Hook Story Offer - Formula

Hook Story Offer: 3-Step Copywriting Formula for Your Business [2025]

If you’re struggling with engagement and conversions through your sales copy, you’re not alone. Many businesses face this challenge because their strategy isn’t effective.

In fact, 73% of people only skim content instead of reading it.

If they’re not reading, how can they convert? Your message has to grab attention and instantly connect to keep them engaged.

That’s why you need to use a formula named hook story offer:

  • Grab attention,
  • Share a relatable story and
  • Present an irresistible offer.

It’s a proven way to turn skimmers into engaged customers. Let’s explore how you can make it work for your business.

What is the “Hook Story Offer” Framework?

It’s a simple copywriting strategy designed to connect with your audience by tapping into their needs and emotions through storytelling.

For example, suppose you’re selling a fitness program.

  • Your hook could be: “Struggling to lose weight despite trying everything?”
  • Then, share a relatable story about someone who overcame the same challenge.
  • Finally, present an offer: “Get a personalized plan today for just $19.99!”

This approach helps you grab attention, build trust, and inspire action, all in one seamless flow.

Hook Story Offer – Framework Elements

It mainly consists of 3 core elements – the hook, the story, and the offer.

Hook Story Offer

1. The Hook

The hook is a captivating headline or statement that draws your audience in and makes them want to read more. It’s a key element of curiosity that aligns with what you value or need.

A strong hook in your headline serves three essential purposes:

  1. Grab attention from potential customers.
  2. Spark interest by addressing a challenge they face.
  3. Show you understand their needs, building trust.

A hook can be of many types. The following are the most successful types of sales hooks for this framework:

i. The Curiosity Trigger

Create a headline that says what outcome can be expected from a possible solution. But do not give away what the solution is.

For example:

“How This Single Strategy Turned Mike From a Small $200k Local Firm to a 5-Figure International Giant!”

You can see that this is a story hook where you are trying to entice people to read the story.

ii. Connection & Empathy

You can focus on telling people you know the pain they are facing and understand their situation.

And then tell them you have the answer.

For example:

“It’s frustrating when people abandon carts, right? You are not alone! What if I tell you that you could stop that In less than a week?”

However, when you use this headline, you must ensure your story is emotionally aligned accordingly.

iii. The Desirable Promise

Rather than selling a product or service, you can attempt to sell an outcome.

Basically, you are to make a bold promise to achieve a certain outcome right on the headline – a promise that your target audience will get excited about.

For example:

“Get 10x More Leads With This Single Marketing Hack You Never Knew Before!”

Here, you are promising ten times lead growth, which any marketer would love to achieve. And you are adding a bit of curiosity to make them want to read on.

iv. The “Dream Come True” Hook

This is one of the common approaches when writing story hooks where you make your prospect imagine a final situation that they want to be in.

For example:

“What If You Could 5x Your Course Sales In Just 3 months? That’s exactly what I will help you with if you let me!”

Here, you are passively deciding for him that that’s where he wants to be and that he can have the solution if he wants to – a great way to persuade people to read on.

2. The Story

Hook Story Offer

Once you have hooked your audience, the next part is to convince them that you know what they need and that you have found a solution they will absolutely love.

To do so, you have to use a persuasive story.

Basically, you will write a copy where you will explain why you started looking for the solution and how you came about it.

And then follow through with how someone else, maybe one of your students, took your help and benefited by using the same solution.

This all sounds easy when you read it, but when writing the story hook copy, many of us lose track.

Here’s the easy way to get this right:

i. Start with the juicy part.

Begin by glorifying the solution with the end result you managed to achieve.

For example:

Back in 2014, I never knew I would become a pioneer in lead generation until 1 year later when I came up with this unique solution that took my leads from 1000 to about 12000 in 3 months!

ii. Share the main reason for how and why the solution was found.

Here, you give the idea of why this was important, with a story of how you needed this solution.

Plus, share a couple of solutions you tried and didn’t work. Finally, I will share the grand moment when the solution was found.

For example:

I lost my job in 2015 and just had about 500 leads. My courses were great, but they were just not selling. I was on the brink of losing all hope when I met Jeff Walker.

He shared his brilliant product launch formula, which initially did well for me, and I managed to grow my leads to 1000.

But then, one night, a brilliant idea came to mind. I wasted no time and wrote it down.

Then, when I implemented it into my strategy, in an instant, my leads list was overflowing with potential buyers!

iii. Share proof of success:

Give some real data that proves that your solution is a sure-success investment.

