| name | hook-generator |
| description | Generates attention-grabbing hooks for any content format including video intros, social posts, emails, articles, and ads. Use when a user needs opening lines that stop the scroll, wants to test multiple hook angles for a piece of content, or is struggling with how to start their content. |
Hook Generator
When to Use This Skill
- Writing a YouTube video and need a strong opening
- Crafting social media posts that stop the scroll
- Writing email subject lines or opening lines
- Starting a blog post or article with impact
- Creating ad copy that grabs attention in the first 2 seconds
- Testing multiple angles for the same piece of content
Core Principle
A HOOK HAS 3 SECONDS TO EARN THE NEXT 30. Every hook must create a gap between what the reader knows and what they want to know.
Hook Formulas
The 12 Proven Hook Types
| # | Type | Formula | Best For |
|---|
| 1 | Contrarian | "[Common belief] is wrong. Here's why." | Thought leadership, LinkedIn |
| 2 | Curiosity Gap | "There's a reason [surprising thing] and it's not what you think" | YouTube, blog posts |
| 3 | Specific Number | "[Number] [things] that [desirable outcome]" | Listicles, Instagram carousels |
| 4 | Story Open | "Last [month/Tuesday/year], I [specific event]..." | Email, long-form posts |
| 5 | Direct Challenge | "Stop [common mistake]. Do this instead." | Reels, TikTok, tweets |
| 6 | Bold Claim | "You can [impressive result] in [short timeframe]" | Sales pages, ads |
| 7 | Question | "What would you do if [relatable scenario]?" | Community posts, email |
| 8 | Before/After | "I went from [bad state] to [good state] by [method]" | Case studies, transformation content |
| 9 | Social Proof | "[Number] [people] already [did thing]. Here's what they learned." | Landing pages, emails |
| 10 | Confession | "I used to [embarrassing truth]. Then I discovered..." | Personal brand, newsletters |
| 11 | Urgency | "[Thing] is changing on [date]. Here's what you need to know." | Time-sensitive content |
| 12 | Pattern Interrupt | "[Unexpected statement that seems unrelated]" | Short-form video, tweets |
Workflow
Step 1: Understand the Content
Ask the user:
- What's the topic or main point?
- What format? (video, post, email, article, ad)
- What platform? (YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, email, blog)
- Who's the audience?
Minimum needed: questions 1 and 2.
Step 2: Generate Hooks
Produce 5 hooks using different formulas from the table above. For each hook:
- Label the hook type used
- Write the exact hook text
- Note the recommended platform fit
Step 3: Rank and Recommend
Rank the 5 hooks by predicted engagement and explain why the #1 pick works best for the specified format and audience.
Examples
Example 1: YouTube Video About Email Marketing
Topic: Why most small businesses waste money on social media when email marketing has a higher ROI
Format: YouTube video (first 5 seconds spoken to camera)
Generated hooks:
-
Contrarian: "Social media marketing is a waste of money for most small businesses. I know that sounds insane, but look at these numbers." (Best for: YouTube, LinkedIn)
-
Specific Number: "I made $47,000 from one email list of 2,000 people. Here's the exact strategy." (Best for: YouTube, Instagram Reels)
-
Story Open: "Last March, I deleted all my social media apps for 30 days. My revenue went up. Here's what happened." (Best for: YouTube, podcasts)
-
Direct Challenge: "Stop posting on Instagram. Seriously. Your time is worth more than 47 likes." (Best for: TikTok, Reels, tweets)
-
Bold Claim: "You can build a $10K/month business with 500 email subscribers and zero social media followers." (Best for: YouTube, ads)
Recommended: Hook #3 (Story Open) — it creates immediate curiosity ("why would someone delete social media AND make more money?"), feels authentic, and sets up the entire video narrative.
Example 2: Instagram Carousel About Pricing
Topic: How to raise your freelance rates without losing clients
Format: Instagram carousel (first slide text)
Generated hooks:
-
Contrarian: "Charging less doesn't get you more clients. It gets you worse ones."
-
Specific Number: "5 scripts to raise your rates by 30% (without a single client leaving)"
-
Confession: "I charged $25/hour for 2 years. Then one email changed everything."
-
Question: "Would your best client leave you over a 20% price increase? (Spoiler: no)"
-
Before/After: "$25/hour → $150/hour in 8 months. Here's what I changed (it wasn't my skills)."
Recommended: Hook #5 (Before/After) — specific numbers create credibility, the parenthetical creates a curiosity gap, and the transformation is aspirational without being unbelievable.
Example 3: Cold Email Subject Line
Topic: Reaching out to e-commerce brands to offer email marketing services
Format: Email subject line (under 40 characters)
Generated hooks:
- Curiosity Gap: "your welcome email is losing you $2K/mo"
- Question: "quick question about [Brand Name]'s emails"
- Specific Number: "3 emails = $12K (for brands like yours)"
- Social Proof: "did this for [Similar Brand] — thought of you"
- Pattern Interrupt: "don't hire an email marketer"
Recommended: Hook #2 (Question) — personalized subject lines with the brand name get 26% higher open rates, and "quick question" implies low commitment.
Recovery & Fallbacks
- User doesn't know their audience: Generate hooks for a general audience, then ask which ones resonate — their preference reveals the audience.
- All hooks feel generic: Ask for one specific detail, metric, or story from the user's experience. One real number transforms a generic hook into a compelling one.
- User wants more than 5: Generate a second round of 5 using the remaining unused hook formulas.
- Hook doesn't fit the format: Adapt — YouTube hooks should be spoken aloud (conversational), tweet hooks need to be under 280 chars, email subject lines under 50 chars.
Constraints
- NEVER write clickbait that the content can't deliver on
- Hooks must be truthful — no fabricated numbers or results
- Always match hook energy to the content format (casual for TikTok, professional for LinkedIn)
- Video hooks: keep under 10 seconds when spoken aloud
- Email subject lines: under 50 characters, no ALL CAPS, no excessive punctuation
