Crafting Taglines and Hooks

Whenever a founder’s LinkedIn post flops, I can trace it back to one cause: the hook. The good news is, hooks are a formula. Here are 6 ways to write better LinkedIn hooks (without relying on cringe templates that make you want to delete your profile to preserve your honor): Quick credibility blurb: I’ve spent the past 7 years writing on LinkedIn, and have helped over 100 B2B founders launch their presence on the platform. Probably written or edited over 10,000 posts. Concerning! (1) Negativity bias. Human brains are wired to focus on the negative (like it or not). You can fight against this, or you can tastefully use it to your advantage. Try framing your next post around something your customer wants to get away from. Notice how I got you with this in the post you're reading…you don’t want your next hook to flop, do you? (2) Specific numbers. Ideally, monetary figures. This is why sharing revenue numbers works so well, and why green-screen-talking-head short-form creators often write hooks like “[Popular Brand]’s $75M Marketing Playbook.” Don’t hate the player…just do it tastefully. (3) Narrative. Stop with the stale, sterile “how-to hooks.” Package the same idea as a story. Stories are the preferred way for humans to consume information. Use this in your hooks. (4) Credibility-jacking. Use popular names and figures in your hooks. You’re essentially “borrowing” credibility from the subject. Funny story about this one. One time, another ghostwriting agency CEO did one of these hooks using one of OUR clients. The audacity! To his credit, it went viral. (5) Lists. David Ogilvy is one of the greatest advertising minds in history; he’s also a great writer. And in his work, you’ll find a ton of lists. Lists are such an easy way to package information. They also create an information gap. If I say I’m giving you 6 ways to avoid bad hooks, you need to read the rest of the post to learn all 6. (6) Visuals. This one’s sneaky. The hook isn’t just what appears before the “See More” line. You can also use your media as a hook. You should. Right now, I’m finding that IRL photos perform better than overly branded graphics. Don’t force media when you don’t have to (I didn’t here), but when you do, treat it like MrBeast treats his thumbnails. Can you make me a promise? Next time you write a post, before you press publish, run your hook through this checklist. If you don’t see at least 2-3 of the above levers in the copy…you should rework it. Hope this helps. Save this, and follow along for more ways to improve your founder-led LinkedIn content.

Want to write better hooks? Study print journalism. 📰 On LinkedIn, the constraints of print are much more instructive than SEO headline strategy for the general internet. You only have a certain amount of space to grab readers’ attention and make them click “read more” — the equivalent of picking up the paper or magazine. Unlike writing to optimize for search, when you want your headline to clearly answer a question, a LinkedIn hook has to capture attention and appeal to people who aren’t seeking a particular answer. Your readers aren’t in search mode — they’re in meander mode. They’re just scrolling. You have to give them a reason to stop. 🛑 That doesn’t mean you trick readers with clickbait. It means you figure out the most compelling element of your post and put it at the top, which is exactly how you write print headlines. I recently wrote a post about unpaid internships that’s gotten 1.6 million impressions, 8k reactions and hundreds of comments and reposts. I think the hook really helped: “When I was 23 and desperate to break into the magazine world, I turned down an internship at Time, Inc.” The point of the post was to share my personal experience to demonstrate what I see as a larger, persistent problem in the media industry — that unpaid internships create inequity because not everyone can afford to take them. But that wasn’t the hook. That came at the end. If the hook had been “Unpaid internships create inequity in the media world,” it could have done fine. I doubt it would have gotten the traction it did with the personal hook. That one works because it gives the exploring reader a question they want answered: Why would someone trying to break into the industry walk away from an opportunity at one of the top publications in the country? When I was a print journalist, I learned fast that the headline to a community board story could not be “Community board meets to discuss historical awning proposal.” 🥱 The headline needed to be “Residents rail against 78th St awning; ‘it’s an abomination.’” 😮 This was for a free local newspaper, and we knew that most people walking by our newsbox on the way to the subway weren’t thinking “Gee I wonder what the community board discussed at Tuesday’s meeting.” But if they saw the headline, they might think, “what in the name of Pete are these people getting so riled up about?? I have to know.” So think of the LinkedIn feed as a graffiti- and dirt-covered metal box at the corner of 59th and 5th, and your hook is the headline on the newspaper inside that box. Is it compelling enough to make someone open that grimy handle and grab a copy to read on their commute?

