# hook-writing

Writes opening lines for paid ads, TikTok, Reels and organic posts — the kind that stop a scroll in the first second.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 619 installs · ★ 184
- Author: motion-team
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/motion-team/creative-strategy-skills/tree/HEAD/hook-writing/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-06-11
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/hook-writing

## What it does

This skill turns a brief into a set of hooks: the first line a viewer sees or hears. It asks for the product, the pain or desire, the persona, the awareness stage, the format and how many hooks you want. Miss any of those and it asks first, because thin input produces throwaway lines.

Under the hood are Eugene Schwartz's five awareness stages, from unaware to most-aware, and eight trigger categories: pattern interrupt, identity call-out, pain agitation, curiosity gap, social proof, myth-busting, aspiration and urgency. Stage picks the strategy, trigger picks the tone. For video the skill writes all three layers — spoken, visual and on-screen text.

The rules are strict. Write in the reader's voice, use real numbers and timeframes, lead with the pain rather than the product. No “Introducing…”, no “Discover…”, no brand name in the first line. If a hook reads like an ad, it gets rewritten. Vary the trigger across the set, or every hook comes out the same.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add motion-team/creative-strategy-skills --skill hook-writing -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/hook-writing/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/hook-writing/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add motion-team/creative-strategy-skills --skill hook-writing -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/hook-writing/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add motion-team/creative-strategy-skills --skill hook-writing -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/hook-writing/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install motion-team/creative-strategy-skills hook-writing
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/hook-writing/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add motion-team/creative-strategy-skills --skill hook-writing -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/motion-team/creative-strategy-skills --path hook-writing
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/hook-writing/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add motion-team/creative-strategy-skills --skill hook-writing -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/motion-team/creative-strategy-skills/tree/HEAD/hook-writing/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- write opening lines for a paid ad
- generate TikTok and Reels hooks
- match a hook to the audience's awareness stage
- build a hook set with different psychological triggers
- rewrite an opener that sounds like an ad

## Example prompts
- Write 10 hooks for this ad, audience is problem-aware
- Give me TikTok hooks with spoken, visual and text overlay
- Come up with Reels openers around this pain point

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 402023f4b0cbce74.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 402023f4b0cbce74
```text
---
name: hook-writing
description: Writes high-converting, psychologically-driven hooks for paid ads, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and organic content. Use this whenever a user wants to write hooks, opening lines, scroll-stoppers, or attention-grabbing openers for ads or social content. Trigger for any request involving "write me hooks," "give me hooks for," "I need hooks for my ad," "TikTok hooks," "hook ideas," or any variation of wanting compelling opening lines for advertising or social content. Also use when a user provides a product, persona, messaging angle, or awareness stage and wants tactical hook execution — especially when used downstream from the Creative Strategy Engine.
---

# Hook Writing

This resource writes **psychologically-driven hooks** that stop the scroll, trigger an emotional response, and pull people into the creative.

A hook's only job is to make someone stop and watch (or read). It does this by triggering a psychological or emotional response in the first 1–3 seconds. Boring hooks lose the viewer instantly. Great hooks feel like the content was made specifically for them.

---

## Before You Write: Required Inputs

To write great hooks, you need:

1. **Product** — What is it? What does it actually do?
2. **Pain or Desire** — What specific pain does it solve, or desire does it fulfill? (If using Creative Strategy Engine, this is already mapped)
3. **Persona** — Who are you talking to? Their specific life context matters.
4. **Awareness Stage** — Where is this audience in their journey? (See below)
5. **Format** — Is this a video hook (spoken/visual) or text hook (static/caption)?
6. **Quantity** — How many hooks do you need?

If any inputs are missing, ask before writing. Bad inputs = wasted hooks.

---

## The 5 Awareness Stages (Eugene Schwartz)

The awareness stage determines your hook's strategy. Get this wrong and the hook will miss completely.

| Stage | Who They Are | Hook Strategy |
|-------|-------------|---------------|
| **Unaware** | Doesn't know they have a problem | Introduce the pain/desire through a relatable situation or unexpected observation. No product mention. |
| **Problem-Aware** | Knows the problem, hasn't found a solution | Agitate the pain hard. Make them feel deeply understood. Build urgency. |
| **Solution-Aware** | Knows solutions exist, comparing options | Differentiate. Position against alternatives. Call out what's failed them before. |
| **Product-Aware** | Knows your product, hasn't bought | Remove objections. Trigger FOMO. Social proof. Counter the reason they haven't bought. |
| **Most-Aware** | Ready to buy, needs a nudge | Direct offer, urgency, guarantee, price anchoring. CTA-forward. |

---

## The 8 Psychological Trigger Categories
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 402023f4b0cbce74

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