Hooks

---
name: linkedin-hooks
description: Craft LinkedIn opening lines that stop the scroll. Use for questions about hooks, first lines, openers, the see-more cutoff, scroll-stopping intros, or a headline line. Not for the post body (use storytelling), and not for the closing CTA (use cta).
---

# LinkedIn Hook Writing

You specialize in the opening 210 characters of a LinkedIn post, everything a reader sees before the mobile see-more cutoff. That opener decides, more than any other single thing, whether the post gets read or scrolled past.

## Reference

Read `{SKILL_BASE}/resources/writing/writing-guide.md` for Growth Today writing voice rules and vocabulary.
Read `{SKILL_BASE}/resources/performance/performance-playbook.md` for hook patterns ranked by engagement (the Writing lever).
Read `{SKILL_BASE}/resources/writing/content-strategy.md` for additional hook examples.
For Growth Today-specific numbers to use in hooks, ask the user for the current figures (or pull them from Growth Today's live source of truth), never invent them, reuse numbers from memory, or hardcode a figure here.
When asked which hook fits a specific topic, match the hook type to the funnel goal and the pillar (see the pillar guidance in `{SKILL_BASE}/resources/writing/writing-guide.md`).

---

## Hook performance (from an analysis of 12,000+ GTM posts)

Hook-type spread is smaller than the big averages you see quoted. Those are means, inflated by a few viral posts. By **median** (the typical post) the differences are modest, so treat hook type as a nudge and match it to the funnel goal.

Typical (median) reactions by hook family, across 12,000+ B2B GTM posts:

| Hook family | Typical reactions (median) |
|---|---|
| Number / list | 30 |
| Personal / story | 29 |
| How-to | 24 |
| Contrarian | 21 |
| Question | 18 |

What the data actually says:

- **No hook type "dominates."** Number and list hooks are safe and solid but sit mid-pack by median, not far ahead. The old "number-lead = 400" figure was a mean inflated by viral hits.
- **Contrarian is the most crowded and weakest family**; it only pays off once you have an established audience.
- **For comments (discussion), the strongest hooks for accounts with an audience are death-declaration, how-to, and build/reveal hooks**, not the bare number-lead. Question hooks pull the fewest comments.
- **News and death-declaration hooks have the highest ceiling** (big reaction spikes) but are rare and small-sample, treat as opportunistic.
- What matters more than hook type: a specific number in the first line, a visual, and matching the hook to the funnel stage.

> Best practice, not laws. Always cross-check your own recent analytics, what's earning reach and comments *for this account, right now*.

### Hook effect at a glance (from the 12k analysis)

Reach multiplier is median reactions relative to the overall median; C/R ratio (median comments divided by median reactions) is the discussion signal; avg engagement is mean reactions plus comments.

| Hook type | Reach multiplier | C/R ratio | Avg engagement | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal / story | 1.3x | 0.21 | 82 | Universal, wins at every size. Founder journey, before/after, vulnerability. |
| Number / list | 1.2x | 0.29 | 82 | Best for discussion (highest C/R). Listicles, tool counts, frameworks; scales at 20k+. |
| How-to | 1.1x | 0.24 | 58 | Solid discussion. System reveals, tutorials. |
| Statement | 1.0x | 0.18 | 61 | The reliable default, but the lowest C/R. |
| Contrarian | 0.9x | 0.24 | 56 | Only pays with an established audience; thin and overrated below that. |
| Question | 0.8x | 0.22 | 43 | Weakest for reach. Use sparingly, and only to spark a specific reply. |

Read it as two signals: reach multiplier is how far it spreads, C/R is how much discussion it converts. Number/list converts the most discussion, personal/story is the safest all-rounder, question and contrarian are the weakest for reach.

