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Hey Marketing Bestie,

One of my go-to quick breakfasts.

I might get judged for this… but it hits every time:

- Fage 2% yogurt

- Scoop of protein powder

- A little dollop of Bonne Maman jam

Sweet, tangy, high in protein, and takes 30 seconds to make.

What’s your favorite high-protein lazy snack? I’m always looking for new ones.

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The Hook is Everything

Because no one reads the second line if the first one doesn't land.

(Are you still reading??)

The truth is, most people aren’t skipping your ad, post, or email because the idea is weak. They’re skipping it because the first line, the first millisecond, didn’t give them a reason to care.

In 2025, attention is a disappearing asset.

You don’t have 30 seconds. You barely have 3.

That’s why your hook matters more than anything else. It’s the filter. The test. The only chance you get to earn the next second.

If the hook fails, nothing else gets seen. If it works, you’ve opened the door.

I want to break down what makes a great hook and how to write one that actually works.

What Makes a Great Hook

A hook has one job: get someone to stop. Not read. Not click. Just pause for one extra second.

That second is everything. If you lose them at the top, nothing else matters.

So what actually makes someone stop?

Here are 4 things every strong hook does.

1️⃣. It breaks a pattern: Our brains are wired to ignore anything that feels routine. If your opening line looks like every other post, ad, or email, people won’t notice it. But when something feels off or unexpected, the brain pays attention.

2️⃣. It opens a loop: Humans hate unresolved thoughts. That’s why cliffhangers work. A great hook teases something valuable without giving it away. It creates tension, and the brain leans in to close the gap.

3️⃣. It feels personal: Vague doesn’t get shared. Specificity makes it sticky. The more direct it feels, the more likely someone is to say, “This is for me.”

4️⃣. It makes a promise: Every good hook offers something. A new insight. A strong opinion. A quick win. You don’t have to explain everything in the first line. You just need to show it’s worth sticking around.

That’s what separates forgettable content from the stuff people actually read.

4 Hook Formulas That Work Anywhere

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time you write a hook. In fact, you probably shouldn't.

Start with these 4 simple formulas. Then riff.

They work across email, social, video, ads, and even landing pages. Because human brains are the same on every channel, LOL.

1️⃣. The Open Loop
Example: “Most marketers make this mistake without realizing it.”

This works because it creates tension. The sentence feels incomplete. The brain wants to close the loop, so we keep reading.

2️⃣. The Callout
Example: “If you run paid ads, read this before spending another dollar.”

This grabs attention fast by speaking directly to someone. It filters out the wrong people and pulls in the right ones. It also implies it won't be a waste of your time!

3️⃣. The Unexpected Stat or Fact
Example: “Emails with 9-word subject lines get 35% higher open rates.”

This works because numbers feel concrete. A good stat adds instant credibility and curiosity.

4️⃣. The Relatable Pain Point
Example: “Ever write a post that got 0 engagement?”

When someone sees their own experience reflected back to them, they feel seen. That emotion keeps them reading.

Each of these formulas does one thing well: it earns the next line.

When in doubt, write 5 different hooks and pick the one that makes YOU stop.

How to Write Stronger Hooks, Faster

Writing a great hook isn’t about waiting for inspiration. It’s about building a repeatable process that works under pressure.

Here’s how to do it:

Start with the punchline, then work backwards: Most hooks fail because people start at the top and try to “build into” something interesting. Flip that. Write the payoff first, then ask yourself, what would make someone NEED to read this?

Write 5-10 hook variations every time: Seriously, EVERY TIME. You’ll almost never land on the best version on the first try. The first one is always the most obvious. The second is safe. Somewhere around hook number four, you'll start saying something worth reading.

Keep a swipe file: Every time a post, ad, or email makes you stop, LOCK IT DOWN. Save it. Start tracking what works on you. Great hooks usually follow patterns, and your swipe file will make those patterns much easier to see.

Test in the wild: If you’re not sure which hook to go with, test it. Post the same message with different hooks across formats or platforms. You’ll learn fast what gets attention and what falls flat.

The more you write hooks, the more natural they get. But you won't get there unless you write a whole bunch of bad ones first! 📝📝📝

Build the habit, follow the structure, and treat every first line like it’s the one thing standing between you and a lost reader.

Where to Go From Here

If you remember 1 thing, let it be this: the first line carries the whole message. It decides whether someone leans in or scrolls past. Whether your post gets read or ignored. Whether your idea spreads or disappears, does not pass Go, jumps into the wastebasket of Content That Just Wasn't Quite Good Enough.

David Ogilvy said it best: “On the average, 5 times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.” And that was BEFORE THE INTERNET. Before short attention spans, infinite scroll, and a thousand distractions per swipe.

Your hook isn’t a decoration. It’s the gateway. Spend more time on it. Write a minimum 5 versions. Test 2. Borrow 1 if you have to. Just don’t treat it like an afterthought.

Because if the 1st line works, everything else has a shot. And if it doesn’t, nothing else gets seen.

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