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Hook, story, offer

Russell Brunson's three-part formula from DotCom Secrets for any sales message: a hook to get attention, a story to build trust, then the offer.

What It Means

Hook, storyUser storyA short description of something a product should do, written from the point of view of the person who needs it, often in the form "As a, I want, so that." See more, offer is a formula Russell Brunson teaches in DotCom Secrets for building a sales message in three parts. The hook catches a reader's attention, the story builds a connection by telling the reader's own problem through someone else's experience, and the offer says what they can buy. ClickFunnels, the software company Brunson co-founded, calls it his three-step method for selling online.

Try It: Label the Hook, the Story and the Offer

An example ad for a made-up candle shop, in three lines. Label each one.

1. "The candle that made my mother-in-law ask for the recipe."

2. "I'd given up on scented candles after three gave me headaches. Then I tried pouring my own with plain soy wax."

3. "The set of three ships this week. Order here."

Correct labels0
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Order matters in Brunson's formula: hook first, story second, offer last.

How People Say It at Work

  • "The offer's fine. Your hook is what's weak."
  • "Run it through hook, story, offer before we post it."
  • "Lead with the story you told on the call, that's your hook."

The Breakdown

How to write one

  1. Name the one person the message is for and the problem they have.
  2. Write the hook: the first line or image, built to make that person stop. Try several and keep the one that would make you stop.
  3. Tell the story: someone like the reader hits the same problem and finds a way through. Per ClickFunnels, it's the reader's own story told indirectly, so they see the answer for themselves.
  4. Make the offer: what it is, what it costs or what to do, and where.
  5. Put the parts in that order, and cut anything that doesn't serve one of the three.

Short version to try today. Take your last post or email that got no replies. Rewrite only the first line as a hook, add three sentences of story, and end with one clear offer.

Where It Comes From

Russell Brunson set out Hook, Story, Offer in DotCom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online with Sales Funnels, first published in 2015. Hay House released an audiobook edition in 2020 and an updated edition on August 9, 2022. Brunson's company, ClickFunnels, teaches the same formula on its blog.

Good to Know

A story used to sell should be a true one. Use real experiences, yours or a customer's with their permission, and don't suggest results a buyer can't expect. This is one author's sales method, so test it against your own audience before rewriting everything.

FAQ

Who created hook, story, offer?

Russell Brunson, who teaches it in his book DotCom Secrets and through ClickFunnels, the software company he co-founded. It's his name for the formula.

Does hook, story, offer work for emails and videos too?

Brunson presents it as a pattern for any sales message, so people use it for ads, emails, videos and sales pages alike. The order stays the same: hook, story, then offer.

What makes a good hook?

One that makes the exact person you're writing for stop and pay attention. Write several, test them on a small audience, and keep the one people respond to.

Do It in Buhata

Team Space

Draft each new ad as three tasks in your Team Space in Buhata, one for the hook, one for the story and one for the offer, and assign a teammate to review all three.

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Related Terms and Categories

  • Attractive character

    Russell Brunson's term in DotCom Secrets for the person a business puts in front of its audience, built from a backstory, stories, honest flaws and clear opinions.

  • Epiphany bridge

    Russell Brunson's storytelling method from Expert Secrets for passing on the moment you came to believe in something, so the listener reaches the same belief.

  • Value ladder

    Russell Brunson's model from DotCom Secrets for laying out a business's offers as rungs, from a free or low-cost first step up to its most expensive, most valuable one.

Business and entrepreneur terms

Sources

Russell Brunson, DotCom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online with Sales Funnels (Hay House, updated edition 2022; first published 2015); Google Books, "Dotcom Secrets"; Hay House, "Dotcom Secrets"; ClickFunnels, "Hook, Story, Offer: The 3-Step Method For Selling Online"

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