🚨 You have 3 seconds. To hook. To engage. To sell. If your ad creative can’t do that consistently? Scaling is going to be rough. Every day, brands waste thousands in ad spend because their creative fails at one crucial job: 👉 Stopping the scroll. On Instagram and TikTok, people are in zombie mode—Endless content. Algorithmically optimized. Your ad competes with viral videos, trending memes, and hyper-personalized feeds. If your hook isn’t strong, your offer doesn’t even matter. If you don't nail your creative hook... ⚠️ Your best offers get ignored ⚠️ You bleed ad spend ⚠️ Your competitors steal your customers The brands scaling to $10M+ know one thing: The first 3 seconds are everything. But what actually is a good hook? It’s not just a flashy line. It’s not just a good edit. A hook is a strategic combination of words + visuals designed to: Stop the scroll Create enough intrigue to keep watching It’s the most valuable part of your ad—and often the most overlooked. Here's how you should engineer a hook: Step 1: Identify the Mass Desire: What does your audience actually want at a core level? It’s not “fast absorption.” It’s “effortless confidence.” 💡 Instead of: “Reduces wrinkles in 30 days” Say: “Derms are raving about this new wrinkle-repair hack” Step 2: Match Desire to Awareness Level Mismatched messaging = wasted spend. Here’s how to tailor your hook: 🟢 Unaware → “The one thing ruining your sleep you don’t realize…” 🟠 Problem Aware → “Sick of tossing & turning? Try this.” 🔴 Solution Aware → “Most sleep aids sedate you. This one solves the root cause.” 💰 Product Aware → “Why sleep experts recommend this over melatonin.” 🏆 Most Aware → “Selling out fast: Only 3,000 units left.” 👉 Most brands only target the most aware. But 80% of your audience isn’t there yet. Fixing this = lower CPAs and better scale. Step 3: Add a Visual Hook What you show is just as important as what you say. Try these: - Split screen (before/after) - Handwritten text (feels native, not ad-y) - TikTok comment-style questions - Bright contrast (scroll-stopping colors) - Satisfying loops (increase watch time) Great hooks are built with synergy between copy, visuals, and strategy. TL;DR: 💡 If your first 3 seconds aren’t engineered for attention, your results will always be mediocre. 💡 If you apply this process, you’ll cut CPAs and unlock scale. Top brands don’t “guess” their way to better ads. They build systems. They test levels of awareness. They craft every hook with precision. Now it’s your turn: ✅ Audit your ads: Do your hooks match audience awareness? ✅ Build 5+ variations per campaign ✅ Use motion, color, and contrast intentionally ✅ Track scroll-stop rates Great ads start with great hooks. Don’t leave yours to chance.

110+ founders and executives hired us to write one-liners for their LinkedIn profile. Read this if you want your tagline to stand out: 1. The purpose of your tagline Your tagline allows you to condense what you do and how you want to be remembered into one concise statement. It's what people see when you appear in their feed. And it’s the first thing they'll read when they visit your profile. Great taglines tell people: - Who you are - What you care about - The problem you solve - Your unique vibe Follow these best practices to word your tagline the right way: 2. Play with different structures The "I help X do Y" tagline might be overused, but it's a great starting point to help build your final version. From there, experiment with different angles that could better communicate it in an engaging way. There's 3 common structures we like to use: - [Purpose Statement] | [Job Title] | [Vibe Statement] - [Problem + Solution] | [Job Title] | [Vibe Statement] - [Process + Solution] | [Job Title] (My tagline falls into Structure 1.) Be aware of the language and style that your ICP resonates with while staying true to yourself. As Naval says: “escape competition through authenticity.” 3. Keywords Keywords give people clarity on the topics you cover + improve your search rankings. So, brain dump 10 - 20 keywords that are relevant to your business, industry and ICP. What categories and topics do you want to be remembered for and associated with? Some see me as the founder branding guy, others see me as the LinkedIn guy. ' Be intentional about the words you use. 4. Update it Regularly Truth be told, my tagline looked and read the same for the past year. But, I believe there's value in regularly updating your profile. It shows people that you're constantly evolving and growing. You could use your tagline to tease the projects you have coming up and test different ways to condense what you do. Aaand that’s my sign to do the same :D In short: treat your tagline as an elevator pitch. Don't just drop your job title :) Who has the best taglines here on LinkedIn?!? #personalbranding #linkedin #copywriting

