Stop The Scroll: 3 Keys to Engaging Social Media Content
Let's discuss the key to engaging social media content — your hook! 🔑A hook is the opening statement in any form of content — article, caption, visual, etc. — that captures the audience's attention and encourages them to keep reading. A well-crafted hook helps convey your message in an intentional and authentic way, captivating your audience and making them want MORE! 👌
If you're unsure where to start, read along for tips to create engaging social media content that is nothing short of scroll-stopping!
ENGAGING SOCIAL MEDIA TIP #1: KNOW YOUR BRAND & AUDIENCE
While engaging social media trends may change over time, one thing remains constant: the importance of understanding your target audience! 🎯 We have learned firsthand how essential it is to deliver content that addresses the specific needs, desires, and pain points of our audience. By understanding your brand, you can identify your audience and effectively cater to them. This insight is fundamental to creating content that truly resonates!
Let's take a look at some engaging hooks that capture attention!
👉 Dare we highlight HMS! 👀
We love implementing hooks that engage our audience. You may have seen our reel, “You might be overlooking this in your digital marketing strategy.” Within the first few seconds, our hook sparks curiosity about what our audience might be missing in their strategies, directly addressing their needs and pain points. This approach keeps viewers engaged and eager to uncover valuable insights.
👉A homie favorite 🤠: Glossier!
Check out their teaser announcement of their new Milky Jelly Cleansing Balm. Their hook: "Your skincare routine is about to get a little milkier...Drop your guesses in the comments 👀," speaks directly to their audience’s interest (skincare routines), while also keeping them curious and engaged. By encouraging comments, they further foster interaction within their community, producing engaging social media content. Accompanied by a close-up shot of the product, this teaser builds excitement for what's coming next!
👉✨Goop!✨
Goop's article "A Simple Phrase That Could Change How Stress Impacts You" features an attention-grabbing hook that inspires! The brand effectively appeals to a sophisticated audience and immediately hooks their interest by addressing an audience pain point related to stress management! What's the simple phrase? We'll have to read to find out — we got HOOKED!
👉If you haven't seen The Ordinary's engaging social media content, wyd??
This is a brand that does hooks RIGHT by engaging with its audience and providing the answers they seek! 🫧 Just look at their recent TikTok, "Understanding Growth Factors," which explores how external factors can impact your skin!! By starting off the video with a thought-provoking question, they immediately capture the audience's attention… and motivate them to find a solution using their products. Now that's how you effectively create a hook!
But it doesn't stop there 👀— incorporating trends and current events into your hook can make your content feel timely and relevant. A hook connected to a trending hashtag or viral moment can engage a wider audience, tapping into broader conversations and increasing interest and engagement!
Overall, to create an effective hook for YOUR brand and create engaging social media content, it's KEY to understand your audience's interests and challenges. By doing so, you can curate a message that resonates deeply with them. Be sure to tailor your language and tone to fit their preferences. Consider whether your audience is seeking humor, expert advice, or inspiration. The hook you create should align with their vibe — whether that means being funny, motivational, educational, or even shocking — based on what will engage them most effectively!
ENGAGING SOCIAL MEDIA TIP #2: ADDING VALUE TO YOUR HOOK
When crafting engaging social media content with a captivating hook, adding value is essential. Our agency focuses on delivering immediate value to our audience by providing tangible offerings — such as quick tips, surprising facts, or intriguing previews of what's to come — and encouraging our audience to stick around for more! 🙌
We are all about improving efficiency and funneling our efforts to increase productivity and results at HMS HQ! That's why we rely heavily on our Reel and TikTok Hook + Copy Cheat Sheet for examples to support our creative process. By consolidating our most successful and engaging hooks into this document, we save hours of work and make it easy to reference — because who doesn't love a good cheat sheet?
To spark creativity in the hook-making process, consider the below strategies:
THE 8-SECOND RULE:
It’s no secret that living in a fast-paced world dominated by social media can make it challenging to keep up! In an environment full of distractions, the first eight seconds are not just important — they're crucial.
Whether it's…
✅ An attention-grabbing visual like Rhode Skin's MASSIVE advertisement for the launch of their Peptide Lip Shape… Its marketing campaign was a HUGE success! Taking ordinary products and playing with size has had major success in 2024, and it’s clear it will continue to take the lead in marketing trends for its ability to capture attention and keep it.
