Marketing Hooks

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name: marketing-hooks description: Create compelling marketing hooks and content structures using the Puzzle-Driven Model. Use when creating social media posts, newsletters, video scripts, or any marketing content that needs to capture attention. Triggers include "write a hook", "create a title", "make this more engaging", "content structure", "wow factor", or when analyzing why content performs well.

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Marketing Hooks - Puzzle-Driven Content Model

Create attention-grabbing marketing content using proven psychological frameworks.

Core Principle: Questions Drive Engagement

Good content is driven by good questions. Good questions are puzzles.

When your opening creates a puzzle, the audience's brain automatically tries to solve it. This creates engagement and retention.

Four Question Types

1. How-Type (Method)

Pattern: "How to [achieve desired outcome]?"

Examples:

"How to become wealthy quickly?"

"From white-label to brand?"

"How to start cross-border e-commerce?"

"How to 10x your productivity with AI?"

Best for: Tutorials, guides, practical content

2. Why-Type (Reason)

Pattern: "Why [surprising fact/outcome]?"

Examples:

"Why did they become CEO?"

"Why 90% of AI tools fail?"

"Why top creators don't post daily?"

Best for: Analysis, insights, thought leadership

3. What-Type (Definition)

Pattern: "What is [concept/term]?"

Examples:

"What is supply-side reform?"

"What is CPS?"

"What is Product-Market Fit?"

Best for: Educational content, explainers

4. WoW-Type (Extreme Case) ⭐ HIGHEST ENGAGEMENT

Pattern: Create probability-defying extreme cases

Core insight: WoW = Manufacturing extremely low-probability extreme cases

Formula:

Discover extremes → Get traffic

Become extreme → Build brand

Examples:

"Gen-Z makes $100K/month with AI"

"10K followers in 3 days - the secret"

"I replaced my entire team with one tool"

"This 19-year-old built a $1M business with ChatGPT"

Why it works: Brain automatically fills in missing logic, creating engagement stickiness.

Visual/Info/Case combinations:

Extreme visual + surprising data

Impossible timeline + real results

Tiny input + massive output

Content Tree Structure

Every piece of content should follow this hierarchy:

Question (Root)
    ↓
Viewpoint (Trunk)
    ↓
Reasoning (Branches)
    ↓
Evidence (Leaves)

Gan Method Content Model

Structure: 1. Core viewpoint (Trunk) 2. Sub-arguments (Branches) 3. Evidence (Leaves) - Must be: - Unexpected - Memorable - Vivid

Quality check: A good 15-min video or well-evidenced article = a tree with lush branches and leaves.

Platform-Specific Applications

Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book)

Best formats:

WoW-type titles: "Gen-Z AI tools $100K/month"

How-type for tutorials: "5 AI tools for 10x efficiency"

Structure: 1. Hook (5-10s): WoW statement 2. Pain point (10-15s): "Are you also facing..." 3. Solution (120-180s): Step-by-step with demos 4. Results (20-30s): Proof 5. CTA (5-10s): "Follow for more"

X (Twitter)

Best formats:

Start with puzzle: "Do you know why 90% of people fail with AI tools?"

Then reveal answer in thread

Structure:

Tweet 1: Puzzle/Hook

Tweet 2-4: Reasoning + Evidence

Final tweet: Conclusion + CTA

Newsletter

Best formats:

Question (title) → Viewpoint (intro) → Reasoning (body) → Evidence (examples)

Structure:

Subject line: WoW or Why-type

Opening: Establish puzzle

Body: Tree structure (trunk → branches → leaves)

Closing: Actionable takeaway

Hook Generation Workflow

When asked to create hooks:

1. Identify the core message - What's the main point? - What outcome does the audience want?

2. Choose question type - Practical guide? → How - Surprising insight? → Why - New concept? → What - Extreme case? → WoW (prioritize this!)

3. Apply WoW amplification - Can you make it more extreme? - Can you add surprising numbers? - Can you create contrast (small input → big output)?

4. Test the puzzle - Does it make you think "why?" or "how?" - Does it create information gap? - Would you click it?

Examples Library

See EXAMPLES.md for detailed case studies and templates.

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing content:

[ ] Does the opening create a puzzle?

[ ] Is there a clear tree structure (root → trunk → branches → leaves)?

[ ] Are the evidence points unexpected, memorable, and vivid?

[ ] For WoW-type: Is the case extreme enough?

[ ] Does it make the brain want to "fill in the gaps"?

References

"Writing is a Craft" - "Questions are the engine of articles"

Gan Method - Content tree structure

WoW Psychology - Extreme case engagement mechanics