I love spoons.

They’re great for eating ice cream with.

Or soup.

But that’s not my point here.

This email is to demonstrate how, once your readers trust you and enjoy reading what you share, they will open just about anything, regardless of the subject line.

Sometimes, the weirder it is, the better the engagement.

BUT, this is not the case on social media.

When you go out there, publish posts on platforms like Medium and LinkedIn to grow your readership, and promote your newsletter, your posts need to grab attention fast.

People don’t know you as well out on the plains of social media, and you need to interrupt their scrolling patterns well enough so they stop.

That’s why, if you want to grow your audience online with writing, it helps to understand how to write attention-grabbing hooks.

Great hooks create what’s known as a ‘curiosity gap.’

This is the space between what the reader knows and what they want to know.

You hint at something valuable or unexpected without giving it away. Their brain can’t help but want to close that gap.

A title like “I quit my job” tells them everything. There’s no gap there.

But “I quit my job after a conversation with a stranger at a petrol station” creates a gap. They need to know what happened at that petrol station.

The trick is to promise something specific and surprising, then withhold just enough so they have to click or keep reading.

Another example of mine that worked for a viral article, earning me thousands on Medium:

“Seven weird habits that make people obsessively attracted to you.”

When you nail intriguing titles, your posts get opened.

When you don’t, and you try to be too mysterious or clever (I love spoons, anyone?) in your social media writings, you’ll get frustrated at how many just scroll on past.

Nail the hook, and you’ve solved 70% of your online writing challenges.

Speaking of carving your writing career…

In a couple of days, I’m releasing my book, The Art of Self-Respect, in a special bundle that includes bonuses you won’t get anywhere else.

If you’re struggling to find the confidence you need to quit your job and make a living from writing, this book shows you how I took the leap from the rat race years ago.

Stay tuned for that release this Friday.

Alex

P.S. if you want a head start on writing posts that stop readers mid-scroll, you’ll love my course: Online Writing Alchemy.