Prompt Library

Marketing ROI

Viral Content Hook Generator for Social Media

Creates attention-grabbing first lines that drive shares and profile visits.

1. Content Context Setup

  1. Ask the user what topic or message they want to communicate—educational insight, controversial opinion, story, or announcement.
    • Example: "What's the core message or topic—teaching something, sharing an opinion, telling a story, or announcing news?"
  2. Ask the user about their target audience—who should this resonate with, and what do they care about?
    • Example: "Who's your audience for this content—their role, interests, pain points, or aspirations?"
  3. Ask the user what action they want—engagement (comments/shares), profile visits, link clicks, or brand awareness.
    • Example: "What's the goal—spark conversation, drive shares, get profile visits, or click through to your site?"
  4. Ask the user about platform and format—LinkedIn post, Twitter thread, Instagram caption, TikTok video, etc.
    • Example: "Where will this be posted—LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook? Text, video, image, or carousel?"

2. Hook Psychology Framework

What Makes Content Go Viral:

  • Emotional trigger (surprise, anger, inspiration, humor, curiosity)
  • Pattern interrupt (unexpected or counter-intuitive)
  • Personal relatability ("This is me!")
  • Practical value (useful information)
  • Social currency (makes sharer look good)

Hook Categories:

1. Curiosity Hooks (Open Loop):

  • Promises information but withholds key detail
  • "The #1 mistake that's costing you clients (and how to fix it)"
  • "I made $100K in 30 days. Here's what no one tells you..."
  • "This counterintuitive strategy 10x'd my productivity"

2. Controversial/Hot Take Hooks:

  • Challenges common belief
  • "Unpopular opinion: [Common practice] is actually hurting your business"
  • "Everyone's wrong about [topic]. Here's why..."
  • "I'm going to say what everyone's thinking but afraid to post"

3. Story Hooks:

  • Personal narrative that promises transformation or lesson
  • "3 years ago I was [bad situation]. Today, [good situation]. Here's what changed..."
  • "I just lost my biggest client. But it was the best thing that happened to me."
  • "My most embarrassing mistake taught me [valuable lesson]"

4. Bold Claim Hooks:

  • Strong, specific statement
  • "I've reviewed 500+ resumes. Here are the 3 things that get interviews..."
  • "After 10 years in [industry], I can predict [outcome] with 90% accuracy"
  • "You don't need [commonly thought requirement]. You need [alternative]."

5. List/Framework Hooks:

  • Promise structured, digestible information
  • "7 things I wish I knew before [milestone]"
  • "The 3-step framework that [desirable outcome]"
  • "5 signs you're ready to [next level]"

6. Relatable Problem Hooks:

  • Calls out shared pain point
  • "You know that feeling when [frustrating thing]? Yeah, that needs to stop."
  • "If you're struggling with [problem], it's not your fault. Here's why..."
  • "Everyone talks about [solution], but nobody mentions [real challenge]"

7. Data/Surprise Hooks:

  • Unexpected statistic or finding
  • "I analyzed 10,000 [things]. 87% had this one thing in common..."
  • "Only 3% of [people] do this. That's why they [succeed]."
  • "This study will change how you think about [topic]"

8. Direct Address Hooks:

  • Speaks to specific audience segment
  • "For anyone who's ever [situation]—this is for you"
  • "If you're a [role] feeling [emotion], read this"
  • "Founders: Stop doing [thing]. Do this instead."

3. Platform-Specific Hook Strategies

LinkedIn:

  • Professional but conversational tone
  • Hooks that promise career/business value
  • Open with credibility or relatability
  • Example: "After interviewing 200 candidates for senior roles, I've noticed a pattern that separates great hires from mediocre ones..."

Twitter/X:

  • Punchy, direct, sometimes provocative
  • Thread hooks promise value unpacked
  • First tweet must stop the scroll
  • Example: "The best advice I got was to stop taking advice. Here's why..."

Instagram:

  • Visual + caption hook working together
  • Emotional or aspirational
  • First line visible without "...more"
  • Example: "Nobody tells you this about [journey], but it's the truth you need to hear"

TikTok:

  • First 1-2 seconds verbal hook
  • Pattern interrupt or curiosity
  • Entertainment or education (or both)
  • Example: [Text overlay] "POV: You're about to learn the strategy that changed everything"

Facebook:

  • Community and connection focus
  • Longer-form storytelling works
  • Hooks that invite sharing experiences
  • Example: "Can we be honest about [relatable struggle]? Because I'm tired of pretending..."

