Writing Hooks

Hooks, defined (by google's AI) as the opening of a writing piece intended to immediately grab a reader's attention, and why I think they need to be reeled back in.

I want to talk about writing hooks.

Plainly, I think they are getting out of hand. They are overused and turning into those shirts you used to see at Forever 21 and think, “wait this one’s cute,” only to turn it around and find it would have a bedazzled phrase like “WILD CHILD,” or “NEVER STOP DREAMING.”

Because why do so many articles (on any platform) start with—

I hate myself

Is what I said before I learned…

My family never loved me

Is what I told myself for years…

Recruiters are worse than AI

If you only value speed and inaccuracy…

Then it is followed up by the most underwhelming article you have ever read. Like we get it— you can write an outlandish hook, but if you can’t back it up, you’re doing your article a disservice.

Whether it’s the rise of AI writing, or just the sheer amount of copycat copywriting that is going on especially on apps like LinkedIn, these hooks are now doing the opposite of what they set out to do. They’re turning people away from the rest of the article.

Any writing post that starts with this kind of hook is immediately scrolled past, as they are an obvious red flag of an inexperienced writer, or worse, someone who copy and pasted from AI.

Now, are hooks critical to the beginning of any writing piece? Yes. But the key thing is to make sure the gravity of the hook, the emotion/tone of it is maintained throughout the article. Otherwise, it’s like chocolate icing on burnt toast.

As writers, we can use this rise of copycat copywriting and outlandish hooks with zero follow-up to our advantage by writing first lines that both engage with readers and set the tone for the rest of the article. It is easier to make your writing stand out when you find what other articles have in common and deviate from it.