7 Ways to Hook Your Audience and Keep Their Attention

All stories need a good hook in order to grab your audience’s attention and keep them around to inspire action. The hook is the first 15-20 seconds of your visual, oral, or written content that aims to spark interest in your audience. The purpose of a hook is to draw them in further to listen or watch your story. Below are seven great ways to hook your audience and keep their attention.

1. Use Humor

A common way to hook an audience is by starting a funny joke that your audience can relate to. It’s important to note never to use your audience or anyone else as the center of the joke, as this can often lead to a negative reaction.

2. Be Controversial

Use shock value or thought-provoking statements to lock in your audience. This can be done by bringing up their problems or a shocking fact that relates to your business and how you can solve the problem for them.

3. Ask Questions

Get your audience wanting more by asking a series of rhetorical questions. You can tell the audience to write down their answers as you go along. Most people enjoy getting involved, and it can easily be enough to activate their curiosity.

4. Start with A Catchy Phrase or Sound

Use the element of surprise to wake up your audience and grab their attention quickly. You can do so by developing a catchy phrase that is memorable and relatable and will make your audience feel like they are involved and a part of a community.

5. Use Imagination

Help your audience imagine their world differently or instruct them along an imaginary journey for just a moment. This can help catch them off guard, wonder what’s next, and create a mental picture. These mental images they create become more personal and emotional, creating a deeper connection with your audience and making them want to stick around for more.

6. Use curiosity

Spark your audience’s curiosity with an engaging story, unique perspectives, or a dramatic event that reflects the goals of your business.

7. Show or Tell Them the Ending

A common visual hook is to graphically display the conclusion of a particular video and then explain how they got there. This is a popular technique to pull your audience along and keep them watching.

Visual, oral, and written content all need a hook to grab their audience’s attention and keep them engaged. Decide on a hook that will appeal to your audience, and incorporate it into each story you give your brand.