May 27, 2025
The easiest thing to get right and the easiest thing to get wrong – social hooks, or the first few seconds dwell time on your social content will make or break it. Sounds logical, but it’s shocking how much we see brands missing the mark on this.
With attention spans shorter than ever, users on social need to be engaged quickly or they’re just scrolling on…
And on…and on…
Social content is processed 6x faster than non-social content by the human brain – so as a species, we have developed to consume social faster than any other form of content. Pretty staggering, but with this comes the importance of relevancy and trigger points that make content interesting.
What is a social hook?
Personal stories, relatable characters, social proof, and emotional narratives – if you can create social content that taps into this, then you’re getting closer to full-length social-first content. But, even if we know that video content works best on social – we need to get to the point fast. Time is short – terms must resonate, pictures have to connect and users want to know what’s in it for them.
We come across marketing that is so inward facing and corporate in style and language that disengagement from users will happen so fast. Here are some tips to get you back on track if you’re struggling:
- Intro graphics that use stock music/imagery or logos for more than 1 second – bin them. People are scrolling, make them stop – that won’t work.
- No subtitles? No chance of a watch. The vast majority of users watch content on mute – so tell the story through text (and avoid corporate stock music that really offers nothing…)
- Use interesting statements and provocative wordage – headlines that create information gaps exploit the human brain’s need for closure!
- Don’t give up everything up early doors! People are 3x more likely to click when they feel they’re missing crucial information – let your video or carousel tell the story and watch that ER and CTR rise!
Now this doesn’t apply to video! Carousel content – whether on Instagram or LinkedIn – also benefits from early resonance. That first slide has to POP and really dig into the psyche of your audience – consider hooks that:
- Use statistics – 65% more clicks are achieved in content that shows insights like this
- Create content that triggers an emotional response – they receive x2 more engagements
We have a resource hub that could help start on the right track to impactful social hooks – check it out now, or contact us to see how we can get you on the right track!