A tagline is your brand’s elevator pitch, usually in five words or fewer. Because it is so short, every word must pull its weight. If the line is generic, it dissolves into background noise. If the line is reversible, it fails to communicate a meaningful stance. A short checklist for better taglines: (1) Specificity Check: - What unique capability, audience, or philosophy does the line reference? - Could a random company in a different industry use the same words without raising eyebrows? - Would a journalist immediately understand what domain you operate in? (2) Reverse‑It Test: - State the exact opposite. - Ask: Could a sane organization adopt that opposite as its slogan? - If the answer is “yes,” your original line is likely bland. (3) Useless-Words Check: - Meaningless power verbs, such as “empower,” “innovate,” or “unlock.” Replace with a specific benefit or unique mechanism. - Copycat values, such as “integrity matters.” Instead, surface a contrarian or counter‑cultural stance. - Internal jargon, such as “scalable synergy.” Translate to a customer‑visible outcome. Passing these three tests does not guarantee a perfect tagline, but failing even one test guarantees mediocrity. #taglines #writing #copywriting #webcopy #UX

How I write memorable taglines: Your tagline should communicate → the one thing you want prospects to remember → the unique value you bring to the market → the transformation you make → in 3-6 words No pressure, right? 😅 Way easier said than actually done. So, how do I pump out taglines that work for our customers? I do these 5 things: → Know what matters to their ideal customers → Uncover their unique value → Map out what I want to communicate → Get the sh*t ideas out → Iterate Take this tagline I wrote: Where Data Sparks Action It came from: - their offer: collecting data from OEM equipment - their unique value: creating a prioritized checklist from the data - their main benefit: giving you data you can take action on All the pieces were there. I just had to find a clear, compelling, and memorable way to say it. Writing your own tagline? Look at your offer, unique value, and main benefit. The pieces are there. You just need to make them sing. ✌🏼 #shftyourbrand PS. If you want a tagline that resonates with your ideal customers, join 125+ other businesses who have a #SassyJason crafted tagline → https://lnkd.in/ehZyy3Kk

What makes a winning hook in 2025? Here are 5 UGC-first structures that are actually working: #1: The “You’re Doing It Wrong” Hook Works because it creates curiosity and tension. Examples: • “Most people wear retinol wrong.” • “You’re brushing your hair backwards.” • “You’re wasting half your protein shake.” Best for: Beauty, wellness, lifestyle #2: Hyper-Specific POV Just a strong stance or insight that feels personal. Examples: • “As someone who’s tried 10+ productivity apps…” • “Here’s what fixed my gut health after 3 years of bloat.” • “I used to spend $300/mo on skincare. Here’s what I’d do now.” Best for: Founders, creators, niche audiences #3: Pattern-Break Visuals Not a hook you write, a hook you see. Start your video with: • A dramatic before/after • A weird angle or movement • Something “off” that stops the scroll Paired with simple copy like “Watch this.” #4: “I Thought It Was Just Me…” Vulnerability hooks are underrated. Examples: • “I thought I was just lazy until I tracked my iron levels.” • “No one told me turning 30 would feel like this.” • “I used to think I hated working out. Turns out, I hated gyms.” Best for: Emotional resonance, community-led brands #5: Show, Don’t Sell Works best when your product is visually satisfying. Examples: • “Here’s what I pack for a 3-day reset.” • “What my morning looks like with [product].” • “Using X every day for 7 days…” If you have no voiceover, use captions only with a strong visual rhythm. Save this for your next creative brainstorm. (Or tag the person who writes your briefs 👇)

If you're not nailing your ad creative hook, your entire Facebook campaign is DOA. You can pour thousands into your ads with all the production value in the world. But if the hooks are weak, they won't even get people to stop scrolling. Here's what makes a killer hook- It's all about understanding your market on a deep level: [1] Desire   What is the specific want or pain point you're tapping into❓ 👉🏻 Get laser-focused on that, and you'll have their undivided attention. [2] Awareness   Where does your audience sit in terms of knowing the problem and solution❓ 👉🏻 Speak to their current mindset, not where you want them to be. [3] Sophistication   How much do they already know about solutions like yours❓ 👉🏻 Don't underestimate or overestimate their existing knowledge. Nail those three factors, and you'll craft a hook that stops thumbs in their tracks. No more guessing games. No more praying your ads perform. If you want Facebook creative that actually scales, start with an irresistible hook.