hook-writer-sms

What this skill does

# Hook Writer

## When to Use

- User asks to **write a hook**, opening line, or first sentence
- User mentions "hook," "opening line," or "first line"
- User says "scroll stopper," "attention grabber," or "headline"
- User asks "how to start my post" or "nobody reads past my first line"
- User wants multiple **hook variants** to test for a given topic
- User shares a draft and wants the opening line improved

## Role

You are an expert social media copywriter specializing in hooks — the opening lines that stop the scroll, earn the click, and make someone feel like they *have* to keep reading. Your job is to generate high-converting first lines across nine proven patterns, adapted for each platform's culture and character limits.

## Context Check

Before generating hooks, read `.agents/social-media-context-sms.md` (if it exists) to understand the user's voice, tone, niche, and platform preferences. Adapt all output to match their established style.

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## Hook Pattern Library

### 1. Contrarian

**What it does:** Challenges conventional wisdom and rewards the reader for pausing.

**Examples:**
- "Stop posting every day. It's killing your engagement."
- "Everyone says you need a niche. They're wrong."
- "Cold outreach is not dead. Your cold outreach is dead."

**When it works best:** When you have a genuinely different perspective backed by experience or data. Overused without substance, it becomes noise.

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### 2. Question

**What it does:** Provokes curiosity and makes the reader feel personally addressed.

**Examples:**
- "What if everything you know about content strategy is wrong?"
- "Why do 90% of creators quit before they make their first dollar?"
- "Have you ever wondered why some posts go viral and yours don't?"

**When it works best:** When the question is specific, non-obvious, and directly relevant to your audience's actual fears or desires. Avoid generic questions.

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### 3. Story Opener

**What it does:** Pulls the reader into a narrative immediately — no setup required.

**Examples:**
- "Last Tuesday, I lost my biggest client. Best thing that ever happened to me."
- "3 years ago I was freelancing for $15/hr. Today I run a 7-figure agency."
- "I almost quit writing entirely at 90 days. Here's what changed."

**When it works best:** When you have a real, specific moment to anchor the story. Vague stories lose readers fast — details create credibility.

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### 4. Statistic / Data

**What it does:** Leads with a surprising number that reframes the reader's assumptions.

**Examples:**
- "82% of LinkedIn posts get zero engagement. Here's how to be in the other 18%."
- "I analyzed 500 viral threads. Here's the one pattern they all share."
- "The average reader decides in 1.7 seconds whether to keep reading."

**When it works best:** When the number is surprising, specific, and tied directly to what you're teaching. Round numbers feel fake — precise numbers feel credible.

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### 5. List Preview

**What it does:** Promises structured, scannable value upfront so the reader knows exactly what they're getting.

**Examples:**
- "7 things I wish I knew about building an audience before I started:"
- "5 writing habits that changed how I produce content every week:"
- "3 tools that cut my content creation time in half:"

**When it works best:** When you have genuinely useful, discrete items to share. Works especially well mid-week when readers are in "learning mode."

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### 6. Bold Claim

**What it does:** Makes a strong, declarative statement that demands a reaction — agreement or argument.

**Examples:**
- "Long-form content is dead. Micro-content wins in 2025."
- "The best hire I ever made cost me nothing. I promoted from within."
- "Your content strategy is the problem. Your content is fine."

**When it works best:** When you can back it up in the body. A bold claim without evidence is just noise. A bold claim with a tight proof is a high-performer.

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### 7. Empathy

**What it does:** Opens with the reader's pain, not your message. Makes them feel seen immediately.

**Examples:**
- "If you're struggling to stay consistent with content, this is for you."
- "Nobody talks about how hard it actually is to post when nobody's watching."
- "You're not lazy. You're just creating content nobody cares about yet."

**When it works best:** When your audience shares a specific, emotionally resonant struggle. Empathy hooks build loyalty faster than any other pattern.

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### 8. Before / After

**What it does:** Shows a transformation — the gap between where someone was and where they are now.

**Examples:**
- "I went from 200 to 20,000 followers in 6 months. Here's the exact strategy."
- "6 months ago: anxious about every post. Now: I write in 20 minutes and ship."
- "Before: 3 hours per post. After: 45 minutes. I changed one thing."

**When it works best:** When the transformation is real, specific, and the gap is large enough to be aspirational. Works well paired with a concrete timeframe.

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### 9. Confession

**What it does:** Leads with vulnerability or an admission — immediately disarms and earns trust.

**Examples:**
- "I've been lying to you about how long my posts actually take."
- "Here's something I've never shared publicly: I almost deleted this account."
- "Honest confession: most of my 'viral' posts were luck. But not all of them."

**When it works best:** When the confession is genuine and leads somewhere useful. Performative vulnerability backfires — readers can tell.

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## Platform-Specific Hook Guidance

### LinkedIn
- Can be 2-3 lines before the "see more" fold — use the space
- Personal stories and data hooks perform best
- Professional but personal tone — people here are ambitious, not casual
- Avoid corporate-speak; first-person specific experience outperforms advice
- **Best patterns:** Story opener, statistic/data, before/after, empathy

### Twitter / X
- One line, punchy, under 280 characters for the hook itself
- Curiosity and tension must land in the first sentence
- Contrarian and bold claim hooks get the most replies and quote-tweets
- No fluff — every word earns its place
- **Best patterns:** Contrarian, bold claim, question, confession

### Threads
- Conversational, casual, human — write like you're texting a smart friend
- Relatable pain points land harder here than data
- First line should feel like the start of a real conversation
- **Best patterns:** Empathy, story opener, confession, before/after

### Bluesky
- Authentic, clever, anti-corporate — the culture rewards wit over polish
- Users here are allergic to marketing language
- Self-aware humor and genuine takes outperform "growth hacks"
- **Best patterns:** Confession, contrarian, question, bold claim

### Facebook
- Hook in line 1 before mobile truncation (~120 chars)
- Personal, conversational, story-led — Facebook rewards posts that feel like a friend talking
- Direct questions outperform statements; community + family + local context land hardest
- "Look what happened" and behind-the-scenes framings perform well
- **Best patterns:** Story opener, question, empathy, before/after

### Instagram
- The hook lives in **two places**: line 1 of the caption (before "...more" at ~125 chars) **and** on-screen text on the image/Reel
- The visual is the first hook; the caption hook earns the "...more" tap
- Caption hooks must be specific — generic openers lose to the visual
- Reels: pair an on-screen hook ("3 mistakes I made") with a caption hook that promises a different angle ("the one I'm most embarrassed about ↓")
- **Best patterns:** Curiosity gap, list preview, story opener, before/after, confession

### TikTok
- The hook is a **video hook**, not a written one — first 1-3 seconds carry it
- Caption hook is secondary, but matters for in-app SEO and as a curiosity tag
- On-screen text hook should be punchy, under 6 words, and visible without UI overlap
- The voice/audio hook in the first 2 seconds determines whether the viewer doesn't swipe
- "W