For example:

My leads grew to 12000 in no time. Now, whenever I launch a new course, I easily sell over 4k copies just by shooting 1 single email.

iv. Talk about another person who found success with it.

People would also like to know if others have found this useful. Hence, provide data on someone else who used your solution and got positive results.

For example:

Later, Mr. Walter met me and shared how he was struggling with leads for his fitness training programs. I offered help, and in about 3 months, he enrolled over $150 students in his program.

v. Connect With Prospects With A Strong Persuasion

Show how confident you are about this and that the reader also has a chance to get it.

For example:

This tactic is really something that overtakes all other methods I have ever used, and today, I am willing to share it with you.

vi. Introduce Your Solution

Now that you have hooked your customers and have used a story to grab their attention, it’s time to present the solution.

Mention the solution and list down the main USPs of this solution.

vii. Elaborate On The Best Use Cases of Your Solution

Next, it’s time to demonstrate what scenarios your solution will be helpful with.

If I consider the example of the course, you could mention the main problems your clients will get relief from.

Once the story is in place, it’s time for the offer.

3. The Offer

Hook Story Offer

Normally, when you say offer, most people think you are referring to a discount. But in the case of the “Hook Story Offer” framework, the offer is usually a lot more value.

It has to be something that makes the person feel like he is not only getting a solution but getting a lot more than what he is paying.

You see, the challenge here is, why would people take your offer and not from someone else? They need a reason to believe that your offer is the best one for them.

Let’s say, you created a course that you know will make people more money. But there are countless course that has the same promise. What makes your offer special?

Here’s the thing. If they come down to the offer section, it means, they are already interested in your solution thanks to the story hook you prepared.

But you need to put extra push so that they take it now and not go for exploring something else.

And I am not talking about the CTA. Your offer itself should be something so good that people cannot resist accepting it right away.

So, what could be a good offer?

Let’s continue the example I used in the story. The copy is directed toward people who are having a tough time getting more qualified leads.

First, you know your course can at least get 10 times more leads. And suppose you decided to charge about $500 for it instead of $800 as a discount.

It is quite a generous offer in terms of discount. But still, people will be skeptical about it. $500 is a lot of money for those who are startups or struggling for success.

Think about it. If a person is not getting enough leads, it means, he is not making much profit. An investment of five hundred dollars could be a huge bargain for him.

At this point, you need to give him more reasons to believe in the solution you offer.

Seemingly, 5 main triggers can be used:

i. Create Urgency

Give a deadline for this low price so that people have to decide before time runs out.

This will help to make people look into the offer more seriously and convert those who want to achieve the outcomes or benefits you promised.

You can add a countdown timer to add an extra sense of urgency. You can also limit it to the number of people who can claim this discount.

For example, you could mention that this price will only be available for the first 200 people who purchase it. This will trigger a FOMO mindset and help to close more deals.

ii. Promote “No-risks”

You can offer a money-back guarantee either for a certain period or if your solution doesn’t work.

For example,

“15-day money back guarantee” or “Get 2000 leads in the first 2 weeks or you will give your money back!“

This will help reduce the skepticism.

iii. Give more value than what you are offering

Sure, you are offering a great solution. And people did get interested in it via your sales hook copy.

This means they are willing to think about purchasing it if they feel it is affordable and the right fit for their requirements.

But you could make the decision much easier with some added benefits. For example, you could throw in some additional resources for this offer at no additional cost.

For example, along with the course, you could offer to provide a PDF resource with 50 prompts for ChatGPT to generate email conversion-optimized email content.

Plus, you could include a book you wrote on lead generation.

When you make these offers, make sure to mention how much they normally cost, and that you are going to give them away for free along with the main solution.

This will make the prospects feel special and understand that they are getting more value for money.

Here are a few examples of additional benefits you could offer (depending on your solution):

  • Free personalized session, let’s say a 30-minute Zoom call, to help them get started.
  • Valuable related resources such as ebooks, blueprints, checklists, books, etc.
  • Membership to the premium community
  • Access to a private event that’s beneficial for the target niche.

And many more.

This has to be placed right after your story hook and before the main CTA.

iv. Add Persuasive CTAs That Resonates With Your Hook Story

CTAs such as “Buy Now” or “Get It Now” are quite generic. It’s best to make it more persuasive and aligned with your sales hook.

For example, you could use, “Yes, I want to get 10x leads,” or “I have been looking for this!“

Such CTAs will often match with what the prospect is thinking and will help to remove their dilemma with the decision-making.

