4 out of 5 growth marketers will HATE me for publishing this article!

Jk, jk. But really, you’ll NEVER believe why the hooks you choose can make or break your ads. 

Shoot, I did it again!

While hooks like those above probably lean too “clickbait-y” for most brands, they get your attention (I mean, you've made it this far, right?). And with most of your audience watching an ad for mere seconds before scrolling past, a good opener goes a long way.

But, most marketers know this already! And that means they’re already showing your audience a lot of ads with hooks that are – to quote Larry David – “prettttty, prettttty, pretty good.”

So if you want to cut through, you need hooks that are, well…prettttttttty great.

Here are 6 of the best hooks we've seen recently.

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6 Hooks That Reeled Us In

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1. The Poopy Pepper

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How can you not look on in horror as someone wipes pretend (I hope?) feces off a particularly natiform bell pepper? Getting visually euphemistic with your demos almost always results in a performant hook – especially if you probablyyy shouldn't show your product in action, as in ColonBroom’s case.

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2. Playing Footsy

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Ok, don’t be coy about why this hook works so well. Writing on the body is a visually arresting intro that demands your audience read the headline. At Pearmill, we’ve created winning ads by writing on stomachs, hands, biceps – the list goes on. But for some reason, feet often drive the most engagement. Hmm, I wonder why?

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3. While Supplies Last

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Scarcity is the best kind of social proof out there. Hooks that reference selling out work because they imply demand and desirability. Sounds obvious, yes. But the effects are very real; nobody wants to miss out! Disclaimer: You should actually have a limited supply before advertising that you do. 

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4. Breaking Sh*t

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I once saw a quote along the lines of “Your audience doesn’t want to sit through another boring value proposition video; they want to see you run your product over with a car.” In our experience, this is sage advice. Chaos and destruction are v captivating hooks and a great way to illustrate a selling point or take a comical shot at your competition.

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5. Burning Sh*t

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Similar to breaking sh*t, lighting sh*t on fire is all about the shock factor. There are two main ways to employ this hook: First, you can burn an inferior alternative to your product or service, à la Jambys. Second, you can burn some cash to illustrate savings. Of course, our Legal team would like us to clarify that we are not actually telling you to light anything on fire or break anything. Why would we do that?

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6. The Crazy Quote

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Most brands use super boring, vague customer quotes. But if you know how to identify (or craft) one that doesn’t suck, you can create a show-stopping hook full of social proof. The trick is to look for something wild, playful, specific. If Bill S. from Arlington, VA wrote,“I fell to my knees in a crowded parking lot when I tried your prebiotic soda,” chances are you just found your next opener.

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