How to create a LinkedIn hooks that stops scrolling?

A punchy LinkedIn hooks is what makes the difference between an invisible post and content that explodes the counters (and that’s what we want). 😏

Yet this is often the part we write too quickly, thinking the post is more important… huge mistake!

A good teaser is 80% of your post’s performance. There, I’ve said it. 👀

That’s why we’re going to explain: 👇🏼

• A simple method for writing good hooks.
• Formats that really work.
• Mistakes to avoid.
• Practical advice you can apply today.

Ready to make your hook fall flat? Let’s get started! (Reading time: 4 minutes).

What is a LinkedIn Hooks?

A LinkedIn Hooks is the very first visible line of your post, the one that appears before the “More” button. And that’s where it all comes into play. 👀

If this sentence doesn’t trigger any emotion, generate any curiosity or give any clear promise, the rest of your content will never be read, no matter how good it is.

In concrete terms, a good teaser should fulfill 4 objectives:

• 1️⃣ arouse a primary emotion ⭢ curiosity, surprise, anger, admiration, empathy.
• 2️⃣ Set the theme ⭢ the subject of the post must be clear in one sentence.
• 3️⃣ Express the value ⭢ what benefit, learning or insight will the reader gain?
• 4️⃣ Provoke the desire to click on “More” ⭢ with an open hook, a question or a tense effect.

Here are 3 of them, so you’ll understand better what I’m talking about! ⬇️

“We raised 3 million. And that’s a huge mistake.”
“I turned down an offer at Google. Here’s why. 👇🏼”
“It took me 7 years to figure this out. Don’t make the same mistake.”

In each of these examples, there’s a strong emotional element, a clear subject line and a promise of value. As a result, the user wants to click 😉

The PAC method: the framework that works (almost) every time

If you had to remember just one structure to write a good LinkedIn Hooks, it would be this one. A simple acronym for Postulate, Agitation, Call-to-clic.

This framework is quick to learn and adaptable to all types of content (storytelling, advice, analysis, opinions).

Let’s take a closer look at each step! ⬇️

1. Postulate

This is the starting point. You state a fact, opinion or observation. It must capture attention in a single sentence. 💬

And if possible, trigger a primary emotion (what we talked about earlier, curiosity, anger, indignation, admiration, etc).

“I quit my €150k/year job at Netflix.”
“I spent 3 years pretending to work”.

2. Restlessness

You’re now going to amplify the tension felt in step 1. Basically, you need to make the subject even more engaging, concrete or intriguing.

To do this, here are a few techniques I personally use: 👇🏼

• Add a strong number or an unexpected fact.
• Express an emotional feeling.
• Introduce a turn of events.
• Use words that sting or challenge.

For example:

“Everyone told me I was crazy. But I’d do it 100 times over.”
“I worked 4 hours a week, the rest of the time I scrolled LinkedIn hoping someone would tell me what to do.”

3. Call to click

For this last step, we want to provoke a click. The idea is to give a clear reason to click on “More”.

To do this, you have 2 options:

• 1️⃣ Explicit: with a formula such as “Here’s why”, “I’ll explain”, “Details right here”.
• 2️⃣ Implicit: the tension or mystery is such that it’s enough to prompt a click.

“I’ll explain what I’ve learned 👇🏼”.
“And yet, this decision changed everything”.

9 LinkedIn hooks formats that work in LinkedIn post (for engage and impact)

1) The classic CAP

I don’t need to introduce you to the PAC any more – it’s simple, effective and universal!

In your LinkedIn post, you tell the beginning of a story, create tension and make people want to click to find out what happens next.

You can use it if :

• You’re new to the LinkedIn social network.
• You want to share an experience or make an analysis.

Here’s an example of a LinkedIn Hooks using the PAC method. 👇🏼

Here, the principles are applied to the letter.

• 1️⃣ Postulat: “In 6 months, we’ve gone from 6 to 25”. That’s pretty rare, so surprising.
• 2️⃣ Agitation: “It’s March 2021 and I’m wondering if my company is going under”. Pattern break. They’ve gone from 6 to 25, but it’s all a mess. Surprise!
• 3️⃣ Call-to-click: “2 years later, it’s running like clockwork (thanks to 3 decisions) ⬇️.
  I definitely want to know what happened. What’s more, the info is going to be structured into 3 decisions that I might be able to make my own, and the ⬇️ emoji encourages me to click.

The ➕: it’s simple and effective, and puts all the odds on our side. We need to start with this and practice on it before moving on to the others.

Les ➖: it’s always the same “music”, which can bore the audience a little.

2) The “3 in 2”

Here, it’s short and sharp. 🔪 Two sentences and three pieces of information.
It cuts through the scroll with a “boom boom” effect (not like Netflix) 😉.

You can use it if:

• You have a short but powerful message.
• You want to combine numbers and emotions.

Call-To-Click is implicit here.