And that’s it. By now, you should have everything in place as per the Hook Story Offer framework.

When and Where to Use The Hook Story Offer?

Hook Story Offer

As mentioned above, this is a copywriting framework. This means it’s not limited to being used on landing pages only. You can use it on emails, social posts, videos, blogs, funnel journeys, etc..

Following are the best marketing activities where you can use the hook story offer concept.

i. Video Sales Letter (VSL)

Engage your audience from the very first second of your video and keep them hooked with the Hook Story Offer method.

A Video Sales Letter (VSL) is a long-form sales pitch delivered via video on your website, and this formula works seamlessly for it.

The formula works perfectly for VSLs:

  • Hook: Start with a compelling statement to grab attention instantly. Use a surprising fact, bold promise, or powerful question that highlights your audience’s pain points. A strong hook in copywriting is essential to pull them in and set the tone.
  • Story: Share a relatable narrative that mirrors your viewers’ challenges and desires. This form of story copywriting builds trust and creates an emotional connection, keeping your audience engaged throughout.
  • Offer: Present your irresistible offer, clearly explaining how your product or service solves their problem. Highlight the urgency and value, making it clear why they should take action now.

Using this formula in your VSL ensures that you capture attention, maintain interest, and drive action, leading to increased engagement and higher conversion rates.

ii. Sales Landing Page

When you create a sales funnel, it means you will have a dedicated landing page for your main offer. That’s where you can effectively use the hook story offer method.

The entire landing page copy should be structured around this framework, with a strong hook in storytelling to grab attention, followed by a relatable story and a clear offer.

  • Headline of the page
  • Story Section (this could go up-tup
  • Offer Section

iii. Special Offer Pages

Sometimes, you want to use special sales pages to promote upsells or new products.

For example, you could set up a post-purchase offer after checkout. These pages are unusually small if the purpose is to upsell only.

The story will rather be the part where “you found the best solution,” skipping the hunt for finding this solution.

However, if this is a sales page for a new launch, you can make it similar to a sales landing page with the whole hook, story, and offer approach.

But the main difference would be this page will almost always have a one-time offer that people won’t be able to get again anytime soon.

iv. Social Captions

When making social posts, you could add a summarized version of the story and the offer as the caption while using the headline hook in the image and the post title.

This usually works quite well if your hook is well-written and the post image is catchy.

v. Email Marketing

This might be a bit unconventional, but you can definitely use the hook story offer method in your email marketing, especially for launches. You can break it down into three connected emails:

  • Email 1: Start with a strong hook in storytelling, grab your reader’s attention, and promise to reveal the solution in the next email.
  • Email 2: Share how the solution was discovered, and introduce it to your audience in a relatable way.
  • Email 3: Present your special offer, making it clear why they should act now, and highlight any additional benefits.

Instead of just one landing page, you’ll have three engaging emails that work together. This approach is a bit trickier because your email copy needs to be exceptional.

Since there’s less room for visuals or long explanations, your copywriting hooks need to be on point. If you’re not confident in your copy skills, it’s a good idea to work with an email expert.

Take inspiration from the hook story offer examples to create emails that drive action and conversions.

vi. Business or Self-development Books

A book can act as the hook and story and a push towards the offer. Y

ou could write a story about how you achieved a certain desirable goal after making several failed attempts. Throughout the story, follow the order.

Start with the hook and the output you achieved. You could write a whole chapter on how it changed your life and how you are living your dreams now.

You could even write an additional chapter to state how different people used your solution and various scenarios and achieved success. (These are data you have to collect from your real users.)

Then, in the following chapters, share the whole story of what you tried, what worked, what didn’t work, and how you slowly progressed towards a possible solution by learning and implementing.

Eventually, you reach the point where you end up with the solution. Get into details on how to implement it.

But don’t go overboard. You can share the steps to follow and give tips but do not start training on a completely different subject.

For example, if your solution is a unique SEO strategy, then stick to it. Do not start teaching how to write content in detail. That part, you can keep minimal.

At the end of the book, leave a small hook to check out your offer to help them out. It could be an offer to book a call with you or a link to a custom sales page.

Most people who will follow the book may have some expertise, but they would still need help to get it right.

So, even if you explained most of it in the book, people will still be willing to consider taking your service.

Is the Hook Story Offer Framework Right for Your Business?

Not every marketing strategy fits every business. The success of the Hook Story Offer formula depends on how well it aligns with your overall marketing plan and execution.

