say most marketing content is useless. (Attention) The problem isn’t quality — it’s relevance. Most teams write for search engines, not for the person reading. (Interest) Imagine every piece of content you publish attracting the exact right buyer and moving them closer to a decision. (Desire) Start your free trial and see the difference in your first week. (Action)

BAB (Before, After, Bridge)

BAB is a storytelling framework. Instead of leading with pain, you paint two pictures — the reader’s current reality and a better future — then show them how to get there.

• Before — Describe the reader’s current situation. Make it feel familiar.
• After — Show them what life looks like once the problem is solved.
• Bridge — Explain how your product, service, or idea connects the two.

BAB is particularly effective for case studies, testimonials, onboarding emails, and any context where you want the reader to visualise a transformation.

Example:

Before: You’re spending hours every week pulling data from five different tools into a spreadsheet, just to figure out what’s working. After: You open one dashboard and see every metric that matters, updated in real time. Bridge: Growth Method connects your analytics stack and surfaces the insights automatically.

The 4 Ps (Promise, Picture, Proof, Push)

The 4 Ps framework builds credibility into the structure itself. It’s useful when your reader is sceptical or comparing options.

• Promise — Make a clear, specific claim about what you can deliver.
• Picture — Help the reader imagine the outcome. Use concrete detail.
• Proof — Back up your promise with evidence. Data, testimonials, case studies, specifics.
• Push — Give them a reason to act now, and tell them exactly how.

This framework works well for sales pages, proposals, and any writing where trust is a barrier.

Example:

We’ll cut your reporting time by 80%. (Promise) Instead of spending Friday afternoons wrangling spreadsheets, you’ll have a live dashboard ready for your Monday standup. (Picture) Our customers save an average of 6 hours per week on reporting — here’s how Acme Corp did it. (Proof) Start your free trial today. No credit card required. (Push)

PASTOR (Problem, Amplify, Story, Transformation, Offer, Response)

PASTOR is an expanded version of PAS, designed for longer-form persuasive writing. It adds storytelling and social proof to the core problem-solution structure.

• Problem — Identify the reader’s pain.
• Amplify — Make the consequences of inaction clear.
• Story — Tell a story of someone who faced the same problem.
• Transformation — Show the result they achieved.
• Offer — Present what you’re offering.
• Response — Tell the reader exactly what to do next.

PASTOR is well-suited to long sales pages, webinar scripts, and launch emails where you have space to build a full narrative arc.

Thesis-Antithesis-Synthesis

This one comes from dialectical reasoning, but it’s one of the most powerful frameworks for thought leadership and persuasive content. Animalz wrote an excellent breakdown of it.

The core idea: don’t just assert your position. Acknowledge the opposing view, then resolve the tension.

• Thesis — Present the accepted idea or conventional wisdom.
• Antithesis — Introduce the counterargument. Show where the thesis breaks down.
• Synthesis — Resolve the tension with a stronger, more nuanced position — your actual point.

This framework works because one-sided arguments trigger resistance. Readers already have objections in their heads. By naming those objections and addressing them honestly, you build credibility and make your conclusion feel earned rather than asserted.

Use it for blog posts, opinion pieces, LinkedIn posts, and any content where you’re challenging the status quo or introducing a new way of thinking.

Example:

Most marketers believe you need to post every day to grow on social media. (Thesis) But daily posting often leads to filler content that trains your audience to ignore you. (Antithesis) The better approach is to post less frequently, but make every piece count — one strong post per week outperforms seven mediocre ones. (Synthesis)

FAB (Features, Advantages, Benefits)

FAB is a product-focused framework that’s useful for product pages, feature announcements, and comparison content.

• Features — Describe what the product does.
• Advantages — Explain why that matters compared to alternatives.
• Benefits — Translate it into a real-world outcome for the reader.

The key with FAB is to always end on the benefit. Features tell, benefits sell.

Example:

Growth Method integrates with Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Salesforce. (Feature) Unlike standalone dashboards, your experiment data sits alongside your analytics. (Advantage) You can see the direct impact of every experiment on the metrics you care about — without switching tools. (Benefit)

How to Choose the Right Framework

There’s no single best framework. The right one depends on what you’re writing and where your reader is in their journey.

A few practical tips:

• Start with PAS or AIDA if you’re new to frameworks. They’re the most versatile.
• Use BAB when you want empathy — it’s the most reader-centric framework.
• Reach for Thesis-Antithesis-Synthesis when you have a point of view — it’s the strongest framework for persuasive, opinion-driven content.
• Combine frameworks — use AIDA for your overall structure and PAS for individual sections.

A Final Note on Differentiation

Frameworks give your writing structure, but structure alone won’t make your content stand out. True content differentiation comes from combining a unique insight with a unique format. The best marketers don’t just follow frameworks — they bring original thinking and present it in ways their audience hasn’t seen before. A well-structured article with nothing new to say is still forgettable.