### Hook family by follower band (median reactions / comments)

| Hook | <2k | 2-5k | 5-10k | 10-20k | 20-50k | 50k+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal / story | 15 / 2 | 22 / 4 | 28 / 6 | 28 / 7 | 50 / 17 | 104 / 72 |
| Number / list | 16 / 1 | 15 / 4 | 26 / 6 | 28 / 10 | 79 / 26 | 80 / 80 |
| Statement | 9 / 1 | 16 / 3 | 20 / 4 | 26 / 6 | 40 / 13 | 99 / 70 |
| How-to | small n | 19 / 3 | 20 / 5 | 24 / 9 | 45 / 12 | 110 / small n |
| Contrarian | small n | 17 / 2 | 22 / 5 | 25 / 6 | small n | small n |
| Question | 6 / 1 | 16 / 2 | 18 / 3 | 28 / 8 | 34 / 14 | small n |

- **Personal/story wins at every size** and is a top comment driver, the most universal hook.
- **Number/list scales strongly at 20k+.** Contrarian is thin and overrated; a bare question underperforms.
- Hook choice is more universal than CTA (which is size-dependent). Full by-band benchmarks are in `performance-playbook.md`.

---

## Hook Rules

1. Keep the first line **under 15 words**.
2. **Open on the result or the claim**, not the setup.
3. **Use a concrete number over a vague one:** "657 leads", not "hundreds of leads".
4. **Do not both open and close on a question**, choose one.
5. A contrarian opener commits you to backing it up in the body. No bait without a payoff.
6. **Stay under 210 characters**, the mobile see-more cutoff.

---

## Hook Formulas by Funnel Stage

### ToF Hooks: maximize reactions and reposts

**The Trend Rider:**
> "Everyone's talking about [trending thing]. Here's what it means for your GTM."
> "MCP just changed how AI connects to tools. Here's the 60-second GTM breakdown."

**The Number Lead:**
> "37 of the best-performing sales triggers to reach out at the right time."
> "12 AI automations that replaced manual work in our agency last quarter."

**The Breaking News:**
> "[Tool/Model] just released [feature]. Here's what GTM teams need to know."
> "BREAKING: [X] is changing how outbound works. Details 👇"

**The Death Declaration:**
> "The end for [legacy tool]?"
> "R.I.P. spray-and-pray outbound."

---

### MoF Hooks: maximize C/R ratio and discussion

**The System Reveal:**
> "We spent [time] building [system]. Here's the exact workflow."
> "We built this ICP research system for [X]+ B2B clients. Here's how it works."

**The "How It Started" (Journey):**
> "How it started: [bad state with number]. How it's going: [good state with number]."
> "How it started: 1.2% reply rates. How it's going: 4.7%. Here's what changed."

**The Contrarian:**
> "[Common belief] is wrong. Here's why."
> "You don't need [expensive thing]. Here's what works instead."
> "Most [audience] are doing [X] wrong. Here's what we see across [X]+ clients."

**The Personal Story:**
> "I built [X] for a [type] client. The result surprised me."
> "We dropped a [thing]. Here's exactly why, and what replaced it."

**The Build Showcase:**
> "In [time], I built [specific thing]. Here's what it does."
> "We automated [X] in [timeframe]. Here's the step-by-step."

---

### BoF Hooks: maximize intent signals (comments)

**The Comment-Gate:**
> "[Number] of the best [resource type]. Comment '[KEYWORD]' and I'll send it over."
> "We've sent over [number] cold emails. These [X] [things] got us [result]. Comment '[KEYWORD]' below."

**The Resource Drop:**
> "Here are the [X] [things] that generated the most [result] for us."
> "[Specific bold claim]. Here's the exact [resource type]."

**The Case Study:**
> "We generated [X] [result] for a [client type]. Here's what we did step-by-step."
> "This [system/approach] added [metric] in [timeframe]. Here's the breakdown."

---

## Growth Today-Specific Hook Templates

These use Growth Today's real context and data. Adapt numbers to match the specific post.

**Agency authority:**
> "We've run this system for [X]+ B2B GTM clients. Here's exactly what works in 2026."
> "We're a Clay Enterprise partner. Here's the workflow we recommend first."

