Most marketers that write ads or sales letters know about using the AIDA Method of creating effective sales letters. The A stands for Attention. Which means that we must first get a reader's attention. The I stands for Interest. The D stands for Desire. We must create both interest and desire in the reader. Finally, the second A stands for Action. We must compel the reader to take some sort of action.

   Many years ago, Dr. Frank W. Digman invented a concept of writing effective letters. He said that letters should be simple, friendly, and natural.

   The second part in writing an effective letter is the "Chain". This is used to create both the interest and desire in the reader. When the letter is read, each "link" of the chain must be strong in order to lead the reader through to the desired outcome. If any part of the chain has a weak link, it could lose the reader. Each and every word and paragraph is a link within that chain. Use only the strongest, most effective words to create a strong chain.

   Finally, the reader must have a "Hook" to impel them to take action. The hook must be strong in order to hold on to the reader and get the desired action. Even if the chain has a weak link - a strong hook can still get the reader to say "YES".

So looking at those methods and compare with it the AIDA method:

The Star gets the attention.

The Chain creates the interest and desire.

The Hook impels action.

   Now let's take a look at a sample letter by Robert Collier and see how it breaks down into The Star, Chain, and Hook:

Now For The First Time - THE SECRET OF EFFECTIVE SPEECH - FREE! (Start of STAR)

Dear Sir:

   At your request, I shall be glad to send you one of the most talked-of little books ever written. It will cost you exactly one cent - the price of the stamp that will bring the enclosed card back to me. (Ending the STAR)

   The name of this booklet is - "The Secret of Effective Speech". The principal part of it was written by perhaps the most successful speaker of modern times, the man who made over $4,000,000.00 from his lectures, and then used it to send young men through College - Russell Conwell, author of "Acres of Diamonds". (Start of CHAIN)

   The Secret of Effective Speech should be read by every executive who ever has to face a hostile audience, whether that audience consists of one man or a thousand.

   It is not made up of rules and principles, but of the few common-sense essentials which Conwell found of most importance in his thousands of appearances on the public platform. It is radical. It is stimulating. AND IT IS FREE!

   Your name and address on the enclosed card will bring you a copy of "The Secret of Effective Speech", with our compliments. You will like this little book. It is short, but there is a tremendous lot in it. Every time you read it, you will realize more clearing why Russell Conwell had so many thousand enthusiastic admirers, who audiences hung upon his every word.

   Frankly, we are taking this means of bringing to the attention of a few alert business executives a new method of teaching Public Speaking - a method so striking and simple, yet so amazingly successful, that it is taking the country by storm. (End of CHAIN)

Will you use the postcard NOW - TODAY? (HOOK)

Sincerely,

   Now let's break the letter down. First is the star. If you take a look at the headline - "Now for the first time - THE SECRETS OF EFFECTIVE SPEECH - FREE!" - you'll see why it is an effective star. And gets attention. Every person wants to gain the knowledge of effective speech - especially when it's free and secretive. It's like being an insider to these secrets. The first paragraph continues the headline where it tells the reader to use a one-cent stamp to receive the secrets of a little-known book. Again peaking the interest.

   The start of the chain it gives the name of the book, which is the same name as the headline - "The Secrets of Effective Speech". It builds up the interest by explaining to the reader that the famous author and speaker - Russell Conwell - wrote this book of secrets. Somebody who made over $4 million from his speeches and lectures (and this was back in the late 19th century and early 20th century).

   Then it continues in the next three paragraphs by increasing interest and building desire to own this book by giving the reasons why they should own it. Each link in the chain is strongly connected to the next link, with no weakness. Follow the example of Collier's letter.

   Finally the hook - "Will you use the postcard NOW - TODAY?" - asks the reader why not take advantage of this offer and to do it now. Take action. This is where most sales letters fail, by failing to ask for the order.

   There you have it - "The Star, Chain, and Hook" method of creating an effective sales letter. My hope to you is that you practice using this method. Test it. See if it works for you. There's more information on "The Star, Chain, and Hook" in L.E. Frailey's book - "Handbook of Business Letters".