✅ An intriguing question or shocking message, like "Are you ready for the BIG BANG?" featuring Sabrina Carpenter’s collab with Redken! This is effective because it confuses the reader upon first glance, intriguing them to click. Not to mention the *genius* play-on-words referencing Sabrina’s ICONIC bangs.
✅ An emotional appeal like Mom Water’s Make Your Name The Next Mom Water Can Marketing Campaign, which encourages and evokes excitement, happiness, and camaraderie while engaging audiences! Will YOUR name be the next MOM WATER?? I guess we will have to wait and see… 👀
Delivering a hook that will stop your audience from scrolling is necessary in today’s social landscape. By providing value from the jump, you give your content a purpose that engages your audience. A clear promise of value ensures that they will remain interested and engaged!
THE ELEVATOR PITCH:
Ding! Let’s try another method for engaging social media hooks - the elevator pitch! 💡Whether you're experiencing a creative block or looking for a fresh perspective on your content, the elevator pitch is an effective tool for developing a compelling hook. This method allows you to introduce your content concisely, conveying essential information within a short time frame — typically 30 to 60 seconds — leaving a lasting impression.👏
Pro tip: Practice creating an elevator pitch for your next piece of content to help identify key elements that can enhance your hook:
👉Introduce your idea and provide a brief overview - highlight the BEST elements!
👉Explain the IMPORTANCE - what is its purpose?
👉Offer VALUE - what kind of value does this offer to YOUR audience?
👉Call to action - What happens next, how will your brand reel your audience in?
A great example of this is Laneige's Bouncy & Firm Serum drop, as they utilize the elevator pitch technique!
Highlighting the best elements/introduction: "Let's talk "SLOW AGING" ⬇️." Instantly, this hook captivates by sparking discussion on the hot skincare topics! Because a strong introduction helps initiate the conversation! 👍
Purpose: Laneige offers clear recommendations on ingredients to assist customers in achieving their skincare goals. This transparency fosters trust and demonstrates their genuine care for customers' skincare journeys, while providing products that help them attain the results they desire! 🤝
Offering value: Laneige enhances its appeal by providing valuable insights that resonate with its target audience. By clarifying key ingredients that address skincare concerns, the brand effectively promotes its products while supporting its audience! 🤌
CTA: Lastly, they motivate their audience, who are looking to advance their skincare journey, and provide information on where to purchase their product! 🙌
The more practice you have, the easier the hook-making process becomes! After all, it is one of our favorite strategies for producing a creative flow! 🧠
ENGAGING SOCIAL MEDIA TIP #3 - TAILOR YOUR HOOK TO THE PLATFORM
Curating engaging social media hooks for various platforms is a MUST when considering each platform's unique characteristics, user behavior, and content expectations! 🙌By tailoring your hooks to each platform, you can significantly enhance engagement, as each platform requires a different approach with distinct content norms.
Understanding different platforms and utilizing the right hooks is crucial for effective content creation. For TikTok and Instagram Reels, hooks should be visually engaging or concise to capture attention quickly. While, on LinkedIn, a thought-provoking question or statement can be more impactful. Recognizing these differences is essential to maximize the effectiveness of your content! 👍
👏 TikTok: Forget about daylight savings—we are Counting down Friday's till Summer! Summer Fridays is a brand that nails engaging social media hooks by combining warm visuals with that summer vibe and concise + thoughtful text. This pushes their audience to stop the scroll and engage with their content.
👏 Reels: Let’s not forget about Reels; on this platform, visually capturing your audience is the top tactic. Rare Beauty is all about this strategy and has perfected their approach to engaging social media hooks! To showcase their Matte Bouncy Blush, they provided sensory visuals and concise hooks, making their reel light, airy, fun, and, most importantly, engaging!
👏 LinkedIn: This platform is all about the facts and the stats, so it’s only natural to craft an engaging social media hook that focuses on impressing with numbers. We love Sephora’s LinkedIn post, "Stories of Women," which highlights the incredible women on their team! Perfected with an engaging social media hook: “ Women constitute 84% of our workforce…” This caption is designed to stand out, engage, and inspire!
A successful engaging social media hook should align with the platform's flow and user behavior. Understanding how the platform works is key to creating the ideal hook!
We hope this blog post gave you some guidance on how to effectively create a scroll-stopping hook! To strengthen and optimize your hooks, snag our Reel and TikTok Hook + Copy Cheat Sheet! If you’re looking for more guidance on your social media strategy, inquire about our services here and be sure to follow us on Instagram for more.
Chat soon!
xx,
The Homies
