‘I’m thrilled to announce…’
Oh, are you? How lovely. Unfortunately, so is everyone else on LinkedIn.
And that, dear reader, is why you need a good hook.
It’s the opening line that stops someone mid-scroll and convinces them your post is worth reading.
Of course, you could ask ChatGPT to write one. But without knowing what makes a hook *good*, you’ll likely end up with the same predictable opening as everyone else.
So, how do you write a hook that hooks? Let’s get into it.
But wait, before you write the hook…
…who exactly are you trying to hook?
Because getting a thousand people to stop scrolling means bugger all if none of them are the people you’re trying to reach.
A great hook doesn’t need to appeal to everyone. It needs to make the right people think, ‘Hang on. This is for me.’
And to pull that off, you need to get inside their heads. What are they struggling with? What’s keeping them up at night? And what might make them see things differently?
You also need to consider what stage they’re at in their buying journey. Someone who’s only just realised they have a problem will respond to a very different hook than someone who’s actively looking for a solution.
Get those things straight before you start writing. Otherwise, you’ll just be throwing out hooks and hoping – really hard – someone bites.
The art of a killer hook
There’s no single formula for a killer hook. But there are plenty of ways to make those opening words work harder. Here are five worth trying – with before-and-after examples.
1. Challenge what everyone takes for granted
People tend to skim past things they already know or agree with. So, shake things up.
Question a widely held belief. Challenge a familiar assumption. Or offer a perspective that makes readers think, ‘Hang on, is that actually true?’
Before: Employee engagement is important for every organisation. In our latest article, we explore five ways to improve it.
After: Free fruit and ping pong tables rarely create engaged employees. So, what does?
2. Draw an unlikely connection
Sometimes, the best hooks come completely out of left field.
Think unusual comparisons, unexpected analogies or words and phrases that seem to have absolutely nothing to do with your topic. The idea is to make readers think, ‘What the hell does that have to do with anything?’ – and keep reading to find out.
Of course, the connection needs to make sense quickly. Otherwise, you’re just being weird.
Before: Your website needs to make a strong first impression.
After: Imagine turning up to a first date in your pyjamas. That’s what your outdated website is doing to your business.
3. Make your ideal reader see themselves in it
You want your reader to think, ‘Yep, that’s me.’ So, speak to situations they recognise, problems they’re facing or questions they’ve been asking themselves. Using ‘you’ and ‘your’ can help, but relevance is what really matters.
Before: Cybersecurity continues to evolve, creating new challenges for organisations.
After: Your biggest cybersecurity threat might be sitting three desks away. And it’s not a hacker.
4. Create curiosity, not confusion
There’s a fine line between making people curious and leaving them scratching their heads. Give readers enough information to know what you’re talking about, but leave them wanting more. Being deliberately vague isn’t clever. It’s annoying.
Before: This one thing could change everything. It will blow your mind. It’s seriously a gamechanger.
After: There’s one sentence in your job ad that could be driving away your best applicants.
5. Offer value from the get-go
Not every hook needs to be a cliffhanger. Sometimes, the smartest move is to give readers something useful right off the bat. A practical tip, a surprising fact or a valuable insight can be enough to make someone think, ‘Well, that was worth reading. What else have you got?’
Before: Read our latest guide to preparing for an insurance claim.
After: Before the next storm hits, photograph every room in your house. Your future self – and your insurance claim – will thank you.
And don’t be afraid to experiment. Your first hook might be good. Your fifth might be a whole lot better.
Yes, AI can write your hook. But prompter, beware…
Ask ChatGPT to write you a LinkedIn post, and it’ll happily oblige. In seconds.
But will it give you…
A) an opening that makes people sit up and pay attention?
Or B) something painfully predictable?
Our money’s on B.
Mind you, if you don’t know what makes a good hook, you might not know how to even ask for one. And even if you do, without some copywriting know-how, good luck separating the gems from the garbage.
Of course, use AI to generate ideas and try different approaches. But paaaah-lease, for the love of Ogilvy, don’t put your faith in a machine that thinks ‘In today’s fast-changing world’ is a perfectly acceptable way to start a post.
One last thing: Don’t cross the clickbait line
Before you get too carried away with your newfound hook-writing prowess, a quick warning.
There’s a fine line between grabbing someone’s attention and shamelessly baiting them into reading something that doesn’t deliver.
Promise a jaw-dropping revelation? You’d better have one. Tease a life-changing secret? Make it bloody good.
So, the golden rule? Make a promise worth reading – then deliver on it.
Want some genuine copywriting know-how for your brand? We help organisations turn their expertise and ideas into content that connects with the right audience.
