Most people see a hook for what it is - a line of words.
They don’t understand the different elements that make a “powerful” one. And how much of a difference it can make to their post being seen by 100,000s or being completely ignored.
And that is what holds them back from explosive audience growth.
But you’re not going to write “powerful” hooks consistently if you don’t understand how a well written hook is built.
I see 5 elements:
- A basic starting point
- Adding a timeline
- Adding numbers
- Adding a topic
- Adding curiosity & “power words”
There’s a lot of different ways to write a hook.
But these are the common elements I look to add when building my own hooks that allowed me to generate over 25,000,000 views online, within the first 20 months writing.
Let’s get into it:
1. Start with a basic hook
Version 1 - ‘Some things I learned:’
This is bad, but it’s a starting point.
It’s bad because it’s vague. It says nothing about what we get from the post. There’s no way anyone will resonate with this hook because there is no emotion.
We need to crank up the intrigue and clarity so people will click to read.
Let’s try again.
2. Add a timeline
Version 2 - ‘Some things I learned yesterday:’
Better, because there is a timeline.
Humans really enjoy reading things with time attachments. It helps us think and resonate in a structured way.
Examples:
- “3 years ago I”
- “Yesterday I went to”
- “In 2 years I want to be”
- “Back in 2019 I”
So when we add the timeline in here to our basic starting point, it introduces a timeline.
It lets the reader know you’re learning something recently. It’s happening right now. It feels urgent and current.
But we still don’t know what the post is about.
Now, let’s improve it.
3. Add numbers
Version 3 - ‘5 things I learned yesterday:’
This is better.
Because now there is a number - 5. We know you learned 5 things, which is specific. And specificity is our goal.
The more specific you can be with your hook, the better.
Including a number gives a signal to the reader’s brain, too. It suggests value the reader will get from the post AND signals the time it will take them to read it.
But let’s improve again.
4. Add a topic
Version 4 - ‘5 things I learned about copywriting yesterday:’
Much better.
Because now we know:
- HOW many things you learned
- WHEN you learned them
- WHAT you learned about
And I haven’t even opened the piece of content yet.
It’s more specific than where we started. The picture becomes painted in the reader’s head. The reader starts to understand what they’ll get from this post.
But it’s still not good enough.
Now, let’s supercharge it.
5. Add curiosity & power words
Version 5 - ‘5 secrets I learned about writing incredible LinkedIn hooks yesterday:’
Now, INSANE amount of detail AND created curiosity is added.
This is done in 2 ways:
1. Change ‘Things’ to ‘Secrets’
It creates curiosity. Everyone loves gossips & secrets. And it feels like something you know, but others don’t? Your readers will be begging to find out.
2. Change ‘Copywriting’ to ‘Writing incredible LinkedIn hooks’
10x more detail added. There’s more specificity in the result. ‘Copywriting’ is broad. We could talk 1,000s of things. Now, it’s specific to ‘Writing LinkedIn hooks.
Specificity = increased engagement.
Congrats, your hook is officially “powerful”.
BONUS TIP: think about ‘Product, Person & Pay Off’.
Product → what am I delivering to my reader?
Person → who is this content for?
Pay Off→ why should they read on?
I call it the 3 P's Formula:
P.S. if you want to become a hook writing pro, I recommend my Easy Money Hooks training. In 90 minutes, you'll learn how to quickly and easily write hooks that make your dream clients stop scrolling and start reading (and buying).
