Framework

Problem → Solution

Step 1Name a sharp pain

Step 2Agitate the cost

Step 3Reveal the fix

The oldest structure in persuasion. Lead with a problem the reader feels in their body, make the cost of inaction vivid, then position your idea as the release valve. Works because it mirrors how people actually make decisions — away from pain first, toward gain second.

Examples

“You're spending 3 hours a day in your inbox. Here's the 20-minute system that replaced mine.”

“Your landing page converts at 1%. The problem isn't traffic — it's the first sentence.”

Templates

You're struggling with ______. Here's the ______ that fixed it for me.The reason ______ isn't working is ______. Fix that first.

Hooks built on this framework

Before you {action}, {warning or insight}.

Authority·LinkedIn

You're losing {resource} to {hidden cause}.

Fear·LinkedIn

Warning: don't {common action} before you {condition}.

Fear·Twitter/X

Read this if you {specific situation}.

Curiosity·Twitter/X

Related frameworks

Framework

Before → After

Paint the old world→Cross the bridge→Show the new world

Sell the transformation, not the feature. Anchor the reader in a painful 'before,' then contrast it with a desirable 'after' they can picture themselves in. The bigger and more specific the gap, the more magnetic the pull.

Framework

Mistake

Confess the error→Show the cost→Extract the lesson

Vulnerability is magnetic. Admitting a mistake lowers the reader's guard, and the implied lesson ('so you don't have to') makes the payoff feel like a gift. The bigger and more specific the cost, the harder it lands.