Turn one topic into 18 hooks you can post
Four short answers give you 18 first lines for a post or a short video, each on a named formula. No AI, nothing to sign up for.
A few words, such as setting an asking price.
The people you help, such as first-time sellers.
Such as property agent or career coach.
A number. Leave it blank to fill in later.
18 hooks. Blanks stay in [brackets] for you to fill.
Insider view
After [years] years as [what you do], here is what nobody tells [who you help] about [your topic].
Good for: A point of view backed by real years in the job. Watch out for: Calling common knowledge a secret.
Contrarian take
Everyone tells [who you help] the same thing about [your topic]. After [years] years as [what you do], I disagree.
Good for: Starting a debate. It brings the most comments. Watch out for: Arguing against advice nobody actually gives.
The list
5 things [who you help] get wrong about [your topic].
Good for: Saves. People keep lists to read again. Watch out for: Promising more than you can fill with good ones.
Number reveal
I've talked [number] [who you help] through [your topic]. Most of them asked the same question first.
Good for: Anything you have counted: clients, questions, projects. Watch out for: Hiding the number below the first line, or guessing it.
Mistake confession
The mistake I made with [your topic] in my first year as [what you do].
Good for: Trust. People share the posts where you got it wrong. Watch out for: A humblebrag dressed up as a mistake.
Myth bust
[A popular belief] is not why [your topic] goes wrong for most [who you help].
Good for: Reframing a belief, then giving the real reason. Watch out for: Busting the myth without naming the real cause.
The callout
[who you help]: if you're still [an old habit] with [your topic], stop.
Good for: Short posts with one clear instruction. Watch out for: Talking down to your own readers.
Real dilemma
A question [who you help] ask me every week about [your topic]. What would you do?
Good for: Comments. People answer a real dilemma. Watch out for: A question with one obvious answer.
Before and after
[Some time ago] I [a low point]. Now I [a better point]. One change in how I handle [your topic] did it.
Good for: Showing you have walked the road your reader is on. Watch out for: Crediting three changes. Name the one that mattered.
The warning
[A common habit] is quietly costing [who you help] when it comes to [your topic].
Good for: Readers who feel the problem but haven't linked it to the cause. Watch out for: Scaring people without giving the fix.
Permission
[who you help], you're allowed to [the thing you feel guilty about] when it comes to [your topic].
Good for: Reaching people beyond your usual followers. Watch out for: Generic comfort with nothing about your field.
My rule
I don't [a common practice] with [your topic]. Ever. Here's why.
Good for: Drawing the right clients and putting off the wrong ones. Watch out for: A rule you break often. Someone will know.
Good vs great
A good [what you do] [does one thing] with [your topic]. A great one [does another].
Good for: Quotable one-liners people screenshot. Watch out for: Great is just trying harder. Make it a different action.
Side by side
[Option A] vs [option B] for [your topic]. The answer surprises most [who you help].
Good for: Habit and process posts. Often shared. Watch out for: An unfair fight. Say what the losing side does well.
Give it away
Here's the exact checklist I use for [your topic]. Take it.
Good for: Turning readers into conversations. Watch out for: Making people ask for it. Put it in the post.
Time saved
[your topic] used to take me [a long time]. Now it takes [a short time].
Good for: How-to posts about a tool, a system or a habit. Watch out for: A time saving nobody believes.
Cold open
"[A line one of my [who you help] said]" It changed how I handle [your topic].
Good for: Story posts that keep people reading. Watch out for: A quote no real person would say.
Short and blunt
[your topic]: stop overthinking it.
Good for: Stopping the scroll. The white space does the work. Watch out for: Using it every week until it reads as a habit.
In Postmosis, Write shows you hooks on named formulas first, then three versions of the post for the work you do. See the post writer
How to find your post's first line
Say what it's about
Type the post's topic in a few words, who it's for and what you do. Add your years in the job if you like.
Pick the one that fits
Choose by what you want back: a list for saves, a dilemma for replies. The note under each hook says which.
Fill the brackets
Swap anything in [brackets] for a real number, habit or line from your work, then copy the hook.
The hook patterns and when to use them
A hook is the first line of a post, the one people see before "more". On a short video it's the first sentence you say. It has one job: make the right person read the next line.
Pick the formula by what you want back. A list or a give-it-away hook asks to be saved. A contrarian take or a real dilemma asks for a reply. A mistake or a before-and-after story builds trust, because it shows you've been where your reader is.
Every formula has a trap, shown under each hook. The common one: a hook that promises more than the post gives. If your first line says "5 things", give 5 good ones.
The tool never makes up a number or a story. Anything it can't know stays in brackets, so the hook you post is true. The formulas are adapted from Jake Schincariol's open-source linkedin-agent-skill (MIT licence).
Worked examples
A property agent
Topic: setting an asking price. Who: first-time sellers. Work: property agent, 9 years. The insider hook reads: "After 9 years as a property agent, here is what nobody tells first-time sellers about setting an asking price."
The same topic as a list
"5 things first-time sellers get wrong about setting an asking price." Good for saves. The trap: 5 thin points. Only promise as many as you can fill.
A career coach
Topic: asking for a raise. Who: mid-career managers. The callout reads: "Mid-career managers: if you're still [an old habit] with asking for a raise, stop." Fill the bracket with the habit you see most.
Common questions
Start my weekWhat is a hook in a social media post?
The first line people see before they tap "more", or the first sentence of a short video. It decides whether they read or watch the rest.
Does this use AI?
No. It fills 18 hook formulas with your answers, in your browser. That's why blanks stay in brackets instead of being guessed.
Which hook should I use?
The one that fits what you want back: a list for saves, a contrarian take or a dilemma for comments, a mistake for trust. The note under each hook says what it's good for.
Do these work for LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok?
Yes. A hook is a first line on any network. On a video, say it in the first few seconds and put it on screen.
Where do the formulas come from?
They're adapted from Jake Schincariol's open-source linkedin-agent-skill (MIT licence), with every line rewritten for any kind of work.
More free tools
Character counter
Check a post against every network's character limit at once.
Script length calculator
See how long your script runs, and where 60 seconds ends.
LinkedIn text formatter
Bold, italic and bullet points for LinkedIn posts.
Get next week's posts made
See the price, start, and make your first posts this week.