How to write a hook that stops the scroll
On a feed, you are not competing on quality, you are competing on the first line. A great post with a weak opener dies. Master a handful of hook patterns and you can make almost any idea impossible to scroll past.
What a hook has to do
A hook has one job: earn the next line. It should create a small gap in the reader's mind, a curiosity, a tension, or a promise, that only reading on will close.
The best hooks trigger surprise, curiosity, or a little fear of missing out. They are short, specific, and make a claim worth checking.
Hook patterns that work
The contrarian
Say what most people believe, then flip it. "Posting daily is hurting your reach."
The specific result
Lead with a concrete number or outcome. "This one change doubled my saves."
The open loop
Promise a payoff you only deliver later. "Nobody told me this about lead magnets."
Write one in three moves
- 1
State the payoff
What will the reader know or be able to do after reading? Say that, plainly.
- 2
Add tension or specificity
A number, a contrarian angle, or a named mistake makes it concrete and worth checking.
- 3
Cut every extra word
Read it out loud. If the first line is longer than a breath, trim it. Front-load the interesting part.
Hook quality check
- Would this make you stop if you were scrolling?
- Is the interesting part in the first few words?
- Does it create a gap the post then closes?
- Is it specific, not vague or generic?
- Could you defend the claim in the post?
Frequently asked
Quick answers on this topic.
The hook is the opening line (and on LinkedIn, sometimes the first two). It decides whether the reader expands the post or scrolls past, so it carries most of a post's success.
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