The career-changer needs a hook for his job application cover letters so that a prospective employer will study his resume and call him for an interview.
#Hooks for writing how to
The blogger needs to know how to hook readers so she can build her platform. The 17-year-old needs to know how to write an opening hook for his college essay in order to get and keep the admission officer’s attention. They all want and need to know how to write a compelling hook for a piece. But tread a bit carefully here and don’t get tripped up by appearances.Ī 17-year-old student who is writing a college entrance essay is different than a 38-year-old stay-at-home mommy blogger – who is a different from a mid-life career changer.īut age and life stage aside, they are all writers. So working backwards, once you’ve identified your reader’s takeaway, you then need to identify your reader. Just as a fisherman uses certain hooks for freshwater fish and other hooks for saltwater fish, it’s important to know what kind of fish you’re “fishing for” – who your reader is. I want my reader to have steps to follow to be able to write a hook.I want my reader to know what a hook sentence is.I want my reader to feel more confident about writing a hook.Start writing a hook by asking yourself this question: what is to be your reader’s takeaway? It could be a feeling you want her to experience, knowledge you want her to have, or an action you equip her to take. Just as it is the hook that snags the fish, the hook sentence catches the reader’s interest so that he keeps reading. You might also call it your “hook sentence.” Which may come as a surprise, since your hook is the first sentence or two to your article, blog post, essay, marketing copy, short story, letter, web page, or nearly any other written work. Writing a hook – your attention-getting introduction – starts by knowing the end of your piece. Tips for Writing a Hook: Start at the End of Your Piece