Ever wonder why those memes you find on social media can instantly double you over with laughter?
While that same meme gets absolutely NO RESPONSE when you show it to a friend?
The surprising answer can actually help propel the response and profit you get from everything in your business!
Because the same mechanism that ignites that instant flood of laughter, can trigger an equally fast flood of interest from your ideal clients when you know how to create it and use it.
It’s called a hook.
The important thing is, your current idea of a hook is actually getting in the way of creating this kind of response.
Too many entrepreneurs I see in Facebook Groups and at industry events have the mistaken belief that:
- Hook = cute
- Hook = clever
- Hook = words the rhyme
- Hook = all the words in your course, freebie or webinar title starting with the same letter
And none of these carry the emotional wallop or have the staying power that’s the crucial first step to a sale.
While they may put a momentary smile on your ideal client’s face, they won’t hook them. Or create that SUSTAINED RUSH of desire that moves them to work with you.
So what actually makes a hook effective?
And what the heck does it have to do with being funny?
The best way to demonstrate are these three pithy memes and quotes I discovered on Pinterest.
I laughed like at madman at each one. But why?
#1 – I actually have flexed my foot wrong, and when it cramped up the pain was indescribable.
#2 – I’ve actually experienced the frustration of music blasting out of one of the countless open tabs on my browser (and not being able to determine which one it is).
#3 – I actually do have one bar of coverage on my phone in my living room, even though I live in the middle of Los Angeles. And it’s maddening.
See something in common?
In each case they didn’t have to “make me laugh”.
They simply “hooked into” a thought or experience I’ve already had.
They didn’t have to explain. So I got it.
(Which is why the memes you think are the bomb, may not do a thing for your friends).
In the VERY SAME WAY, when you craft a hook for:
Your video, blog post or podcast episode
Your freebie
Your webinar or livestream
Your signature talk
Your product or program
When it taps into an emotion, experience or desire your target client has ALREADY had (or is currently having):
There’s no need to educate, explain or convince. The impact is instant.
And the more you nail that experience, the more they say, “Wow! That’s exactly how it is!” Which translates into incredible connection that’s the crucial first step to a sale.
So … how can you apply these lessons to create your own amazing hooks?
FIRST … you want your hook to connect with an emotion or experience related to:
- Something your ideal client wants.
- A problem they are having.
- A solution they are seeking.
- A frustration they yearn to resolve.
The effectiveness and impact of the hook is also dependent upon:
- The intensity of that emotion.
- The urgency of that desire (I need this now!)
- The degree of distress the situation is causing.
- The degree of desire or yearning to have it solved.
- The degree to which your hook connects to what they are feeling.
SECOND … the key word for a hook is ‘ALREADY’.
A joke that relies on a thought or experience you have already had is instantly processed and has a more profound impact. And the same can be said for how your hook taps into an experience your prospect is in the midst of.
The key to understanding hooks is they have to HOOK INTO something.
A hook by itself (something that rhymes, is cute or clever) is temporary entertainment at best.
A hook that hooks into a problem I am having, a solution I am yearning for, or a pain I want to be delivered from, is worth it’s weight in gold.
HERE’S AN EXAMPLE:
A recent Facebook Ad in my feed lead with “The REAL Reason Facebook Ads Have Stopped Working” . Notice:
It’s not cute or clever.
It doesn’t rhyme.
It doesn’t have a sing-songey rhythm.
All the words don’t start with the same letter.
But also notice:
It IS about an painful experience many business owners are having.
It IS about an ongoing situation they are urgently seeking a solution for.
There IS a level of threat. (if I don’t solve this, something nasty will happen).
There IS an awareness of a payoff. (If I do solve this, it will be HUGE).
It PROMISES to solve a mystery that is creating havoc in the lives of entrepreneurs around the world.
Which is one of the reasons it has thousands of likes and hundreds of shares.
THIRD: To do this effectively, you MUST know your market
What painful problems are they having, that you specialize in solving?
What outcomes do they yearn for – that you specialize in delivering?
And which of these problems is an urgent priority?
There is no substitute for knowing your market, and no excuse for not knowing these specifics. It is the cost of admission to having a successful business.
FINALLY: Use words that tap into their experience. Not industry jargon.
Jargon (your “highest possibility”, “live your best life”, “live your potential”, “showing up as a stand”) is great when you’re talking to a peer (i.e. another coach about coaching).
It’s useless when you’re talking to your market about their challenges.
The problem with professional or industry jargon is while is does correspond to the factual reality of the situation, it does not in ANY WAY capture the emotional reality of the situation.
And the emotional reality of the situation is where you ideal prospects live and ACT FROM.
The effectiveness of a good hook relies on tapping into your ideal client’s emotional experience around the situation.
Because when they feel you understand their situation AND their emotions around it, they believe you also know the solution.
A truly great hook really can capture and sustain the attention of your ideal client. And build casual interest to the rip-roaring fire of desire that leads to a lucrative long-term relationship.
But it’s important to really understand what a great hook is. And what it isn’t.
- It isn’t just clever.
- It isn’t just cute.
- It isn’t just rhythmic and rhyming.
But it DOES tap into a powerful pre-existing emotional experience. And a yearning for something better.
The good news for you is:
So few people know this.
And so few of the ones who do, really do it well.
So that once you get the hang of it, you just might see your response to your messages, content, presentations and offers go through the roof!
And … if by chance you need a little help with this … I’d love to chat!
The folks I work with who are able to master the keys to a master hook find themselves mastering their business.
In the meantime … use some of these ideas in your own messaging, marketing and promotion.
