Understand that individuals visit Mr. Google and her beautiful mistress, Yahoo, to look for something. They scroll down the immensely all-knowing YouTube in case the two giants mentioned above fail to weave the information the reader wants.
To let readers stay and discover the richness of your content, you must master the “art of hook.” Hooks are catchy words or sentences that are too difficult to ignore when surfing the net.
The average person’s attention span is as short as that of a goldfish – just 9 seconds. With the abundance of online content, attracting and retaining readers requires skill and effort. However, you can captivate them in mere seconds by using various types of hooks.
Different Types of Hooks
1. Begin with a question
As said in the introductory part, readers are looking for something. A question at the beginning brings about three magical scenarios.
* Question echoes the reader’s mind.
It is a psychological response that when you read the same question that has been playing in your mind, you take action by snooping into the materials to check if it satisfies your question.
* Question activates curiosity.
Have you ever tried browsing Google for some recipe but clicked another content because it says, What’s the dumbest way to pass an exam? Yeah, I got you! This is because the human brain is wired to quench curiosity. Curiosity is one of the most beautiful natural chips embedded in the human DNA that separates us from robots.
* Question plants a seed of intrigue!
Again, we go back to the intricate nature of humans. We are born to live in a community where interaction is pivotal in our growth and development. We enjoy listening to current updates about other people’s lives and situations. So when we read an intriguing question, we unwittingly click the article to get the answer of the question hook.
2. Begin with a joke or quote
Indeed, just like in the real world, adding humor and a thoughtful quote to your writing leaves your readers hooked on your craft. These elements serve as effective stimuli, enticing readers to explore the intricacies of your written composition further. Jokes in blog posts awaken positive emotions, which engage the readers’ senses and emotional well-being.
Meanwhile, insightful quotes stimulate dormant brain cells. When used as a hook, they provide subtle hints that the readers might encounter while reading your blog. That’s why be sure to choose a quote that aligns with your blog topic.
3. Invoke statistics
True enough, statistics hooks switch something in the brain that makes us stop for a moment to reread and internalize what our eyes just scanned.
Statistics hook involves numbers that make your eyes roll or open wide since it represent something out of the ordinary. We tend to click it up and see why the statistics say so.
Let’s take, for example, the 9-second statistic mentioned at the beginning of this blog. To turn it into a hook, we could use it this way:
“The average human attention span is 8.25 seconds shorter than the 9-second attention span of a small goldfish swimming in a compact aquarium.“
4. Use of specific identity
Using a specific identity in writing blogs has been a long-standing practice evident in news reports and marketing content. Its primary purpose is to establish a connection to the readers and the blog by leveraging the specific identity. It effectively captures the interest of readers who share or feel connected with that particular identity as they seek information customized to their unique perspective.
When you read my posts under the Folks part of this website. I included “Sadanga,” “Isadanga,” or “Igorot” in my opening phrase to urge my Sadanga folks and the Igorot community to read and interact with my blogs. When they see those identities, even if it is not in their best interests, some will spare time to read them because of the inherent connection that these identity creates.
Conclusion
Hooking readers from the first sentence is a great skill that separates the extraordinary from the ordinary content. Furthermore, mastering its usage in creating articles bring your site ahead of the competition. So, go ahead and learn to craft magnetic opening lines that lead your eager readers on the journey.
NorthlandFolks 
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