Persuasion frameworks

## PAS: Problem, Agitate, Solution 1. **Problem.** _Your API keys are scattered across `.env` files, CI configs, and Slack messages._ 2. **Agitate.** _One leaked key can take down production. You won't know until a customer calls._ 3. **Solution.** _Vault centralises every secret with per-environment rotation and zero-config CI integration._ Use PAS when the audience knows the pain but hasn't acted. Over-agitation is the common failure. Read it aloud. Cringe? Soften. Shrug? Sharpen. ## AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action 1. **Attention.** Interrupt the scroll. _73% of SaaS churn happens before the first "aha" moment._ 2. **Interest.** Show relevance. _If onboarding takes more than one session, you're losing._ 3. **Desire.** Show the outcome with proof. _Teams using Onramp cut time-to-value by 40%._ 4. **Action.** One clear CTA. _See your onboarding score free._ Use AIDA for cold traffic: display ads, cold email. Skip for warm traffic. Common failure: "Get more done with our app" tries to be Attention, Interest, and Desire at once. ## StoryBrand: Customer as hero The customer is the hero. The product is the guide. | Beat | Question | Example | | ------- | ----------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | | Hero | Who is the customer? | A founder who can't sleep because deploys keep failing | | Problem | External + internal + philosophical | Broken deploys; feeling incompetent; code should ship, not haunt | | Guide | Who helps them? | The product, positioned as the expert | | Plan | What are the steps? | Connect repo, set alerts, deploy with confidence | | CTA | What action do you invite? | _Start your first deploy free_ | | Success | What does winning look like? | Ship on Friday without anxiety | | Failure | What's at stake? | More 3 a.m. incidents, more team burnout | Count _we/our/us_ versus _you/your_. If we-language wins, the brand is the hero. Use StoryBrand for homepage heroes, about pages, and sales pages. Skip it on pricing pages and reference docs. ## BAB: Before, After, Bridge 1. **Before.** _You spend two hours every Monday pulling reports from four tools._ 2. **After.** _Every metric, live, in one dashboard. Monday starts with decisions._ 3. **Bridge.** _Metric pairs your stack in 15 minutes and surfaces the numbers that move revenue._ Use BAB when the audience wants change but needs a path. BAB assumes motivation; PAS creates it. "Our product makes it easy" is a dead bridge. "Connect Stripe and Postgres, the dashboard is live before your coffee cools" is one the reader can picture. ## Choosing by audience temperature | Temperature | Definition | Framework | | ------------------ | ---------------------------- | ---------- | | **Cold** | No context, no awareness | AIDA | | **Problem-aware** | Knows the pain, hasn't acted | PAS | | **Solution-aware** | Comparing alternatives | StoryBrand | | **Motivated** | Wants change, needs a path | BAB | Pick the framework before writing a word.