PAS B2B marketing: the psa-r loop for founders

November 22, 2025

You built a product for other businesses. You know the problem it solves. Now you need words to make people pay attention. The standard advice points you to PAS: Problem, Agitate, Solve. It’s an old formula. It’s elegant. It works great for impulse buys and consumer headaches. It works less great in B2B. In B2B, the problem isn't a headache. It’s a systemic, career-threatening risk. Agitation feels cheap when you're talking about a $50,000 annual software budget. And the solution isn't just about your product; it’s about the safe path to adopting your product. We are builders. We need systems that reflect the reality of B2B buying. That reality is slow, rational, and risk-averse. We need to evolve the model. The core insight: B2B buyers don't just buy a solution. They buy escape from risk. Your marketing needs to focus more on the consequence of inaction than the promise of a feature. This is where the Problem-Solution-Action-Risk (PSA-R) Loop comes in. *** <h2>TL;DR</h2> Effective PAS B2B marketing critiques the classic Problem-Agitate-Solve model, replacing Agitation with a focus on Risk and adding an explicit Action step, creating the iterative Problem-Solution-Action-Risk (PSA-R) Loop for high-stakes business decisions. Short on time? Scroll to the PSA-R Builder section for an immediate, copy-paste marketing prompt. <h2>How to use the PSA-R loop for pas b2b marketing and high-stakes clarity</h2> The classic PAS model moves P → A → S. It’s linear. It works until the prospect hits the internal wall of "But what if this fails and I look stupid?" In B2B, that wall is everything. We are not selling a better life. We are selling job security, compliance, and predictable outcomes. Marketing must address the rational block, not just the emotional need. We are introducing the PSA-R Loop. It extends the core PAS idea but shifts the momentum. It goes: 1. Problem: Define the systemic cost. 2. Solution: Introduce the new reality (not the product yet). 3. Action: Define the first, small, risk-free step. 4. Risk: Quantify the cost of not taking that small step, then circle back to the Problem. This approach transforms a static sales pitch into a perpetual motion machine that drives the prospect forward by neutralizing their internal resistance. Stop trying to make them feel worse (Agitation). Start giving them a clear, low-risk off-ramp (Action/Risk). <h3>Focus on Systemic Problem, Not Surface Pain</h3> Your B2B buyer is not frustrated by an inefficient tool; they are frustrated by the fact that the inefficient tool is costing the company 200 engineer hours a month. Their problem is not inconvenience. Their problem is a budget deficit or a delayed roadmap. If you sell a CI/CD pipeline tool, the problem isn't "slow deployments." It's "Every slow deployment is a $10,000 bet that your competitors are standing still." Be specific about the loss. This is where you earn the right to speak. Show that you understand the stakes. You can start this shift right now. Take your top three pieces of marketing copy and ask: Does this focus on a trivial inconvenience or a material, measurable threat to the business? Adjust to focus on the latter. Action: Spend 30 minutes. Rewrite the first sentence of your homepage copy to focus on a systemic cost (e.g., wasted headcount, lost revenue, compliance failure) instead of a simple pain point. <h2>From 'Solution' to 'New Reality'</h2> B2B solutions are often complex. Founders try to explain all the features. The buyer sees complexity and defaults to 'no.' The Solution step in PSA-R is not your product spec sheet. It is the one-sentence, desirable future state. It’s the <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/learn/value-proposition-examples">value proposition</a> simplified to its core promise. If you build AI-driven contract management software, the new reality isn’t "OCR parsing and API integration." It's: "Never worry about compliance audits again. Every contract is checked, flagged, and filed automatically." When you define this new reality with conviction, you are establishing the <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/learn/positioning-strategy-for-founders">core differentiation</a> of your offering. You are defining the sandbox where you always win. <h3>The Power of the One-Sentence Future</h3> Your buyer is tired. They have ten vendor pitches to review. They don't have the mental capacity to build the 'new reality' in their head. You must hand it to them, shrink-wrapped. If you can articulate the new reality in one clear sentence, you make them feel competent. You make the complicated seem inevitable. Permission: You can ignore the conventional advice that says you must detail the "how." For now, your job is just to sell the "what if." <h2>Action: The Low-Cost, Zero-Risk First Step</h2> This is the most critical modification from the original PAS model. In B2B, the Action (or Call-to-Action) must be dramatically de-risked. Asking for a 90-minute demo call is too high-cost. Asking for a full credit card signup is suicide. The Action must be small enough to feel negligible but valuable enough to create momentum. It should be a tiny win that validates their decision to engage with you. This aligns perfectly with <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/learn/psychology-of-persuasion-in-marketing">psychology of persuasion</a> principles. <h3>Examples of Low-Risk B2B Actions:</h3> <ul> <li>A custom benchmark report based on 3 data points they input.</li> <li>A free, limited-scope API key for 24 hours of integration testing.</li> <li>A template or checklist they can download to audit their current process.</li> </ul> The Action is not about conversion yet. It's about data collection and mutual trust. It’s the small, non-binding handshake. Action: Look at your current Call-to-Action. If it involves a human being or a payment, create an alternate, digital, instant-gratification action and place it earlier in your marketing flow. <h2>Risk: The Cost of Inaction as Momentum</h2> The R in PSA-R replaces the A (Agitate) of the classic model. Agitation is passive; Risk is quantitative and immediate. After they take the small Action, you circle back to the Problem, but this time, you use data from their engagement to quantify the Risk of *not* moving forward. A B2B buyer is not motivated by hope; they are motivated by fear of loss. The Risk step leverages this. We’re not fear-mongering; we are providing objective, calculated consequences. See this as a way to reinforce your <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/learn/unique-selling-proposition">unique selling proposition</a> by highlighting the danger of using generic solutions. <h3>The PSA-R Loop in Action:</h3> 1. (P) “You are bleeding $5,000 per month on cloud spend due to un-optimized staging environments.” 