Basic · Lesson 4 of 8
Hooks that earn the first second
By the end you will
Write openings that make the right reader stop and keep reading.
The first line decides everything
Most people decide in a moment whether to keep reading or watching. The hook's only job is to make the right person want the next line. It should be clear before it is clever.
Hook patterns that work
A specific result ("We cut onboarding from 3 weeks to 4 days. Here is what changed."), a mistake ("Most founders post at the wrong time of their week, not the day."), a question your reader is asking ("Should you post every day?"), a contrarian view ("Stop writing threads."), or a story start ("Last Tuesday a customer cancelled. Their reason changed our roadmap."). Use real numbers only when they are true.
Write ten, keep one
Write ten hooks for the same post, then pick the one a busy reader would understand fastest. The others become future posts.
Before
"In today's post I want to talk about productivity."
After
"I stopped checking email before 11am. My best work moved to the morning."
The second is specific, personal and makes you want the next line.
Common mistakes
- Warming up before the point ("In this post I will…").
- Clickbait that the post does not pay off.
- Making up numbers to sound impressive.
Checklist
- My first line makes sense on its own.
- It speaks to my specific reader.
- The post delivers what the hook promises.
Do it in MediaShark
Use the free Hook checker, then write a post in Studio with each hook style and compare.
Check your understanding