skills/write-hooks/references/hook-tactics.md

# Hook Tactics Reference Library

A tactic is the **strategic frame** — how you organize the message. A psychological trigger is the **emotional mechanism** — why it works. Every tactic executes through one or more triggers.

## When to Use This Reference

- When generating hooks and you need a specific tactic for a situation
- When classifying existing hooks by type
- When you need variety — pick tactics you haven't used yet

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## Tactics by Category

### Identity & Audience

**Aspirational**
Frame: Frames identity, lifestyle, or status the viewer wants. Speaks to the viewer's desired identity, not the brand's values.
Triggers: Aspiration, Identity Call-Out
Example: "What your morning routine looks like when you actually sleep 8 hours"

**Demographic Callout**
Frame: Names a specific segment to qualify relevance.
Triggers: Identity Call-Out
Example: "Remote workers who can't focus past 2pm — this is for you"

**Direct Address**
Frame: Speaks directly and personally to the viewer to create immediate engagement.
Triggers: Identity Call-Out, Pain Agitation
Example: "You've been washing your face wrong your entire life"

**If-Then**
Frame: Qualifies the viewer with a condition, then promises an outcome or action.
Triggers: Identity Call-Out, Pain Agitation
Example: "If you've tried every mattress and still wake up stiff — read this"

**Relatability**
Frame: Anchors in a shared, everyday scenario for empathy or humor.
Triggers: Pain Agitation, Identity Call-Out
Example: "That moment when you check your bank account after a 'quick Target run'"

### Credibility & Proof

**Authority**
Frame: Establishes credibility via expertise, credentials, or certifications. Relies on credentials, not popularity signals.
Triggers: Social Proof
Example: "I'm a dermatologist and I'd never use the products I prescribe on my own skin"

**Confession**
Frame: Candid reveal to build credibility and curiosity. Trust through vulnerability, not just honesty.
Triggers: Pattern Interrupt, Social Proof
Example: "I spent $4,000 on skincare last year and my skin got worse"

**Reasons Why**
Frame: Only for hooks beginning with a number + "reasons why." Uses explicit "reasons why" phrasing, not generic list format.
Triggers: Curiosity Gap, Social Proof
Example: "3 reasons your protein powder is making you bloated"

**Social Proof**
Frame: Leads with evidence from other people's experiences.
Triggers: Social Proof, Urgency
Example: "47,000 people switched to this in January alone"

**Statistic**
Frame: Opens with a surprising or compelling number.
Triggers: Pattern Interrupt, Social Proof
Example: "93% of people are using the wrong pillow height for their sleep position"

### Belief & Positioning

**Belief**
Frame: Brand POV or values-led opener. The brand's mission, not the customer's identity.
Triggers: Pattern Interrupt, Identity Call-Out
Example: "I genuinely believe this is the most important thing you can do for your gut health"

**Contrarian**
Frame: Deliberately goes against conventional wisdom or expectations to create surprise. Breaks the rule of what logic and expertise says should be true.
Triggers: Pattern Interrupt, Contrarian/Myth-Busting
Example: "Sunscreen is actually making your skin worse. Here's why."

**Myth Busting**
Frame: Directly debunks a widely held misconception with corrective facts.
Triggers: Contrarian/Myth-Busting, Curiosity Gap
Example: "The '8 glasses of water' rule is completely made up"

### Emotion & Desire

**Challenge**
Frame: Competitive framing that invites a test or attempt.
Triggers: Pattern Interrupt, Identity Call-Out
Example: "Try this for 7 days and tell me your sleep didn't change"

**Curiosity**
Frame: Creates an open loop or tease to spark interest. The loop must feel worth closing.
Triggers: Curiosity Gap
Example: "There's one ingredient in your shampoo that's causing all the damage"

**Storytelling**
Frame: Drops mid-moment into a personal or brand story. The viewer enters a scene already in progress.
Triggers: Curiosity Gap, Pain Agitation
Example: "Last Tuesday I almost threw my laptop out the window. Here's what happened."

**FOMO**
Frame: Creates anxiety about missing a unique opportunity or trend. Emphasizes social belonging, not time pressure or gated access.
Triggers: Social Proof, Urgency
Example: "Everyone in my friend group uses this except me. I finally tried it."

**Exclusivity**
Frame: Signals selective access or "not for everyone." About gated access, not social belonging.
Triggers: Urgency, Identity Call-Out
Example: "This was only available to dermatology patients until last month"

**Urgency**
Frame: Creates time or supply pressure to act now. Pure time/quantity scarcity, not social belonging or gated access.
Triggers: Urgency/Stakes
Example: "They're pulling this offer at midnight. I'm not even joking."

### Educational & Informational

**Directive**
Frame: Imperative that tells the viewer to change behavior or mindset. Reframes thinking or behavior, not immediate shopping action.
Triggers: Pattern Interrupt, Identity Call-Out
Example: "Stop comparing your morning to everyone else's highlight reel"

**Explainer**
Frame: Explains causes or rationale using "why" phrasing. About why, not teaching steps.
Triggers: Curiosity Gap, Pattern Interrupt
Example: "The reason your coffee tastes bitter has nothing to do with the beans"

**How To**
Frame: Instructional promise that teaches a task or fix. Teaches how, not why.
Triggers: Curiosity Gap
Example: "How to fall asleep in under 5 minutes without melatonin"

**Listicle**
Frame: Numbered or list-based framing without explicit "why" rhetoric.
Triggers: Curiosity Gap
Example: "5 things I stopped buying that saved me $400/month"

**Question**
Frame: Opens with a direct question that triggers self-reflection.
Triggers: Pain Agitation, Curiosity Gap
Example: "Why does your face look tired even when you slept 9 hours?"