2. (S) “There is a new reality where staging environments automatically scale to zero after hours.” 3. (A) “Run our free 5-minute cloud audit tool to see your top 5 resource drains.” (They click the button). 4. (R) “The audit shows you have $4,850 in potential savings. Every day you wait, you are literally lighting that money on fire.” (The loop restarts at a heightened Problem stage). This cycle generates momentum. It makes the buyer feel smart because they took the Action, and then it immediately gives them a new reason to panic (the quantified Risk) that only your Solution can solve. Reframe: You are not a salesperson. You are a risk management consultant. Your product is the policy that prevents the catastrophic loss you just helped them quantify. You are competent and capable. <h2>B2B Copywriting PSA-R Builder</h2> You can use this prompt to immediately create high-stakes copy for an email sequence, landing page, or sales letter. Prompt: B2B Copywriting PSA-R Builder I am building a marketing campaign for [YOUR PRODUCT NAME], a [TYPE OF PRODUCT] for [YOUR TARGET CUSTOMER]. Its primary function is [PRIMARY VALUE PROPOSITION - e.g., reducing onboarding time by 50%]. My target customer’s biggest current struggle is [TARGET CUSTOMER’S DEEPEST SYSTEMIC PROBLEM - e.g., missing critical compliance deadlines due to manual process drift, leading to $X fines]. Generate the following three deliverables based on the PSA-R framework: 1. The Systemic Problem Statement (P) and quantified Risk of Inaction (R). 2. The One-Sentence New Reality Statement (S). 3. A Low-Cost, High-Value First Action (A). Example Output: 1. P/R: The average mid-market B2B SaaS company loses $25,000 annually to stale CRM data. The risk isn't just lost revenue; it’s sales reps actively distrusting the system, which compounds the problem quarterly. 2. S: Stop manually syncing data; let your CRM auto-correct itself with real-time, behavioral truth. 3. A: Run a free 30-second “Data Trust Score” scan on your five most active CRM contacts. This builder is just one tool. LiftKit’s system is designed to provide founders with countless interconnected prompts to build a full <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/learn/how-to-build-a-marketing-strategy">marketing strategy</a> that feels systematic, not vague. <h2>FAQ</h2> <h2>Q: How is PSA-R different from explaining <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/learn/marketing-plan-vs-strategy">marketing plan vs strategy</a>?</h2> A: The PSA-R Loop is a tactical copywriting tool used in the execution phase. Strategy defines who you are and where you’re going. PSA-R is the specific sequence of words you use to drive action once the strategy is set. It’s the difference between the compass (strategy) and the specific footstep (PSA-R). <h2>Q: I’m selling to very rational engineers. Does emotion still matter?</h2> A: Yes. Rational buyers are still human. Their rational motivation is risk aversion. The emotional layer is the fear of failure, the fear of looking bad to their boss, or the fear of picking the wrong vendor. The PSA-R model works because it addresses the rational cost (P/R) while giving them the emotional safety (A). <h2>Q: How do I incorporate a more detailed "Solution" without overwhelming the reader?</h2> A: The initial "S" must be high-level. Reserve the details for after they complete the "A" (Action). Once they’ve invested a little time and generated a specific result, they are qualified and mentally prepared for a deeper dive. Use the momentum from the small win to transition into a more complex conversation, perhaps on a <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/learn/how-to-write-better-marketing-copy">targeted landing page</a>. <h2>Q: Where should I deploy PSA-R copy?</h2> A: The PSA-R structure is highly effective for any mid-funnel content: email sequences, retargeting ads, case study pages, and webinar registration pages. Use it whenever the prospect has moved past the initial awareness stage but hasn't yet converted to a paid trial. It’s perfect for bridging the gap between interest and commitment by neutralizing the purchasing risk. <hr> <h2>Start running operator-grade marketing in under an hour.</h2> LiftKit is the only strategy-first AI marketing system built for founders. It distills the same Fortune-500 frameworks used at Apple, Stripe, and McKinsey into a simple, actionable playbook you can run in under an hour. Stop tinkering with tactics. Start operating with strategy. <a href="https://getliftkit.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get LiftKit</a> <h2>Keep learning</h2> <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/frameworks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frameworks</a>: Learn proven mental models to diagnose, prioritise, and scale marketing outcomes. <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/channels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Channels</a>: Understand which acquisition paths actually work and how to deploy them strategically. <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/messaging" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Messaging</a>: Build positioning, angle, and copy that converts without guesswork. <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/strategy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Strategy</a>: Make smarter decisions using operator-grade prompts and structured thinking. <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/tools" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tools</a>: Use AI, automation, and practical templates to move faster. <a href="https://learn.getliftkit.com/research" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Research</a>: Tap into market insights, psychology, and patterns that drive effective marketing. <script type='application/ld+json'> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "Pas b2b marketing: the psa-r loop for founders", "description": "TL;DR", "articleSection": "frameworks", "keywords": "pas b2b marketing, pas,b2b,copywriting", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "LiftKit" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "LiftKit" }, "url": "https://learn.getliftkit.com/frameworks/pas-b2b-marketing", "mainEntityOfPage": "https://learn.getliftkit.com/frameworks/pas-b2b-marketing" } </script>