Hooks 101: How to increase open rates by 30% tonight
- mrpapri1
- Dec 19, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 30
Hooks are super important when it comes to increasing open rates.
Catching your customer's attention, so they will read everything you have to say.
But here's the thing:
Why not make your business perform better?
With hooks, you get:
more sales-ready traffic
less unqualified traffic (those pesky price shoppers)
and most importantly, more money
What is a hook in copywriting?
It's a necessary part of effective copywriting. Being usually at the start of a sentence, it glues readers to start reading.
Puzzled?
Here's an example I wrote for a toothpaste company:
And here’s your life-changing benefits. <------- HOOK!
RIGHT AFTER USING <-------- THIS ISN'T A HOOK, IT'S JUST BENEFITS
microbiome starts being healthier
pH is balanced
the freshest mouth you’ve never had
1 WEEK OF REGULAR USE <-------- THIS ISN'T A HOOK, IT'S JUST BENEFITS
whiter teeth mean your smile will be confident
huge improvement in mouth freshness and wellness
you will realize it actually works
Quick Summary
This blog highlights the importance of hooks in copywriting to grab attention and boost sales. It covers three key types:
Open Loop – Creates curiosity (e.g., "Why is your marketing failing?").
Problem-Based – Addresses customer pain points.
Belief Challengers – Uses controversy to spark interest.
What are examples of hooks in writing?
Open loops, relating to problems and belief challengers.
How do you use hooks to increase open rates?
1 The Open Loop
There are several ways, but the easiest hook (and still pretty powerful) is...
The open loop.
What is an open loop?
It's a mystery. It usually starts with "How", "Why", or "5 Ways How".
Here are some examples:
What's the best way to lose fat without dieting?
How will this blog make chasing quarterly goals a dance in the park?
Here's how I'll beat the sh*t out of him.
Why is it good?
grabs attention predictably
works on all types of audiences
it always works
Shhh... Are you sure your copywriting isn't costing you sales?
Find out if your copywriting is leaving money on the table.
2 Relating to a specific problem
If you know your customers well, this one is the best.
Relating to a specific problem makes whatever you're offering a necessity in the customer's eyes. What's going through their heads is: "If I don't buy this, well, I'll never be able to solve this problem."
And boom, they hit the purchase button.
Here are some examples:
If you can work for hours on end, but getting started is difficult, I get you.
Your calves look like they need some work. Here's what you can do.
Plenty of power, but little technique? Here are 5 ways to fix that and spar anyone.
Why is it good?
resonates only with your ideal audience
builds a sense of community
increases trust
3 Belief Challengers
Write about something controversial, and well, it screams attention.
And?
It might also bring in people who share the same view. Win-Win.
Here are some examples:
You've been sleeping wrong your entire life. Check out this mattress.
When are high conversions bad for you?
This way of doing it is the worst.
Why is it good?
brings in people with the same view
attracts a specific audience
people who view it might share it with other people, leading to a cycle
Cool, but why do I need a hook?
According to this statistic, a person sees about 10'000 marketing messages daily. It boggles my mind how big this number is, to be honest.
Standing out in an ocean of ten thousand messages is impossible without attention-catching.
It gets better:
This means a hook is an absolute necessity.
Without it, your readers won't even begin to read what you have to say...
And now it's time to apply these to your copy.
We covered every type of hook viable.
Right now, it's just time to put these powerful tools to the test.
You'll find out it's been the missing piece all along.
But wait a second...
Are you willing to make your DTC business stand out using my unique process?