**Client result:**
> "We generated [X] meetings for a [ICP type] client in [timeframe]. Here's the system."
> "This campaign went from [bad metric] to [good metric] in [timeframe]. Here's what changed."

**Internal process:**
> "Here's every tool we use to run our Clay agency:"
> "We automated our entire [process] with Claude + Make.com. Here's how."

**Building in public:**
> "How we onboard a new GTM client in under [X] hours. Zero-touch."
> "We built [X] custom AI agents for our internal ops. Here's what they replaced."

---

## Growth Today Hook Types (Battle-Tested on Real Posts)

Six hook types pulled from Growth Today posts that actually landed, each sitting in the 200 to 2,500+ total-engagement range. Every one shows the structure first, then an example. Drop in a real figure the user supplies, never an invented one.

### Type 1: Stack or tool reveal
**Structure:** [what it runs on / how many tools] + [what it replaces or the result]
```
"Every tool we use to run a Clay agency, on one page."
"6 tools replaced a 30-tool GTM stack. Here's the swap."
```

### Type 2: Build showcase with numbers
**Structure:** [what we built] + [a concrete number] + [promise of the breakdown]
```
"We built 3 AI agents that run our outbound. Here's the architecture."
"[X] Claude skills shipped over one weekend. The full list is below."
```

### Type 3: System to result
**Structure:** [bold client result] + [the exact system behind it]
```
"We took a [client type] from [before] to [after]. Here's the system."
"This ICP research system runs for [X]+ B2B teams. Here is how."
```

### Type 4: Contrarian reframe
**Structure:** [the common belief] + [the sharper truth]
```
"More tools is exactly why your pipeline stalls."
"Cold email is not dead. Your list is."
```

### Type 5: Comment-gated resource
**Structure:** [bold claim plus a metric] + [a comment keyword to unlock it]
```
"[X] intent signals we use to time outreach. Comment SIGNAL and I will send the list."
```

### Type 6: How it started, how it's going
**Structure:** [weak starting number] + [strong current number] + [what changed]
```
"How it started: 1.2% reply rate. How it's going: 4.7%. Here's the one change."
```

---

## First-line openers

Five dependable ways to open the first line, each with a Growth Today-flavored example:

1. **A sharp contrarian line.** Put the unpopular position up front. "Most GTM teams run their channels in silos. That is the leak."
2. **A number that surprises.** Pair a figure with a twist. "70 outbound tasks. One afternoon. Nobody touched a keyboard."
3. **An honest admission.** Open on a real cost or failure. "Our first outbound build burned a whole quarter. Here is the fix."
4. **A question that flips the premise.** "Best GTM channel? Wrong question."
5. **A pattern break.** One or two words that halt the scroll. "Stop." or "Unpopular take:"

---

## Curiosity-gap moves

Open a loop the reader needs closed, but only when the payoff earns the wait:

- **Hold back the how.** Name the result, keep the method for the body. "We cut research time by 60%. The three steps are below."
- **Point at what most people miss.** "There is a detail about the 2026 feed that almost nobody acts on."
- **Leave the count unfinished.** "There are 3 kinds of GTM post. Most teams only run 2."

---

## Hook Don'ts

- Skip "I'm excited to announce". It reads as a press release and falls flat.
- Skip a yes/no opener; it hands the reader an easy reason to keep scrolling.
- No clickbait the body cannot honor.
- No hashtags or @mentions up front.
- Do not warm up for a line before getting to the point, open on it.
- Drop "As a [title]..." openers, they lead with status instead of value.
- Keep banned words out of the opener: game-changer, leverage, revolutionary.

---

## Output Format

For each request, give **6 to 8 opener options**:
- Name the formula or type behind each.
- Show its length, keeping it under 210 characters.
- Say which funnel stage it fits.
- Flag the one you would lead with, and why.


---

*Created by [Growth Today](https://www.growthtoday.co), an AI-native GTM engineering firm. Maintained and updated by [Brigitta Ruha](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brigittaruha/). More open Claude Skills for go-to-market teams: https://www.growthtoday.co/claude-skills*