Hey Reader,

In this week's edition, you're going to read:

1. How to Avoid Being a Clickbaiter and Gain Your Reader's Trust
2. How I Traveled to Thailand & Rewired my Brain in 2 Weeks
3. Split Pay now available for 30 Days of LinkedIn Content

Now, let's get to it:

For Founders & CEOs that struggle writing hooks:

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This Week's Tip

How to Avoid Being a Clickbaiter and Gain Your Reader's Trust

Hook writing gets a bad rap.

Most people have a stigma about hooks.

They think of articles advertised down the side of web pages that say:

‘This 60 second exercise will give you a 6 pack in 10 DAYS!!’.

But guess what?

It doesn’t.

You know what that’s called?

It’s called ‘Clickbait’.

But here’s the thing:

It’s not Clickbait because of the hook.

It’s clickbait because of everything BELOW the hook.

Let me explain…

The aim of a hook is simple:

Give the reader everything they need to know about the article/post/blog/guide below, so they can make a quick and informed decision:

A) “Yes, this is worth my time”

or

B) “No, this isn’t for me”

If the reader decides A) “Yes”, then the next job is to make it worth their time.

The best way to do that?

Give them exactly what you said you would in the hook.

This is what I call ‘Promise Fulfilling’.

Because in your hook, you’re making a promise to the reader that what you’ve written about, is what you say it is.

Do the opposite and FAIL to fulfil the promise made in your hook…that’s Clickbait.

So why do people/creators/idiots Clickbait?

Well, attention is valuable.

And these people/creators/idiots think that if you can get someone to click, then you have their attention.

But this is not true.

Here’s how a typical Clickbait event occurs:

• Reader sees a hook that triggers their curiosity
• They’re intrigued, so they click see more
• They read the first line or so introducing the content
• They scroll down and skim to a few different sections
• They realise there’s actually nothing valuable there
• They get annoyed because they’ve wasted their time
• They click ‘X’ or ‘←’ to leave immediately

Do you see why this is completely pointless?

All you’re doing is annoying people.

I can confirm this is not the way to your reader’s hearts. Nor is it the way to their wallets.

And do you see why the hook itself is not the problem here?

The problem is the content.

The hook, in the event of a Clickbait occurrence, has done it’s job.

It generated the click.

But it’s the content that has failed, because it hasn’t delivered what was promised in the hook.

This is the line you must be careful with, when it comes to writing hooks.

The line between:

A) Making a big, bold promise to get a click

and B) Underselling your content in fear of disappointing

A single word or phrase can make a difference.

For example:

“7 life changing hacks that will save you 100 hours every month”.

The phrase “life changing” takes your hook to mind boggling levels of big promise.

Now you’re faced with the task of changing someone’s life with these 7 time saving hacks you’re promising.

Change “life changing” to “time saving” and that’s probably a more accurate description of what lies beneath.

And then as long as those 7 hacks do save 100 hours every month, you’re not click baiting anyone.

Remember: this is called ‘Promise Fulfilling’.

Okay, quick recap to wrap this up…

• A hooks #1 job = give the reader everything they need to say Yes or No to read more
• ‘Clickbait’ = when you fail to live up to your readers expectations of the hook
• ‘Promise Fulfilling’ = when you give your reader what you said you would in the hook

Your hook is not clickbait, your content is.

Write clear, interesting but believable and accurate hooks.

Then give the reader exactly what you said you would in your content.

Make a promise, fulfil the promise.

That is how you gain trust.

This Week's Story

How I Traveled to Thailand & Rewired my Brain in 2 Weeks

6 years ago I traveled to Thailand for 2 weeks.

It was me and my good mate. We were 24 years old. Neither of us had ever been to any part of Asia before so we were pretty excited.

I was lucky as a kid.

I had already traveled round the world a fair bit. Lucky enough to have family holidays to Morocco, America, Italy etc. And visited a lot of European cities in my early 20s: Paris, Prague, Amsterdam and other places.

But Thailand was something different.

Different people, food, climate.

The biggest takeaway from the trip for me though was unexpected.

I’d say this was the first time I’d seen first hand a country that wasn’t so developed, with people really having to get by however they could.

Living in make shift houses and densely populated streets and neighbourhoods.

I remember getting back from the trip with a sense of appreciation for the situation I lived in, the job I had and the lack of difficulties I had in my life.

That trip was definitely enough to rewire my brain into a different way of thinking.

It was a new perspective on life outside my bubble that I’d gained.

And it made me more considerate and empathetic. It gave me a sense of wanting to understand what the other side of an argument/debate/situation was.

I’d say before then I was quite a stubborn and probably quite ignorant person.

I loosened up after that trip, for sure.

This isn’t a ‘ooh I went travelling to find myself’ story, no.

But instead, a quick note:

A new experience, challenge and venture rewired my brain.

And it can yours too.

Even if it’s a small amount.

Becoming a better version of yourself in my opinion is about seeing and doing things that aren’t what you’re used to.

This Week's Update

Split Pay now available for 30 Days of LinkedIn Content

I recently added split pay as an option when you buy my digital writing course: 30 Days of LinkedIn Content.

I recognise that £149 isn’t all that affordable in one go.

So I wanted to make this as accessible as I can.

Now instead of just one option of paying £149 today, you have two options:

1. Pay £149 today

2. Pay £46.97 today. Then 2 x £46.97 in monthly installments.

You’re basically getting it at a 3rd of the price today.

So, if you want to start writing faster, more engaging content within 30 days…

Go grab 30 Days of LinkedIn Content for £46.97 today:

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