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In this episode, Sean breaks down the single most important element of your marketing: the hook. Learn why the first seven words you write can literally determine whether your content gets ignored or generates sales. This is the foundation episode of Season 7's 16-episode roadmap to building a growth engine that pays for itself every 30 days.

Key Takeaways What Is a Hook?

A hook is whatever people see, read, or hear first. It's the opening line of your video, the first words in your headline, your email subject line, or the visual that pops up before you speak. Without a killer hook, nothing else in your marketing matters.

The Two Types of Hooks

Verbal Hooks:

• Labels that call out your audience
• Sharp questions
• Conditional statements ("If you're struggling with X...")
• Commands
• Bold statements
• Lists
• Mini stories
• Provocative statements

Nonverbal Hooks:

• Pattern interrupt visuals
• Unusual props
• Surprising camera cuts
• Distinctive sounds

Pro tip: Combine verbal + nonverbal for "multimodal" hooks that hit attention from multiple angles.

The 70-20-10 Rule

• 70% - More of what's already working (your proven winners)
• 20% - Winner-adjacent content (variations on proven hooks)
• 10% - Big, crazy, new experiments

The Hook Tracker System

Create a simple spreadsheet with:

• Hook name
• Actual hook copy
• Outcome/results
• Link to where you used it

Always test at least 2 hooks per campaign - never just pick one and hope.

Resources Mentioned Free Tools (Available in Show Notes):

1. Hook Tracker Template - Simple spreadsheet to track what's working
2. AI Hook Generator Prompt - Generates 55+ world-class hooks in under 2 minutes across 11 categories including:
   • Pattern break hooks
   • Open loop hooks
   • Identity ping hooks
   • Status and safety hooks
   • Reward preview hooks
   • Proof hooks
   • Pricing hooks
   • Fast cash/lightning hooks
   • Closing hooks
   • Branding hooks

The 30-Day Payback Engine Connection

Strong hooks = Better attention = Cheaper clicks = Better show-up rates = Faster upsells

The Goal: Make your gross profit in the first 30 days cover your customer acquisition costs, so your growth pays for itself.

Hook Examples by Business Model

SaaS Companies: "Launch fully configured in 4 hours, or we pay your first month"

Course Creators: "One module in 7 days that fixes your most urgent pain—and you keep it forever"

Service Providers: "Strategy session booked in 60 seconds + $197 credit if we can't help"

Weekly Hook Creation Rhythm

Monday: Research - Collect 10-20 outlier hooks from your niche Tuesday: Write 50 hooks total (35 from winners, 10 winner-adjacent, 5 moonshots) Wednesday: Record 10 hook variations per content package Thursday: Edit - Pair hooks with content sections and CTAs (assembly line style) Friday: Ship across platforms and update your hook tracker Weekly: Keep top 10%, kill bottom 10%, repeat

Critical Hook Rules

✅ For email subject lines: 7 words or less ✅ For social: You have 0.007 seconds to stop the scroll ✅ Clear beats clever - Every. Single. Time. ✅ Shorter is stronger - If you can cut words and keep impact, do it ✅ Split test everything - Use A/B testing (10% one hook, 10% another, winner gets 80%)

Common Hook Mistakes to Avoid

1. Vague hooks - If your audience can't self-identify instantly, it's too broad
2. Fancy words over simple promises - Don't get cute
3. All verbal, no visuals - Make it multimodal when possible
4. Guessing instead of tracking - Log everything
5. Starving the 70% - Stop reinventing weekly; repeat what works 100x more than you think

This Week's Homework Write These Hooks (Manually or Using AI Tool):

• 3 identity hooks ("If you're a [blank]...")
• 3 question hooks ("What if you could [blank]?")
• 3 conditional hooks ("When you finally [blank]...")
• 3 command hooks ("Stop doing X and start...")
• 3 strong statements ("Here's the truth nobody's telling you...")
• 3 list/step hooks ("The 5 ways to...")
• 2 nonverbal ideas (weird prop, unusual sound, visual element)

Deploy This Week:

1. Pick your top 5 hooks
2. Read them out loud
3. Tighten each one (cut every unnecessary word)
4. Add to your hook tracker
5. Test at least 5 hooks this week
6. DM Sean your top 3 and tell him which one you think will win

What's Next

Next Episode: Building Your Content Factory Learn how to take 50 hooks + 5 content sections + 3 CTAs and create 150+ content variations per week without burning out.

Season 7 Roadmap Preview

Lead System Series (4 episodes):

• Hooks that make people stop
• Building your content factory
• Branding that creates instant trust
• Turning customers into your marketing team

Sales Series:

• Closing without feeling sleazy
• Building undeniable proof

Delivery Series:

• Making each customer worth more
• Retention strategies

Profit Series:

• Lightning offer plays
• Premium pricing strategies
• Simple margin improvements

Final Episodes:

• Offer stacks and architecture
• Proof systems that scale
• Complete 90-day game plan

Connect with Sean

• DM your top hooks and results at https://www.instagram.com/thinkingbigcoaching

Remember: Everything you create needs a HOOK.