Here’s how to decide if it’s right for you:

  • Evaluate Your Offer: Great copywriting hooks won’t work if your product or service doesn’t meet your audience’s needs. Ensure your offer is solid and aligned with their desires.
  • Assess Your Business Type:
    • Course Creators: Perfect for launching new courses or promoting existing ones. Use this framework to engage and convert your audience.
    • E-commerce with Limited Categories: Works well for businesses that focus on specific products. Highlight new or featured items with a compelling hook in storytelling.
    • Service Providers with Repeat Promotions: Ideal for businesses offering seasonal or special services. Keep your audience interested with irresistible offers and stories that speak to their needs.
  • Consider Your Audience: If you’re targeting industries like legal firms or financial advisors, applying the hook story offer method might be challenging. It’s more effective for businesses with consistent customer engagement, like e-commerce or coaches.
  • Analyze Your Story’s Impact: Your story needs to resonate with potential customers and move them emotionally. If you can craft a relatable story, it will make the offer irresistible and drive actionable offers.

By understanding your offer, audience, and story’s impact, you’ll know if the Hook Story Offer framework fits your business strategy and marketing goals.

For inspiration, check out some hook story offer examples to see how others have used it effectively.

How to Create a Sales Landing Page Using Hook Story Offer in WordPress

To create a sales funnel, you can use WPFunnels, one of the easiest funnel builders in WordPress.

Here, you are going to implement the ‘hook story offer’ copy on a sales landing page in a 2-step funnel.

Let’s say you will create a sales copy for a Digital Course called “Mastering Remote Work.”

1. First, go to the WPFunnels dashboard and create a funnel using the Online course template.

Choosing prebuilt template

This will generate a 3-step funnel that has a landing page, checkout page, and thank you page.

Import a 3-step funnel

2. Here, you will remove the landing page and only use the checkout step & thank you step.

Remove landing and keep 2 steps

3. Configure the checkout step and add the product “Mastering Remote Work” course as the offered product.

Assign product to the funnel

4. Now, edit the checkout step in Elementor and re-design the page structure using the Hook Story Offer copy.

Landing page - edit with Elementor

5. Below, you can keep the checkout form, or you can use a custom snippet to keep a button that can be clicked to view the checkout step.

Sales page with Hook Story Offer

Once this is done, your funnel is ready. You can then promote it, and your offer will work well in this funnel.

You can then further improve this funnel by adding more offers at the post-purchase.

Conclusion

The Hook Story Offer framework is a game-changer for boosting conversions when you pair it with the right offer and audience.

It helps you grab attention, connect with your audience, and inspire action with ease. The customers you attract through this method are more likely to become loyal & long-term supporters.

As you’ve seen, implementing this strategy is simple and effective, especially when using WordPress. With the right approach, you can create an easy process that drives results.

To make things even easier for you, try WPFunnels. It’s the perfect tool to bring your Hook Story Offer framework to life and boost your conversions effortlessly.

** FAQs **

What is a hook product?

  • A hook product is something you offer to grab your potential customer’s attention and draw them into your marketing process. It’s usually affordable or even free, designed to showcase your value and build trust. For example, a free eBook, like DotCom Secrets, or a discounted product can serve as a strong hook.

How can you write a hook sentence for a story?

  • To write a hook sentence, focus on creating curiosity or addressing a challenge your audience faces. For example, start with: “Struggling to boost your sales? Discover this simple solution!” A good hook connects with emotions and sets the tone for an engaging story or actionable offer.

Why is a personal story important in sales marketing?

  • Sharing a personal story helps you build trust and connect with your audience on a deeper level. It’s a strong hook that makes your offer feel authentic and relatable. Plus, stories naturally engage readers, making them more likely to take action.

How does an existing offer fit into the Hook Story Offer framework?

  • Your existing offer can be repurposed into a compelling solution for your audience. Use a good story to highlight its benefits and show how it solves customer pain points. Then, insert the offer with added value, like offer assets or bonuses, to make it irresistible.

What role do customer touchpoints play in creating a strong hook?

  • Customer touchpoints are essential in crafting a hook that resonates. They help you understand your audience’s needs, emotions, and behavior. By addressing these insights in your hook, you create action-driving communication that leads to more sales and long-term loyalty.
Sakiba Prima

Sakiba Prima, the Content Editor at WPFunnels is passionate about making WordPress work wonders for your business. With a flair for simple yet effective sales & marketing tactics and handy tooltips, she turns complex ideas into easy reads.

Sakiba Prima

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