| What's a hook and why does it matter? Here's | | | | Find a way to tell the first part of your story |
| the short answer. The title of your book, article, | | | | using no more than seven words and your |
| speech or sales ad is a hook and it's designed to | | | | readership will go up by a factor of ten. |
| grab the attention of your reader. The longer and | | | | How Is That Possible? |
| more appropriate answer is that a hook is the | | | | In the marketing world this is know as an |
| single most important piece of text you write to | | | | unbelievable claim. How can a laser beam brighten |
| get people to read your book, article, speech or | | | | your smile in less than five minutes? How is it |
| sales ad. Your hook is everything. If your hook | | | | possible that doctors can grow hair on a bald man |
| does not immediately grab the attention of your | | | | using chicken feathers? Don't you want to know? |
| reader, nothing else matters. Let me explain. | | | | Of course you do. Your sense of wonder won't |
| Joe Sugarman, the author of "Triggers," is | | | | let you stop until you find the answer. |
| recognized as one of the nation's top copywriters. | | | | Is there something amazing about your product |
| According to Joe, the purpose of your hook is to | | | | or service that seems impossible? Use it to write |
| get the reader to read the next line of text. | | | | a hook that engages your readers. |
| Period. If your hook causes your reader to open | | | | Disclose Information |
| your book or read your article or listen to your | | | | Mosquito repellants don't actually repel |
| speech, it's a good hook. If it doesn't, you're | | | | mosquitoes? In every episode of Seinfeld there's |
| wasting your money. | | | | a Superman somewhere? Forty percent of all |
| Up until recently I spent very little time thinking | | | | people who come to a party in your home will |
| about the title of my articles or the headlines of | | | | snoop in your medicine cabinet. I didn't know that |
| my Google ads. But all of that changed when my | | | | and I'd bet you didn't either. |
| son and I started researching how to use social | | | | Disclosing information is a sure way to stir the |
| bookmarking sites to generate traffic to our | | | | sense of wonder. Better yet, it will cause people |
| website. What caused thousands of people to | | | | to read your article, book or sales ad. |
| read an article entitled, "Headless Man Seen | | | | The Biggest And The Best |
| Running Through Southeast Asia" when only a | | | | Way back in 1996, John Travolta starred in the |
| handful of people took the time to read, "Writing | | | | movie, "Michael." The movie was about Michael the |
| A Hook?" Here's what we discovered. | | | | Archangel who was sent to Earth to mend some |
| As human beings, we have a sense of wonder | | | | wounded hearts. Once his job was completed |
| that causes us to act in a certain way. We're told | | | | Michael was expected to go back to heaven. But |
| not to open Pandora's box and we open it. We | | | | before he left he took his entire cast of |
| have an opportunity to prove the status quo | | | | characters across the country to see the world's |
| wrong and we take it. We're told about something | | | | largest everything. That included the world's |
| that is contrary to our belief system and we | | | | largest frying pan and the world's largest ball of |
| challenge it. For example, did you know that it's | | | | sting in Cawker City, KS. |
| impossible to fold a piece of paper more than | | | | It's not just archangels who are interested in |
| eight times and it doesn't matter how big or thin | | | | seeing and reading about the biggest and the best. |
| the piece of paper is? It's simply impossible. | | | | Every human being wants to know what's the |
| As a marketing person, I don't need to tell you to | | | | world's oldest or tallest or fastest. |
| try it. You're sense of wonder will take over and | | | | Be Controversial |
| you'll grab a sheet of paper and fold it seven | | | | Do you want the attention of Red Sox or |
| times. Then you'll grab a tissue and fold it seven | | | | Yankee fans? If so, here's a hook that will grab |
| times. And, if by some freak of nature you do | | | | them both. "Ten Reasons why the Red Sox are |
| fold it eight times, you're going to make sure I | | | | Better than the Yankees." Or maybe you could |
| know about your success. People who write great | | | | entitle your article, "Ten Reasons why the |
| hooks understand how to take advantage of a | | | | Yankees are Better than the Red Sox." Either |
| person's sense of wonder. | | | | way you're going to get the attention of both. |
| Here are five quick ways to grab the attention of | | | | One person wants to read your article because |
| your reader using their sense of wonder. | | | | they agree with the headline and the other wants |
| Start A Story. | | | | to read your article because they disagree with it. |
| This one gets me every time. What happened to | | | | Controversy sells. |
| Hansel and Gretel? Did the Big Bad Wolf catch | | | | So what does a headless man seen running |
| Little Red Riding Hood? Who was the headless | | | | through Southeast Asia have to do with writing a |
| man seen running through Southeast Asia? I just | | | | hook? You read the article didn't you? |
| have to know, and so do millions of other people. | | | | |