Do you know what the single
most important part of any copy is?
Whether you're writing
an ad, a landing page,
a sales page or an email,
if you can nail this,
your copy practically writes itself.
Any guesses?
Keep watching.
Hey guys, it's Alex and this
week we're going to talk
about the single most
important part of copywriting,
the art of crafting the perfect hook.
In copywriting and
marketing a hook is exactly
what it sounds like, a concept or an idea
that gets people interested
in what you have to say
and what you have to offer.
So a good hook has the job
of reeling in a prospect
by getting their attention
enough to take the next step.
Because let's face it, it
doesn't matter if your sales copy
is the most interesting, engaging,
well-written masterpiece on the planet,
if you can't get your
prospects' attention,
does it even matter?
We are in the attention and
retention business first,
which is why using a powerful
hook in your headlines,
subject lines or at the
beginning of a sales
or landing page is absolutely critical,
no matter your niche, product or market.
It's what the reader sees first
and determines whether or
not they'll open that email,
read the next section or click an ad.
So arguably, writing killer hooks
is the most important skill
you can develop in copywriting.
It's what determines whether
your copy converts or flops.
When comparing copywriting
to screenwriting,
your hook is essentially the log line.
That one big idea that determines whether
or not you're watching that
movie or that docu-series
on Netflix this Friday night.
Why do you think 34 million people
watched Tiger King the weekend
it came out on Netflix?
I mean, sure, you could argue
that they were stuck at home
and they had nothing better to do.
But the show is about a
gay gun-toting operator
of a tiger park who was
charged with murder-for-hire.
Yeah, that is a pretty good hook.
A great hook makes people go wait, what?
Oh, I gotta see what this is all about!
But there's something I
really want to make clear.
This is not an invitation
to use clickbait,
which is something very, very
different from a great hook.
There's a lot of debate
out there right now
about what's considered clickbait
and everyone seems to have
a different definition.
To me, it's simple,
clickbait is an intentionally
misleading hook or headline
that leads to content
that's irrelevant, provides no value
or just straight out lies.
Great hooks are still majorly click-worthy
but they are relevant, lead to value,
whether it be educational, entertainment
or inspirational value
and they do not mislead your prospects.
I've said this several
times and I'll say it again,
always lead with value and
use empathy and connection
in your copywriting - and
if you want more tips,
techniques and tutorials
that are working today,
go ahead and hit that
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to join the global Copy Posse.
Now in this video, I'm going to share five
of my favorite Copy Posse-Approved
hooks to grab and hold
your customers' attention with nothing
but powerful and precise wording.
As I like to say, the right phrase pays.
These five hooks are a sneak
peek at my full list of proven
and effective hooks that
I teach in my copywriter
coaching program at the
Copy Posse Launch Pad.
By the way, if you're
interested and ready to ignite
your freelance copywriting business,
you can now get the
recordings of this program
which includes access to
all the training modules,
Q&A sessions, workbooks, guides, formulas
and lots and lots of juicy bonus content.
You can find out more about
how to get your hands on
that in the description below.
Alright, now here they
are, five powerful hooks
that you can use to
capture and keep attention.
Now please bear in mind
that these five hooks
are not mutually exclusive.
Often a great hook can utilize
more than one of these concepts or angles.
Let's start with hook numero
uno - Threat, Warning and Pain.
Now guys, I don't mean to
start things off super intense
but the heart of this
first hook is primal.
It's an old-school approach
that still works today.
Illustrating a threatening
situation or an urgent warning
or an unwanted pain that
resonates with your prospects
will likely get their attention.
Science has proven that all
decisions made by us humans
are either to avoid pain or gain pleasure
but here's the plot twist,
people will actually do much more
to avoid pain than to gain pleasure.
The notion here is that
you would likely act faster
if you were say about
to be attacked by a bear
than if someone offered you
a suitcase full of cash.
Not that you have to get
that intense in your copy
but really think about the
problems your audience is facing.
Don't unnecessarily
fear-monger or use clickbait,
of course, make sure that
it's relevant to your product
and that it would lead
your prospect to something
that can actually help
them solve their problem.
And it goes without saying
that this hook works well
for a Problem Aware audience
and you're hooking attention
by speaking to that pain.
So as an example, in this
ad, Pacific Blue Cross
used a stern warning to remind travelers
of the high medical cost
should anything happen
to you during your
vacation if you don't have
the right travel insurance.
And here's another one
from ADT that shares
that 26% of burglaries happen
when someone is at home,
urging you to take action to feel safe.
