Look at your last 5 content and tell yourself the truth. Did it grab your attention?
If you were scrolling and saw a stranger with the same content, would you stay to watch it?
No? Then we have a problem.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, there’s a lot of noise online.
We spend time scrolling and swiping away at things that don’t interest us.
So how do you make someone stop scrolling and pay attention to your content?
It all starts with a hook. That is:
That grabs your watcher/reader by the eyeballs and says:
“You’re going to enjoy watching this.”
And if your hook fails to grab your watcher or reader?
Well, it doesn’t matter how great the rest of your content is, they never stayed long enough to see it.
Let’s fix that up right now.
By talking about the most common hook mistakes content creators make and how you can start fixing them today.
Have you ever watched a post for 5 seconds and still didn't understand what the post was about?
That’s the problem with vague hooks.
They don’t give people a reason to care for the rest of the content.
Why being vague is reducing watcher/reader retention:
Don’t stress your watchers.
Make them know what they are gaining from watching you.
What to do instead:
Example: “This hack helped me triple my Tiktok engagement in two weeks.”
The value is there, it targets people who want to achieve the same thing, and it has a promised timeline.
Perfect hook.
In the words of an old meme: Ain't nobody got no time for that.
If your content takes 15 seconds to warm up, you’ve already lost ‘em.
You've lost me sincerely😒
Why taking too long ruins your content:
What to do instead:
Example: “I helped my client triple their lead generation by doing this one thing!”
This would definitely grab my attention; because it has a promised value and targets people.
A good hook.
You’ve seen those skincare content that start with:
“You’ll NEVER believe this trick!”
And then the “trick” is… drink water? Seriously?
That pisses people off because you technically wasted their time.
Why it stops working after a while:
People are not getting hyped up to watch your content only to hear basic facts.
And when people don't trust you, they swipe fast.
And platforms notice this and stop pushing out your videos.
What to do instead:
Get actual tips that help people. Not just basic stuff.
Like I said, help people.
Yes, we want to hook people with words.
But in this present world of unending content, people need more to grab their attention.
Do something with the video. Start with a zoom, a shake.
Capcut has lots of video effects that can act as a video hook. Try them out!
Why just word hooks don't work all the time:
So we have to capitalize on that.
Yea, humans have become hard to please in the world of content.
What to do instead:
Utilize Capcut very well. You want to GRAB attention, not beg your watchers for it.
We’ve all made these mistakes at some point. But the key is learning and adjusting.
Because when you get your hook right? People stop, stay till the end, and engage.
Learned something new? Then head over to WazoPlus and sign up.
So you can practice, experiment, and level up your hook game with tools that help you grow.
#wazoplus #contentcreators #contentwriters #contenthooks #rwanda
Listen to this episode to learn about:
- the journey in building Muwado an African storytelling platform for content creators to monetize their content
- The need for localized solutions tailored to the needs of Africans
- How Muwado went from being a personal blog to platform
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Byagaba Roland is a Ugandan ICT and media professional, and entrepreneur. He is founder of Muwado -an African Storytelling Platform that not only enables African creators to share their content and build community, but to also monetize their work on the platform and essentially earn from their stories.
Connect with Roland on LinkedIn
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