The postulate-agitation is so powerful that it stands on its own. No need to say more, we want to know more. 👀

The ➕: style. Making such an impactful tagline with so few words (and therefore cognitive load) is a feat.
It’s often accompanied by a photo.

The ➖: It’s hard to master. I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners.

3) The to-do list

Start a list and cut it. It’s notorious for frustrating the reader.
We want to see the next points, so we click! 😅

You can use it if :

• You have “tips”, “tools”, “mistakes” content.
• You share a method or learning.

Here, the Call-To-Click is the list to continue. 📋

The elements of the list in the teaser may seem insignificant, but they’re chosen with care. It’s these first elements that lead to the click.

The ➕: fairly easy to use and effective.

The ➖: be careful to choose the right first elements. You need to have sufficiently impactful information for it to work.

4) The two points of tension

Here, we announce a situation. It takes a completely different turn. It surprises, intrigues, and it works! 👌🏻

You can use it if :

• You’ve experienced a pro/perso rebound.
• You want to surprise.

The ➕: if the tension is well created on the first 2 lines, it’s an absolute success (Jordan’s post on Leroy Merlin, it’s around 3M views).

The ➖: this hook requires a bit of subtlety and is more complex than it looks. Many beginners try it without success. 😕

5) Narrative tension

This is pure storytelling. You’re talking about something human, a powerful moment or an anecdote. The reader feels involved, as if he or she were an actor in the film. 🎥

You can use it if :

• You’re recounting a powerful or atypical experience.
• You’re relying on emotion or inspiration.

The ➕: ideal for storytelling posts. Create narrative tension that makes the reader want to know the story. Accompanied by a story-related image, it’s bingo.

The ➖: Requires mastery of storytelling basics.

6) The air of nothing

Well, this one doesn’t look like a hook. It’s simple, sober and it works. Because it stands out from the rest! 👀

You can use it if :

• You’re comfortable with a personal or vulnerable tone.
• You want to give the impression of “speaking the truth”.

It’s worth pointing out that these hooks often have 2 modes:

• Mobile mode (where the text is finished),
• Computer mode (where the text continues).

Desktop mode. ⭣

Mobile mode. ⭣

The ➕: gives continuity to the post, as if the hook wasn’t especially worked on. It’s nice and a change from the majority of posts.

The ➖: it’s more risky, you have to know where the text is going to stop, choose the right sentence and the right words. In short, it requires a bit of mastery. 😎

7) The 75% method

This one’s pretty simple. You give 75% of the information, and save the rest for the “See more”. It works really well for shocking, sensitive or even inspiring subjects. ⚡️

You can use it if :

• You want to provoke curiosity.
• You have a strong message to deliver.

The ➕: a punchy hook that clearly presents the subject (leaving a job at Netflix despite €150K) while creating curiosity thanks to the 25% uncertainty.

The ➖: if poorly applied, this method can leave too vague an impression or frustrate the reader, especially if the link between the hook and the content isn’t clearly established.

8) The visual hook

To finish the visual teaser, the image takes center stage! The text reinforces, contextualizes or teases out what the photo shows. 📸

You can use it if :

• You have a strong photo (emotion, results, testimony).
• You have good visual storytelling.

When a post is illustrated by an image, it’s the image that becomes the “hook” (the element that stops the scroll).

The hook then determines whether the user clicks on See more.

And since humans like visuals and images, it works. (I’ve observed that a post with a well-chosen image is x2 on views on average). 👀

There are 2 types of images to use:

1️⃣ Photos of humans (90% of posts):

• The ➕: this is kind of the easy LinkedIn mode. Ideal for beginners. A little black/white or sepia filter, and you’re set.
• The ➖: the image must be well chosen and generate an emotion.

2️⃣ Visuals “constructed” (10% of posts):

• The ➕: inspired by YouTube visuals, this is very powerful and has a real hook effect.
• The ➖: it’s double or nothing. I’ve made my best posts as well as my worst flops with this technique.

The most common mistakes (and how to correct them)

Even with the best of intentions, it’s easy to screw up your LinkedIn tagline. As you’ll see, the same mistakes are often made over and over again…

Don’t worry, we’ll give them to you right away, with a bonus explanation of how to correct them. 😇

1) Hook too short

“Top 5 tools to boost your productivity”.

This tagline is too neutral, too dry, and above all, it doesn’t evoke any emotion. As a result, no one clicks. 🥹

Instead, try to contextualize and, above all, create tension.

“70% of people say they are distracted at work. Yet there are simple tools for staying focused. Here are my 5 favorites 👇🏼”

2) Big pavement right from the start

“I changed jobs recently, and I wanted to share what it taught me about how to manage a professional transition, because it’s never easy to leave a job you love, especially when you have great colleagues and interesting projects.”

