How to write great hooks for your social media posts

How to write great hooks for your social media posts

Hooks make people stop scrolling and read your content.

A hook is the first sentence of your LinkedIn or Twitter post.

No matter what great piece of information you are sharing, if this first sentence doesn’t stop people from scrolling, they’re not going to read your post.

If they don’t read it, they don’t engage with it. They don’t share it. They don’t comment. Your visibility is dismal.

Many people claim that they spend more time writing that first sentence than writing the complete post.

So, how do you write a great hook, or a great first sentence for your social media post?

You need to know your audience.

It’s because when you know your audience, you know what they’re looking for.

My audience, for example, is looking for great content or copy for their websites and blogs.

Therefore, hooks that contain phrases like “content writing”, “copywriting”, “content writer”, “SEO content writing”, “blogging tips”, will immediately draw their attention.

But it’s not just the phrases that get people’s attention. There are some tried and tested rules that make a great hook or the first sentence for your social media posts.

People are looking for tips and insights.

People are looking for motivation.

People are looking for validation.

They want to read about things that actually work in real-world scenarios.

If they want to hire a content writer, they want to know that their content writer knows a thing or two about content writing and related fields.

I don’t believe in using hyperbole to hook people.

Your hook should state the facts without mincing words.

It should be realistic.

It should be something to aspire for.

It should be something people can emulate.

It should be straightforward.

There should be no ambiguity.

Basic hook formats look something like this:

[Asking question]

Have you ever wondered why some people generate leads off LinkedIn every day and some people struggle for months without generating even a single lead?

[Sharing a statistic]

Do you know that only 1% people actively post content on social media?

Here is how you can join that 1% club.

[Personal story]

When I posted my first update on linking two years ago, I had just filed for bankruptcy.

[Big claim]

I just landed the biggest client of the year through a LinkedIn post.

Which post and why it was such a great success?

[Controversial claim]

Most of the LinkedIn experts are selling you snake oil.

Here’s what you actually need to do.

[Big achievement]

This single post on Twitter got me 500 followers in two days.

[Puzzling and intriguing]

Five years ago, I was a hobo. After five years, I’m still a hobo and I have a thriving business.

Read about my journey.

[How to]

How to write awesome content without using ChatGPT?

[How to type]

How to comment your way to success?

[Positive visualisation]

What if I told you, you can own your dream home in two years?

Hard to believe? Read on

[Big claim]

It took me two months to get 5000 followers on LinkedIn.

This is what I did.

Just make sure that your hook is realistic and relatable. Don’t make superfluous claims that cannot be verified.

If your hook incites the reaction “they're bluffing”, then there is a great chance that you are.

As mentioned above, not every first sentence needs to be hyperbolic.

Just stick to the basics but make it curious enough so that people want to read further.

Abdulbasit Saliu

With my extra ordinary content writing and copywriting skills, I assist brands in converting leads into lifelong customers. Email Copywriter|| Content Writer|| Storyteller.

6 个月

Great piece

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Ishu Bansal

Optimizing logistics and transportation with a passion for excellence | Building Ecosystem for Logistics Industry | Analytics-driven Logistics

7 个月

How can we effectively create hooks in our social media posts to capture the attention of readers and encourage engagement? #copywriting #contentwriting #socialmedia

Shalini Rella

Freelance Content Writer specializing in online content creation

7 个月

This really helps. I have been tasked with creating social media posts and this could help me.

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