### Action & Conversion

**Bold Claim**
Frame: Makes an outsized or extreme promise for impact.
Triggers: Pattern Interrupt, Contrarian
Example: "This $12 serum replaced my entire skincare routine"

**Call To Action First**
Frame: Opens with an explicit action instruction. About immediate shopping/action, not mindset shift.
Triggers: Urgency, Pattern Interrupt
Example: "Add this to cart before you forget — your future self will thank you"

**Contrast**
Frame: Juxtaposes two things (products, costs, outcomes, identities) to highlight a mismatch, imbalance, or superiority. About a mismatch or imbalance, not breaking a logical rule.
Triggers: Pattern Interrupt, Pain Agitation
Example: "What I was spending on coffee vs. what I spend now"

**Offer Only**
Frame: Uses a discount or monetary incentive as the sole hook. The offer stands alone without added urgency, exclusivity, or comparative price framing.
Triggers: Urgency
Example: "40% off everything. No code needed."

**Price Anchor**
Frame: Frames cost against a familiar benchmark to make price feel smaller by comparison.
Triggers: Pattern Interrupt, Social Proof
Example: "People assume this costs $200. It's $29."

**Risk Reversal**
Frame: Reduces perceived risk with guarantees or assurances.
Triggers: Social Proof, Urgency
Example: "If it doesn't work in 30 days, keep it and get your money back"

**Shocking Statement**
Frame: Leads with a surprising or provocative claim that challenges assumptions.
Triggers: Pattern Interrupt
Example: "I threw away every product my dermatologist recommended"

**Warning**
Frame: Sincere caution that halts default behavior until you explain. The viewer pauses because they need to know the risk.
Triggers: Pain Agitation, Urgency
Example: "Stop using this ingredient immediately if you have sensitive skin"

**Reverse Psychology**
Frame: Tells the viewer NOT to do something, triggering reactance.
Triggers: Pattern Interrupt, Curiosity Gap
Example: "Don't buy this if you're not serious about fixing your sleep"

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## Key Distinctions

| Tactic A | Tactic B | The Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast | Contrarian | Contrast highlights a mismatch or imbalance between two things. Contrarian breaks the rule of what logic and expertise says should be true. |
| Confession | Storytelling | Confession is a candid reveal — one vulnerable admission. Storytelling drops into a narrative scene mid-moment. |
| Exclusivity | FOMO | Exclusivity gates access ("only available to X"). FOMO drives social belonging anxiety ("everyone is doing this except you"). |
| Urgency | FOMO | Urgency applies time/supply pressure ("ends tonight"). FOMO centers on missing a trend ("you're the last person to try this"). |
| Directive | Call To Action First | Directive reframes thinking or behavior ("stop comparing yourself"). CTA First instructs immediate shopping/action ("add to cart now"). |
| Offer Only | Price Anchor | Offer Only leads with the discount alone ("40% off"). Price Anchor frames cost against a benchmark ("you'd think $200, it's $29"). |
| Question | Curiosity | Question is direct and triggers self-reflection. Curiosity creates an information gap without directly asking. |
| Bold Claim | Shocking Statement | Bold Claim asserts a strong positive ("replaced my entire routine"). Shocking Statement provokes with something unexpected or alarming. |
| Explainer | How To | Explainer explains why something happens. How To teaches the steps to do something. |
| Reasons Why | Listicle | Reasons Why uses explicit "reasons why" phrasing. Listicle uses numbered format without "why" rhetoric. |
| Belief | Aspirational | Belief expresses the brand's POV or mission. Aspirational speaks to the viewer's desired identity or lifestyle. |

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## Deployment by Awareness Stage

| Stage | Best Tactics |
|---|---|
| Unaware | Explainer, Question, Relatability, Storytelling, Statistic, Directive |
| Problem-Aware | Pain Agitation (via Question, Warning, Relatability), Confession, Challenge, Directive |
| Solution-Aware | Contrarian, Myth Busting, How To, Explainer, Comparison (Contrast) |
| Product-Aware | Social Proof, Authority, Bold Claim, Risk Reversal, Price Anchor, Offer Only |
| Most-Aware | Urgency, FOMO, Exclusivity, Call To Action First, Risk Reversal, Offer Only |

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## Quick Selection Guide

| Your Goal | Pick This Tactic |
|---|---|
| Stop the scroll | Shocking Statement, Contrarian, Bold Claim, Reverse Psychology |
| Build trust | Authority, Confession, Social Proof, Statistic |
| Create urgency | Urgency, FOMO, Exclusivity, Warning |
| Educate first | Explainer, How To, Myth Busting, Reasons Why |
| Target precisely | Demographic Callout, If-Then, Direct Address |
| Inspire action | Challenge, Aspirational, Risk Reversal, Directive |
| Drive immediate conversion | Call To Action First, Offer Only, Urgency, Price Anchor |
| Tell a story | Storytelling, Confession, Relatability |