If you do this on LinkedIn b2b, it’s like hitting a brick wall. Guaranteed failure, the person keeps scrolling. 🥲

Instead, air out your tagline, limit yourself to 1-2 sentences per paragraph, and let your text breathe!

“I changed jobs recently.
And I realized something fundamental about professional transitions.
Spoiler: it’s not about timing.”

3) Too vague or abstract

“I’ve experienced something incredible this week”.

Okay, but what? With whom? Why? This teaser gives 0 context and, personally, doesn’t make me 0 curious.

“I took a ‘no’ in the face during a pitch.
But it was that rejection that launched my career. Here’s why 👇🏼”.

Almost, but the tagline gives no context…. 💭

“An investor hung up on me in the middle of a pitch. That’s what I learned.”

4) No tension, no promises

“Last month was our biggest month in 4 years.”

It’s a well-known fact that a tagline that describes something with nothing at stake doesn’t make you want to click.

“My best month? right after I fired my biggest client”.

Boom, element of surprise or mystery, we want to know the rest! 👀

5) Wrong choice of image (or no image at all)

The visual is your first scroll-stopper. A blurry, impersonal or unrelated photo is the end of your post…

To remedy this :

• 🟤 An authentic photo (you, your surroundings, a key moment).
• 🟤 A “YouTube thumbnail” visual if you’re comfortable with editing.
• 🟤 A piece of evidence (message screenshot, curve, results).

6) Do not use the 3 lines

“Top 5 tools to increase your productivity”.

It’s a classic phrase we hear every day, and it doesn’t provoke any reaction.

“87% of people consider themselves distracted at work.
Yet there are some basic tricks for staying focused.
Top 5 tools to x2 your productivity ⬇️”.

7) Make a big pie

The shape of a tagline is important. Large pates are off-putting and therefore, not read. 👀

“The majority of content on the web is bullshit. They only serve to rank on Google without delivering any value. That’s why we decided to make an article, like this, a little different, with more substance.”

Well, this one clearly makes you want to run away, too heavy, too “blocky”. Instead, say. ⬇

“The majority of content on the web is bullshit. They only serve to rank on Google without delivering value.
So we did the opposite: super-activatable content to x2 your sales (and it’s free) ⬇️”.

8) Being too vague

“I’ve experienced something incredible this week”.

It’s too vague, it doesn’t arouse interest or curiosity. 😶‍🌫️

“Last week, I was with the cream of impact entrepreneurs. Most of them are much younger than me.
Still, it was a slap in the face. Let me explain.”

9) The losing combo (catchphrase + image + useless quotation marks

All the wrong ingredients are here:

• A vague hook.
• A single, unventilated line.
• Pointless quotation marks.
• An image that has nothing to do with the subject.

Bonus: what if Kawaak wrote your hook for you?

We’ve seen that writing a good LinkedIn Hooks is quite an art. It requires:

• Understanding the mechanisms of emotion and curiosity.
• Knowing the right formats.
• Test several variations.
• Gain an outside perspective.

Well, that’s exactly why we created Kawaak. 🤯

It’s a LinkedIn post generator designed by people who know what really works.

It doesn’t chew up your work:

• He helps you structure your idea.
• It offers you several tested hooks inspired by the best formats.
• It lets you choose the one that suits you best.
• You can customize everything in 2 clicks.

In short, give Kawaak a try (it’s free). 🆓

How about a recap?

You publish a post on LinkedIn, nothing much happens. Come on, a few likes, a couple of comments, 2,000 views.

But three weeks later, you republish the same content. Nothing has changed, except two things:

• You’ve worked on your LinkedIn tagline.
• You’ve changed the visual.

Okay, last concrete example.

On this version :

• I didn’t use the 3 lines.
• The premise doesn’t generate emotion.
• The visuals are uninteresting (bitmoji, text too smooth).

On this version :

• The premise is strong: it talks about a real problem that everyone has noticed.
• The excitement is there, with an unexpected twist.
• The visuals (screenshots of stats) lend credibility to the message.

In short, it’s the same content, but the result is completely different. 👀

So yes, it’s worth spending 80% of your time on the first 3 lines 😉

What are the best hooks?

The best hooks are those that trigger an immediate emotion, set the subject and make you want to click on “More”.

Here are a few examples that work very well:

• 🟤 “We raised 3 million, and it was a huge mistake”.
• 🟤 “I left a 150€k/year job. Never been happier”.
• 🟤 “It took me 7 years to figure this out. Don’t wait that long”.

What’s a catchy opening sentence?

A catchy opening sentence is a one-line hook that stops the scroll and immediately intrigues.

Here are a few examples to help you understand:

• “We lost our biggest customer. And it’s the best thing that ever happened to us.”
• “I never thought I’d publish this. But I have to say it.”
• “First contract: €300 for 3 weeks. Today, I charge that… by the day.”

Well, I think you’ve now got the hang of your next LinkedIn Hooks. 😇