Grab Readers Attention: How To Craft Irresistible Hooks

So you’ve started writing on Medium, you’ve published a few blogs here and there, but no one is taking the bait.

No views, no followers, no sweet sweet dollar signs.

In a world full of scrollers you need to be able to grab peoples attention, your titles should make people stop what they are doing and NEED to read your article.

How? My friend, take a seat.

We are going fishing.

So, What is a Hook?

A hook is the first thing your reader is going to see, they are scrolling through their recommended tab, sifting through the articles.

Do you think they are going to click on yours because your writing is great?

Of course not, they have no idea if your writing is good, yet…

So you need to lure them in, your title is the perfect way to do this, make it a must-click, but be careful not to overpromise. Make sure not to ‘clickbait’ as this will damage your reputation.

Just make sure you deliver what your title promises to the reader, that’s all.

So, how do you create a hook that will have the masses swarming to your blogs?

Easy my dear child, we will get there, but first, let’s have a look at some of the different types of hooks you can use.

Statistic Hook

A statistic hook is focused on drawing the reader in using some form of statistic, percentage, decimal, or number.

This is often confused as a quotation hook, as the statistic used is often quoted from a reliable source, and even quotation marks are added to show reference to the researcher.

The key difference between the two is that a statistic hook has some sort of number, figure, etc, attached to it.

Example: ‘According to the NHS, every year, 76,000 people die from smoking in the UK’.

A stat like that is quite fearful, provoking a reaction from the person reading to continue on with the piece to see more information.

This hook is often paired with shocking figures that make people continue reading because of the alarm bells ringing in their heads after seeing it.

Statement Hook

A statement hook will make a claim, or declaration about the topic to be discussed in the writing.

The statement hook is perfect for getting the readers' attention, even if they fully disagree with the statement.

Read this example, you will either nod your head, or scoff, but either way, the author now has your attention.

Example: “Vegans are the healthiest group of people in the world”.

This is quite a bold statement that captures attention by adding controversy to the piece, some people will fully agree and continue reading to see this statement backed up by evidence, while others will read to try and disprove the work, or potentially have their mind changed by the author.

(Disclaimer: I do not believe that statement, viva la steak).

Question Hook

A question hook is primarily focused on… you guessed it, asking the reader a question.

This helps to massively engage the reader as it feels very personal as if they are having a conversation with the author.

The question of course relates to the topic being covered, but is usually something either very specific or super broad, there isn’t much middle ground.

Example: ‘Not happy with what you see in the mirror?’

This would be a great hook to start a piece of work around the subject of weight loss.

Quotation Hook

A quotation hook aims to engage the reader by giving them an interesting perspective, in just a few words.

People love quotes, (statement hook there if you have been paying attention), and as such using one to pull readers in is a great way to grab their attention.

Example: ‘What we think, we become’ — Buddha.

This would be a great quotation hook to begin a piece of work involving the self-improvement niche, it is very simple in structure, but its meaning is immensely powerful.

Hook Creation

The creation of a hook sentence should never be the same, as each piece of work will be different.

Creating a hook, or specifically, teaching someone how to create a ‘good’ hook, is difficult, this is because every type of audience you market to will pay attention based on different things.

For example, using a statistic hook would probably be the preference when targeting an older demographic. A controversial statement hook could be used to lure in younger readers.

It's all about knowing your audience and crafting a sentence that is genuinely interesting and provokes questions, or an emotional response in the reader.

There isn’t a specific hook that fits each niche, but you can narrow down what you should be using based on the following:

• What do you feel most comfortable using
• What will resonate with your audience the most
• And honestly? Which one feels right at the moment (Sounds super cheesy but it's true, your gut is rarely wrong).

So, let’s wrap up.

They Call Me Captain Hook

So a few final thoughts and advice when crafting hooks from me is:

• Do not sit on the fence — it pays to pick a side.
• If you are making a statement, make it controversial.
• If you are showing a stat make it shocking.
• If you are asking a question, make it personal.
• If you are using a quote, make it relevant.

Thanks For Reading

I hope you enjoyed it, feel free to follow me Carl Jeffers for more writing, and personal brand advice.

Until next time,

Jeff.