Nailing the hook

Folks, if your audience clicks off your post before the 2nd para, you are losing out on a lot of potential customers.

What you need is a persuasive hook.

A hook that fuels engagement in your piece and makes your content..well, not boring to read.

But what is the hook, you ask?

A hook is a phrase or a statement that reels your reader and engages them in the argument you present.

An excellent (and also possibly misleading) example was Chase Dimond . He called his friend a hooker with a lowercase h. that too in the subject line of his newsletter.

You don't even need to guess the open rates of that issue.

Moving away from the craziness above, here are four ways you can also be a master hooker (again, with a lower case h)

1. Statistic hook:?The statistic hook gives your audience a cold hard fact from the get-go. Gaining your reader's trust through expertise early helps when you present your argument. E.g. "69% of deaths under 40 were people who didn't like comment and follow-ed this post."?

"you get the picture"

1. Ask an engaging question:?A question is a great way to create intrigue in your audience. Make sure the question is something they care about and not an irrelevant one. If your potential reader cares about fitness, don't ask about the possible impact of mobile heat-maps on mobile app adaptability.?
2. Tell readers what they will get:?giving away the end goal in the beginning can help you set the proper context from the get-go. Your reader now knows what he is in for and knows he needs to read on to follow.?
3. (mis) quoting someone/something relatable:?I have seen people starting their posts with an anecdotal quote way too many times. Maybe it still works, but I feel playing the same card over and over is a sure-shot way to get ignored by your readers. Solution? Misquotes! Having a funny opener like:

"to hook or not to hook, that is the question."

?- Lao Tzu, Three Kingdoms (probably...)

This, too, should be an exercise in restraint. so don't overuse it

Anyways that's all for now. Meanwhile, keep writing! Good, bad, ugly, do.

Knowing these methods might help, but execution takes you the final mile.

beyondcc:

#bcc #beyondcc #hook #community