You’ve read copywriting formulas, you know the technicalities. But really — how do you start? What words do you put together to draw your reader right into the post?
Well, here are a few tips to take a powerful start.
In this post, you will find 3 super effective ways to write a hook. If you want a more detailed guide, feel free to DM us and get in touch with a copywriting 1:1 tutor (it’s free, yes.).
How to write a hook? (3 simple BUT powerful ways)
1. Use a popular idiom
If it’s popular, most people have heard of it or use it in their daily conversations. Hence, when you begin your post with it, the idioms ‘clicks’ with them, and they’re able to relate instantly.
But make sure the very next line jumps right into the topic.
Here’s a live example:
And here’s a list of popular idioms you can begin your post with:
- Every cloud has a silver lining.
- When in Rome, do as the Romans do
- A picture is worth a thousand words
- Action speaks louder than words
- Curiosity kills the cat
- Caught between a rock and a hard place (think of VS posts)
Of course, there are a lot more. We’re not saying you pick any of these and begin your post with it and it’ll be a great hook. No, that’s not how it works.
You have to pick one that’s in sync with what you’re writing about.
The idea here is to begin with a few words that immediately puts your audience’s thoughts in motion while also making them ‘comfortable’ and ‘at home’.
2. Quote jaw-dropping numbers
Begin your post with numbers that simply amaze the target audience.
How can you find these numbers? Think of what your readers are seeking as they read your post.
If it’s a how-to article, they want a step-by-step guide. You can quote a number tied to the ‘end product’ of the step-by-step guide. Give them numbers to show how incredibly good the final product is, so they MUST follow through with the guide. It serves as a motivator.
Similarly, if it’s a This VS That article, you want to quote a number that emphasizes the competition (perhaps, something relevant to market share — btw, market shares, profits, losses, market scope, and all economic stuff is for B2B audience, not B2C).
For B2C, you might want to talk about, let’s say, how a hundred people gave up on X medicine because it caused XYZ side effects, but the other ten that tried Y medicine HAD to switch to X. So, really which is a better choice?
This way you have the suspense still alive but numbers drawing people in.
Now, the question is where do you find these magical numbers? You find them on Google, Bing, Yahoo, or Social Media. Or best: experienced people in your network.
You can have ChatGPT (paid version) search it for you or do manual research. A good way to find case studies and stat reports is to type the following in the search bar:
- [Topic’s name] + [year] + statistics
- [Topic’s name] scholarly articles
Let’s check out two more examples.
Note that in both examples, the numbers speak of success. Why? Because numbers are naturally more effective in instilling hope as compared to instilling fear.
If you wish to begin your intro by intensifying feelings of fear and loss (i.e., what loss your audience might face if they ignore your advice), then you might want to use a real-life example…
3. Quote a jaw-dropping REAL-LIFE example
Similar to numbers, quoting a SUPER UNUSUAL real-life example is also an effective way of beginning your blog post.
And nope. We’re not talking about personal life or imaginary examples here.
We’re talking about jaw-dropping real-life incidents that are relevant to your topic and Google-able.
Check this out:
This post is about learning viral video marketing.
Do you see how the example demonstrates the success rate of what the readers of the blog post are about to learn?
That’s exactly what you’ve got to do.
How to find these examples?
Let’s learn from the same example. Our keyword for the post was: Viral Video Marketing
To begin the search for the right example, we’ll google the following:
- Most watched video of [insert year]
- Best viral video examples
- Most viewed YouTube video [insert year]
- Viral video that generated millions
Now, browse the top ten results. Not all of them will be relevant to what you seek unless you’re using AI tools like Suggesty for search purposes.
So, sort the results. Visit each link and fish out that one example that makes you go ‘OH MY GOD’
Just btw — this is an excellent demonstration of how AI can never replace human writers. They lack human instincts.
Anyway. Here are a few more good practices for creating a hook using jaw-dropping examples:
- Link the source of this Google-able incident or example in the same paragraph. You don’t want to intrigue your audience and leave them hanging. Provide all related info that satisfies the reader in your view and also provide a link to a reputable source in case they are interested in knowing more.
- Use numbers or visuals where possible.
- Bold-face the wow part of this text.
It’s even better if the quoted figures or examples come from a famous company like Pepsi, Facebook, Apple, YouTube, McDonald’s, etc.
You now a little something about how to write a hook….
Well, in all honesty, this is not it. There are a hundred more ways to create an attention-grabbing hook. And it really comes down to your creativity. If you’ve ever phrased a hook that got you loads of traffic, share it with the world in the comments.
And nope, you won’t be giving your ‘secret’ away. Give it out, help someone improve, and make a living out of it. The good you do will certainly make its way back to you. At least, that’s what drives us at Proseify.
Your time and support means a lot. 🙂
