A hook has one job: earn the second line. That's it. It doesn't sell, it doesn't explain, it doesn't impress. It buys you one more line of attention.

Below are eight hook types. Each one works on a different reader in a different mood. Learn all eight and you can open any idea from the angle that fits.

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How to use this library. Pick the idea first, then choose the hook type that matches where the reader is. Cold and unaware? Problem or Curiosity. Warm and comparing? Proof or Outcome. Write 3 to 5 options every time and pick the sharpest. Never post the first hook you write.

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Problem Hooks

Lead with a problem the reader feels in their gut, ideally one that costs them money, time, or credibility. You are naming the thing they lie awake about. If they think "that's me", they keep reading.

Fill-in-the-blank templates

  1. Most [role]s are losing [money or time] to [problem] and don't even know it.
  2. If your [metric] is [bad state], the problem isn't [obvious cause]. It's [real cause].
  3. [Doing X] is quietly killing your [outcome].
  4. You don't have a [surface problem] problem. You have a [root problem] problem.
  5. The most expensive mistake in [industry]: [mistake].
  6. Every week you [do X], you lose [specific cost].
  7. [Common tactic] is broken for [audience], and here's what it's costing you.
  8. Your [funnel or content] is leaking [resource] at [specific stage].
  9. Nobody wants to admit it, but [uncomfortable problem] is why [bad outcome].
  10. [Audience]: if [symptom] sounds familiar, [root cause] is the reason.
  11. The reason your [thing] isn't working has nothing to do with [scapegoat].
  12. You're paying for [X]. You're getting [Y]. That gap is the problem.

Completed examples