My 3-Step framework for writing killer hooks

I can’t tell you how happy I am to be writing this newsletter again! 🥳

Thanks so much for your patience, especially if you’re one of the approx 600 new folks who joined during my hiatus.

Me, staring lovingly at you for sticking with me.

If you didn’t know, I made the choice to narrow the focus of my entire business so I could complete my scriptwriting course.

However, now that it’s finally in the hands of my small army of beta testers, we can get back to business as usual!

I thought I’d kick back off with a handy little framework that’s going to simplify (and enhance) how you write the most important part of your script…

Have you ever wondered this…?

One of the most common questions I get is:

“How long should my hook be?”

After all, as one creator who emailed me put it…

“Should you get straight into the content so people don’t click off right away?

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Or do you need to do everything humanly possible to convince them the video is gonna change their life first?”

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by indecision and uncertainty, especially when you know the hook is the most important part of the video.

But here’s the thing…

“How long should my hook be?” is not the right question to ask because it doesn’t have a proper answer.

Instead, the only question you need to ask is this:

”Does every sentence have a reason to be there?”

After writing and reviewing hundreds of scripts for creators big and small, I’ve created a simple framework to figure this out.

3-Step Framework

The framework looks slightly different depending on whether your content is primarily educational, or entertainment-based.

🧠 Education → Target, Transformation, Stakes:

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1 – This is my target audience.

2 – This is their desired transformation.

3 – Here’s what’s at stake.

💥 Entertainment → Character, Concept, Stakes:

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1 – These are the characters.

2 – This is the concept.

3 – Here’s what’s at stake.

In a nutshell…

The audience needs to know what they’ll experience and why it matters.

That’s it.

Focus on clearly signposting each of these three factors within your hook, and be brutal about cutting the rest.

Two Examples

To see this framework in action, look at how simply we can break down the hook of two videos.

Below each, you’ll see my breakdown of the 3-step framework and the colour-coded hook transcript.

Zac Alsop – I Faked My Grandpa to the Top of Fashion Week​

Character – Granddad

Concept – Is it possible to get anybody to the top of fashion week?

Stakes – He’s a fraud; will he be discovered?

Hook Transcript:

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As you’ll notice, every word fulfils the criteria of the 3-step framework.

But, while this hook is nice and short, a strong hook can also be much longer (as long as every sentence deserves to be there).

For example:

Abi Connick – Why 95% of Graphic Designers Fail​

Target – Graphic designers worried about their business failing.

Transformation – They’ll learn what the mistake is so they can avoid it and create a flourishing business.

Stakes – Unless they learn the lesson, their business is at risk of failure.

Hook Transcript:

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I probably would have trimmed a couple of extra words here.

Nonetheless, every single sentence here is crucial to setting up the content.

And with 86% retention after 30s, you really can’t complain.

⚡️ Action Item

On your next video, instead of worrying about the length of your hook, focus on the 3-step framework.

Force every word to justify its place, and the hook will end up exactly the length it needs to be.

That’s all for this week!

Did you have anything you’d really like me to talk about in a future issue? You can reply to these emails at any time and let me know 🙂

Speak soon,
George 👋