4. Hook Formula Templates

The Transformation Formula: "I went from [before state] to [after state] in [timeframe]. Here's the [number]-step process:"

The Mistake Formula: "I spent [time/money] on [thing] before realizing [insight]. Here's what I should have done instead:"

The Revelation Formula: "After [experience/research], I discovered [counterintuitive truth] about [topic]. This changes everything:"

The Challenge Formula: "Everyone says [common advice]. But after [experience], I learned [opposite]. Here's why:"

The Pattern Formula: "I've noticed [observation] across [number] [things]. The ones that [succeed] all do this:"

The Vulnerability Formula: "I'm about to share something I've never publicly admitted: [vulnerable truth]. Here's what it taught me:"

The Question Formula: "What if I told you [provocative statement]? Because that's exactly what [evidence shows]:"

The Urgency Formula: "If you're [doing common thing], stop. It's costing you [consequence]. Do this instead:"

5. Hook Testing & Optimization

Pre-Publishing Checklist:

  • [ ] First sentence stops the scroll (would I keep reading?)
  • [ ] Creates curiosity or emotional response
  • [ ] Relevant to target audience's interests/pain
  • [ ] Promises clear value or payoff
  • [ ] Authentic to your voice (not clickbait)
  • [ ] Clear where the content is going

A/B Testing Framework:

  • Create 3-5 hook variations for same content
  • Test on different days/times
  • Track: Reach, engagement rate, saves/shares, profile visits
  • Double down on winning patterns

Red Flags (Avoid These):

  • ✗ Misleading clickbait that doesn't deliver
  • ✗ Generic openings: "Today I want to talk about..."
  • ✗ Boring facts without intrigue: "Here are some statistics about..."
  • ✗ Overused phrases: "Let's dive in," "Here's the thing," "So I was thinking..."
  • ✗ Too vague: "This is important" (why? for whom?)

6. Full Post Structure

Great hook alone isn't enough—deliver on the promise:

Hook (First 1-2 lines)

  • Stop the scroll
  • Create curiosity or emotion

Body (Middle)

  • Deliver on hook's promise
  • Use short paragraphs (2-3 lines max)
  • Add line breaks for scannability
  • Include examples, stories, or steps
  • Build to insight or CTA

Close (Last 1-2 lines)

  • Reinforce key takeaway
  • Call-to-action (comment, share, follow)
  • Leave them with thought or question

Example Structure:

[Hook] I used to spend 20 hours/week on [task]. Now it takes 2. Here's what changed:

[Body]
The problem wasn't my work ethic.
It was my system.

I was optimizing for busy, not productive.

Here's the framework that fixed it:

1. [Insight with brief explanation]
2. [Insight with brief explanation]
3. [Insight with brief explanation]

The result? [Specific outcome].

[Close]
What's one thing you're working hard on that you should probably work smarter on instead?

Drop it in the comments—let's solve it together.

7. Hook Swipe File (50+ Examples)

Organize by type for quick reference:

Curiosity:

  • "The secret to [outcome] isn't [expected thing]. It's this:"
  • "What if everything you know about [topic] is wrong?"
  • "I'm about to reveal the [adjective] truth about [topic] that [authority] won't tell you"

Controversy:

  • "[Common practice] is a waste of time. Here's what works instead:"
  • "Unpopular opinion: [Bold statement that challenges status quo]"
  • "I'm going to lose followers for this, but someone needs to say it:"

Story:

  • "[Timeframe] ago, I was [negative situation]. Fast forward to today: [positive situation]. Here's my journey:"
  • "My worst failure became my biggest success. Here's how:"
  • "This happened to me yesterday, and it completely changed my perspective on [topic]:"

Value/Education:

  • "I've spent [number] hours studying [topic]. Here are the [number] lessons that actually matter:"
  • "After [experience/research], these [number] things stand out:"
  • "Here's the [adjective] framework for [outcome] that no one talks about:"

Relatable:

  • "Can we talk about how [relatable struggle]?"
  • "If you've ever felt like [emotion] about [situation], this is for you"
  • "That moment when [relatable scenario]—yeah, let's fix that"

8. Deliverables

Hook Generator Tool:

  • Input: Topic, audience, goal
  • Output: 10 hook variations in different styles

Hook Swipe File:

  • 50+ proven hook templates by category
  • Platform-specific variations
  • Industry/niche examples

Hook Testing Framework:

  • What to test
  • How to measure success
  • When to iterate or double down

Full Post Templates:

  • Hook → Body → Close structure
  • Platform-specific formatting
  • Engagement optimization tips

Present complete viral hook framework with psychology-backed formulas, platform-specific strategies, testing methodology, and swipe file of proven templates to maximize social media reach and engagement.