Profitable Headlines and Hooks you Need for your Copywriting

by Monica Di Santi

September 24, 2024

In a competitive world where many offer magic solutions with dubious results,

be the one who attracts your reader with irresistible headlines and hooks and...

guides them to a well-deserved and profitable solution.

Offer clients an easy way to solve their problem and the enjoyment of a better life.

How do you engage your reader?

Start your writing with an interesting introduction that calls the reader’s attention. Combine a headline and the first paragraphs of your writing to create the hook.

A headline and hook are a match made in heaven.

Each member perfectly complements the other.

The Headline’s purpose is to make digital hunters stop with an appealing statement, create curiosity and raise their desire to know more.

Then, the hook builds up on that initial emotional response, connected to the reader’s need.

A headline and hook are a tempting pair that gives the reader an initial promising peak into what is a perfect solution for that problem that keeps him up at night.

What is a Headline?

A headline is the title published above your piece of writing, indicating the main topic and the information your copy provides.

It’s the first thing a reader see and it’s an important factor for a reader to decide whether it’s worthy to read the whole article, email, and more.

Your headline has to answer their questions and make readers believe something promising is coming.

A successful headline should always offer some kind of benefit or promise combined with curiosity related to the reader’s interest.

You have only a few seconds to grab your reader's attention.

To make matters worse, 80% of people read the headline and only 20% read the complete copy.

That's the reason why you have to craft powerful headlines

What is a Hook?

The writing hook generally includes the first paragraphs of your copy whose goal is to lure the reader deeper into the topic.

This information makes the reader so interested in this information that they cannot refuse to go on reading to learn more.

To write a good hook you need to have a good knowledge of your audience including not only the demographic information but their pain points, dreams, places they hang out online, how much you know about your product and even what type of language they use.

Why? You are wondering.

Because depending on the level of knowledge your reader has about their problem, available solutions and level of pain you should approach them in different ways.

Proven and Time-tested Copywriting Hooks

It’s not a secret that some copywriting formulas are very effective and they have helped businesses make fortunes with well-crafted copy that converts.

The headline is the most conspicuous part of your copy and have to command attention. Once you succeed in this stage, the next step is to deepen the reader’s interest with the following statements.

Although you can use several copywriting techniques to write your hooks, the most compelling ones are the following:

The Big Promise Hook

When you promise your client to solve a big problem, their struggling decreases. A feeling of ease invade them. Their spirit lift as they look forward to the reward of a better future.

Remember there was a time when people’s word was enough to believe they would fulfill their promise.Clients expect you to keep your word and fulfill your promise,i.e. to deliver the results you have promised.

Promise is the glue of our society. Agreements generally promise to do certain things during a period of time and that keeps society working. You promise to:

take care of your spouse when you wed
pay your rent regularly
pay your credit card in due time every month.

The Story Hook

As humans we’re wired to pay attention to stories because they have been used since the beginning of times. Millions of years ago, human beings got together around the fire to tell stories that worked as learning lessons and warning to protect themselves from evil.

Stories are considered evolutionary because humanity has evolved based on stories that have passed from one generation to the next one.

So, when you tell a story people can relate to, they definitely pay attention, they can see themselves as the hero of that story.

The Problem-solution Hook

Our problems live on our minds. We worry, we stay up late at night thinking about them. We’re wired to believe that thinking about a problem is a way to find a solution for it. Psychologically speaking, when we think about our difficult situation we’re empathizing with our internal pain and taking care of them.

This is the reason why the problem-solution hook works. You start talking about that pressing issue your client is suffering from. You describe it in detail, letting them realize you’re quite aware what that kind of problem means.

Then, you introduce your product or service as a solution to what your potential customer is so worried about.

The Secret Hook

People love to hear secrets because that situation makes them feel important, reliable and supportive. On the other hand, the one telling the secret feels a relief because keeping the secret requires effort and a sense of isolation and guilt.

In this social context, secrets work very well to attract attention.

People want to learn about information that only a few share and may be extremely important because they get a sense of elite and exclusivity.

Shocking Fact Hook

A shocking fact works as a disruption of the peaceful state of mind of the person hearing.

The information heard goes against what the hearer knows or believes. So their mind goes into an alert mood and triggers attention.

Anxiety, fatigue and depression may follow, creating the desire to find peace of mind again with some available solution.

The Contrarian Hook

The contrarian hook is an angle used in copywriting that sounds unconventional, out of touch but definitely calls attention.

This angle shakes conformists, conservatives and logical statements

David Deutsch has shown how to use a “contrarian” angle that’s the opposite of everyone else in your market.

The great advantage of this angle is that when you read a statement you stop while thinking what the hell this is.

Conclusion

If you want to be successful writing copy, bear in mind that the most important part of your copy is the beginning, where you have to attract your reader and persuade them to go on reading.

That's the reason why you have to write an enticing headline and hook is your most important task.