And this ad also plays
up a second type of hook
and that is education and FYI.
A great way to hook attention
is to provide useful
and relevant information
that opens the loop
and encourages your prospect
to want to learn more.
Besides, no one can resist
a good little-known fact
or a shocking, did you know?
Using education or what
I call the "FYI Hook"
is a great way to appeal to prospects
that have little awareness
of your product or solution.
Education is a great way to
indoctrinate unaware leads.
A great example of this
hook is a series of posts
by Acorns, a brilliant investing app
that helps people invest their change.
They use eye-opening findings
and stats in their hooks
to speak to their target
audience, millennials.
Now this ad may not be
as shocking but serves as
a great reminder of how our
current education system
really fails to teach us
how to manage our finances.
This ad however, sheds some
light on a daily routine
that far too many of us are guilty of,
the amount of money we
spend on coffee (chuckles).
And that brings me to hook
number three Confirm Beliefs.
It's no surprise that
people tend to respond
or gravitate towards
evidence or information
that supports their existing beliefs.
This gives your prospect
a sense of validation
and acknowledgement, that
moment where you go, aha,
I knew it or "oh my god, same!"
This hook is also great for
a Problem Aware audience.
Those people that might not
be aware of your product yet
but they're experiencing the pain
that your product is offering to solve.
The best way to use this hook is to open
with a powerful statement that
confirms an existing belief
but then pivot to present
some new information
that will get them to
go, hmm, interesting.
So here's a great example from Organixx.
They spoke to women who were
struggling with moodiness
and irritability by validating
what most of us already know
that the cause could
be hormonal imbalances.
But then it goes on to share
that this could also be
the cause of insomnia, weight
fluctuations or even dry skin.
They confirm a well-known belief
but then present new
information based on this belief
that makes their audience
want to know more.
Now be careful that the new information
doesn't completely violate
the existing belief
or jump to a completely new paradigm
that just doesn't make sense.
There needs to be a believable connection.
If it's too hard to swallow,
you will have a hard time selling.
Alright, now moving on
to hook number four,
Fear of Missing Out.
Yes, I am talking about that
anxiety-inducing feeling
of being left out in a social situation.
In the context of marketing,
FOMO is really an opportunity
to merge scarcity with
social proof by showcasing
the number of people who
are already experiencing
the benefits you offer, and
therefore making your prospects
feel like they are missing out.
It's a good old fashioned
"Everyone is doing it,
so why aren't you?"
The point here is to leverage social proof
in an authentic and relatable way
that resonates with the
prospect and creates the desire
for them to take action.
For example, Blinkist,
the app that summarizes
bestselling books into 15-minute reports,
does this very, very
well with their headline.
Millions of tech savvy
intellectuals are using Blinkist
to stay ahead of their peers
and on top of their fields.
And Live Recover, an abandoned
cart recovery service,
creates double FOMO by
letting businesses know
that they're missing out
on recovering 21% of people
who abandon their cart
and also use the famous
"who else" headline
implying that other people
are already using this service.
Alright, now hook number five, Relevancy.
There has never been a time when relevancy
is more well, relevant
to ensure the success
of a marketing campaign.
What is relevant to your market today?
With the abundance of brands and solutions
that are available and
visible to your customers,
especially in the digital world,
relevancy is perhaps the
best way to create a stronger
and more meaningful connection
between brand and customer.
A hook that uses relevancy is one
that takes into account current
events, cultures or issues
that your target audience can relate to,
and of course connecting it
to your product or offer.
The goal here is not only get
attention but do it in a way
that makes your prospect go,
"Oh, wow, you really get where I'm at."
So think current events, pop culture,
or trending topics on social media.
How can you piggyback
on these conversations
and relate it to your product?
This is where empathy
can go a long, long way.
In fact, it lies at the core of this hook.
For example, during the
2016 presidential elections
in the USA, Aspirin brand
Excedrin was clever to poke fun
at the political environment
with the headline,
73% of Americans will have an
election headache this year
And hey, they can reuse
it every four years.
Alright and there you have it,
five of the most effective hooks
that we here at the
Copy Posse love to use.
Give me a thumbs up below if
you found this video helpful.
I hope it gives you some
inspiration the next time
you need to turn out some killer
headlines or subject lines.
Speaking of which, you can watch my video
on How to Write Hot Headlines right here.
Or you can check out my video
on the Five Levels of
Customer Awareness right here.
Thank you so much for
watching and subscribing.
I will see you again next week.
Until then, I'm Alex! Ciao for now.
