Copywriting Examples: How To Write A KILLER HOOK In Your Sales Copy

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. It's if you can't get your prospect's 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 logline, 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? 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 hooker 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 subscribe button below 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 customer's attention with not 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, the Copy Posse Launchpad. 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 and 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. All right, 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 prospect 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 click 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 costs 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 a 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. 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 acknowledgment. You know 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 prospect 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 headlines. 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 to 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 74% of Americans will have an election headache this year and hey, they can reuse it every four years. All right, 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 churn 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 55 levels of customer awareness right here. Thank you so much for watching and subscribing and I will see you again next week. Until then, I'm Alex. Ciao for now. But then it goes on to share that this could also be the cause of Sleepless.