PAS Framework for Paid Guest Posting (WIRED-Style)
Beginner-friendly workflow to pitch and write paid guest posts using PAS (Problem → Agitate → Solution) — in your pitch, your intro, and your ending CTA.
Use this page like a fill-once control panel: write PAS notes once → reuse them in pitch, intro, mid-article tension, and the final conversion block.
What you’ll do (beginner workflow)
Most beginners fail because they write the full article first and only then try to “find a website.” Paid outlets like WIRED-style publications usually want a pitch first. PAS is your shortcut: it helps you explain what’s wrong, why it matters now, and what story you will deliver.
Fit check: are you pitching the right kind of story?
“Guest post” usually means “I submit a full article.” But WIRED-style outlets are closer to freelance journalism: you pitch a story idea, get assigned, then report and write.
- Match the publication’s “why” Your idea should connect to science, technology, or innovation and what it changes for humans.
- Pitch a story, not a topic Editors love narratives: characters, scenes, timeline, and a clear “what happens next.”
- No hot takes Avoid pure opinion. Bring reporting: sources, documents, interviews, on-the-ground detail.
- Prove “why you” Explain access: how you’ll get sources, why you can report it well, and what you’ve written before.
Before pitching, read 5–10 recent stories in that section and notice: voice, structure, and evidence. Then make your pitch feel like it belongs there.
Your “yes/no” question
Can you explain in one line: “This story shows how [tech/science/innovation] is changing [people/society] — through [characters + scenes]”?
If you can’t, your pitch will feel like a topic. PAS helps you turn it into a story.
PAS for paid pitches (this is what beginners need most)
Use PAS to write a pitch that editors understand fast. Think of it like this: Problem = what’s happening, Agitate = why it matters now, Solution = what you will deliver (reporting plan + shape of story).
Pitch Problem — define the story in one clean line
- What is the specific thing that’s broken, rising, spreading, failing, or changing?
- Who is affected (not “everyone,” a clear group)?
- Where is the story happening (place, industry, online community)?
Pitch Agitate — show urgency without drama
- What’s the cost (money, safety, privacy, time, identity, power)?
- What’s the “quiet harm” most people miss?
- Why is this the moment to publish (new law, product, backlash, court case, trend)?
Pitch Solution — the editor buys your reporting plan
- Main characters: who will we follow?
- Scenes: what moments will we “see”?
- Sources: who will you interview + what documents/data?
- Payoff: what will readers understand by the end?
Demo: a short PAS pitch email (copy + customize)
This is a beginner-safe pitch format: short, clear, and reportable. Replace [bracketed text].
Subject line ideas
• Pitch: [The hidden cost of X] · reported narrative
• Story idea: [New tech trend] is changing [group]
• Feature pitch: [One surprising scene] + why it matters
Pitch email (PAS inside)
Hi [Editor Name],
Problem
[1–2 sentences: what’s happening + who it affects.]
Agitate
[2–4 sentences: stakes, quiet harm, and why now.]
Solution
[3–6 sentences: story plan: characters, scenes, sources, data/docs, what readers learn.]
Why me / access:
[1–2 lines: your expertise, location, language access, sources lined up, prior work.]
Links:
[2–3 links to your best similar pieces.]
If this fits, I can deliver a detailed outline in [X days] and a first draft in
[Y weeks]. Thanks for your time — happy to adjust angle or scope.
Best,
[Your Name]
One-screen PAS grid for your intro + your ending CTA
After your pitch is accepted (or for your portfolio samples), reuse the same PAS notes in the article: Intro = Problem + Agitate (tease Solution), Ending = Problem + Agitate + clear next step.
Demo 1: PAS intro (WIRED-style feel)
Example topic: productivity tools quietly turn “free time” into invisible overtime.
- Problem
There’s no “off” switch anymore: pings, dashboards, status dots. - Agitate
The cost shows up as guilt, fatigue, and feeling behind even after you finish. - Solution (teased)
A reported story showing how product design creates overtime — and what to change.
Draft intro using PAS:
Problem: There’s no “off” switch on the workday anymore. Your project app doesn’t clock out —
it follows you from laptop to phone to smartwatch.
Agitate: You answer “just one more” ping while making dinner, clear tasks from the sofa, and check
a dashboard that never looks finished. The tools that promised flexibility now sit on your bedside table, glowing quietly.
Solution (teased): In this story, we look at how “helpful” tools turn spare minutes into micro-work —
and what it would take to design software that protects time instead of devouring it.
Demo 2: PAS conversion section (ending CTA)
This is the part that often makes money: newsletter signups, downloads, product trials, or “reply to book a call.” You reuse the same PAS and make the action simple.
Problem: If your tools control your calendar, your attention, and your energy, it’s hard to protect time for deep work — or for doing nothing at all.
Agitate: The default settings in most apps push you toward more alerts, more check-ins, and more invisible overtime. You don’t notice the cost until you feel permanently tired and permanently “behind.”
Solution: That’s why I built a short, practical checklist on deleting invisible overtime — with screenshots, scripts, and tiny experiments you can run today.
If you want your apps to serve you — not the other way around — join the list here. I’ll send the first “reset your tools” checklist in the next 24 hours.
For client work, swap “checklist” with a product demo, free resource, or trial. Same PAS structure, different offer.
Fill-in-the-blanks templates (Pitch + Intro + Ending)
Replace each [bracketed text] with your situation.
Template · PAS pitch paragraph (short)
Template · PAS ending CTA (money block)
Checklist: does your PAS get a “yes”?
Use this before pitching or submitting samples.
- Problem: Specific and human (not vague / not buzzwords).
- Agitate: Real stakes + “why now” (not drama).
- Solution: Clear reporting plan + what readers learn.
- Proof: 2–3 relevant writing links included.
- Access: You can realistically get sources + scenes.
- Simple ask: You ended with one clean next step (assign? quick call? feedback?).
Over time, PAS becomes automatic: every pitch and every intro starts by naming the pain, showing the stakes, then offering a believable path out.