A great hook is one that merely stands in for a future action.
It helps a reader to understand that something good is coming and they need only continue to read on in order to seek it out.
The Rule of 7
It seems that there are two aspects of a great hook which align with the number seven.
There are seven ways that someone can craft the perfect hook:
- Surprise us
- Inspire emotion
- Insight into a goal
- Need to know information only
- Specific details
- Conflict
- Reason & logic
There are also seven emotions to consider when writing any kind of copy:
- Fear
- Greed
- Lust
- Vanity
- Pride
- Envy
- Laziness
The essence of a good hook lies in its ability to appeal to one of these 7 emotions using one (or more) of these 7 hook crafting techniques. A skilled copy writer will be able to weave these lone threads together to form a tapestry that is as captivating as it is informative. With a thorough understanding of the intended audience a writer can speak to them as if speaking one-on-one to a friend, hooking them with a connection and camaraderie that draws them even further into the content itself.
Video: Writing a Hook – by1986msr
Warning: If you do not have a taste for pop music, please mute the video until the 4:30 mark!
This video is wonderful because it illustrates very clearly what excellent hooks are made of. Just because we don’t like a hook does not diminish its capacity to be memorable and attention-grabbing!
The 3 Reminders
Though it is doubtful that anyone needs to be reminded, one of the key factors in good content is the ability to answer a question.
What should a great hook do?
- A great hook should appeal to a reader’s interests, explain a benefit, or pique their curiosity
- A great hook will describe something, contain an element of dialogue, or contain a startling fact
- A great hook will make a promise that the content will then deliver
What Lies Beyond
By ToonRefugee
In truth, a great hook is not merely a title. A truly great hook begins with a title yes, and then it goes above an beyond those few words. The hook then extends into the introduction of the content, which is usually limited to a few sentences at best, maybe even a full paragraph. And still it is not finished! A hook that truly accomplishes its mission plays itself out through the remainder of the content until it reaches the end, tying everything up and tucking away all of the loose ends.
An example of this can be found in eye-catching yet relevant sub-headings within the content itself, and further down in bolded lines of text or other portions of the main copy which are highlighted or made to stand out in some way.
A great hook can make a bold promise or a grand statement of guarantee. It can also provoke the mind and draw thoughts to the surface even as the reader begins to consume the copy before them. A great hook can be commanding, or even make a simple no-frills announcement of fact.
Putting a hook to use:
Comments
A great hook can be all of these things and more.
What -in your eyes- makes a hook a great one?
