Write Better Instagram Captions & Boost Engagement By 6,877% 🤯

Today, I’m giving you 10 social media hooks that actually make people stop and pay attention.

Based on REAL DATA from some of my top-performing Instagram posts this year.

But first, can you guess what the average engagement rate is on Instagram? Based on multiple sources, the average varies from a measly 0.43% to a slightly more impressive 5.86%.

Thanks to the hooks I’m about to share with you, my posts got anywhere from a 13% to 30% engagement rate.

And according to ChatGPT (yes I had to get AI to help me with my math), that’s 6,877% more engagement – almost 69X higher – than average. 

Who says AI can’t be useful?! 🤣So, clearly, these hooks REALLY WORK. 

Whether you’re a freelancer trying to attract dream clients on social media.

Or you help other businesses with their content, Or you’re a small biz owner DIY-ing your social.

This post is for you. Make sure to like and subscribe to my channel for content like this. 

And now, let’s start the countdown with Hook #10:

Hook #10: If you’re still doing [ old method ], you’re doing it wrong. 

This hook challenges the reader’s current belief system by directly calling out an OLD METHOD and saying it’s wrong. 

It creates immediate tension, which the brain wants to resolve. 

We don’t like being told we’re wrong, so most of us will stick around and read the caption JUST to prove that we’re right.

Or at the very least, we’re a bit intrigued to hear more about this so-called “better way” of doing it. 

Use this hook when you’re offering a BETTER or UPDATED alternative to a common method.

In this post, I challenged the very common belief that your messaging should be focused on OUTCOMES first. 

I go on to explain that we should be speaking to our customers’ IDENTITY first. ⁠

⁠And outcome-based messaging should come AFTER THAT. ⁠

Btw – all the hooks I’m talking about in this post, PLUS 89 MORE, are inside my FREE Hooks Swipe File. 

So don’t worry about taking notes, just get to the end of this post to grab your free copy! 

Alright, next up:

Hook #9: Think [ objection ]? Think again. 

This one challenges a common objection while creating a curiosity gap at the same time.

The reader’s brain NEEDS to close the loop.

In this post, we’re challenging a common objection about creating reels. 

Think creating great Reels has to be complicated, time-consuming or performative? Think again. 

Then, in the caption, we go on to DELIVER on this hook by explaining WHY the objection is wrong.

Some of my most effective Reels took less than 10 minutes to make.

They required no script or fancy edits.

In some cases, I wasn’t in the videos AT ALL. 

AND they helped me grow my brand.⁠

So now we’ve just closed one loop and opened another which, of course, we’ll close in our CTA where we direct them to read 10 Easy Reel ideas. 

If you want to check out that post next, read it here.

⁠Next up:

Hook #8: I regret/changed my mind about [ opinion ] and here’s why. 

Alright, here we have an EMOTIONAL open loop. 

You’re being vulnerable here by admitting something you regret or had a change of thought on something – vulnerability builds trust. It also creates curiosity! 

Here I’m saying “I changed my mind about ‘niching down’. Here’s why…”

I’ve also used this hook in my YouTube videos before.

This is a great hook to use when you want to be relatable, while leading into a teachable moment or shifting to a different point of view.

I share LOTS of real, relatable and vulnerable lessons like this over on Instagram, so if you’re not already, make sure to give me a follow over there @copyposse. 

Alright, next up:

Hook #7: Why is [ desired outcome ] so hard? 👉let’s talk about it. 

This hook is validating the reader’s struggle and makes them feel seen, which builds trust. 

And the “let’s talk about it…” implies that you’re going to HELP THEM overcome this struggle in your caption. 

Here, I’m saying “Why is writing great captions so damn hard?! Let’s talk about it…⁠”

My caption goes on to give the reader 5 fill-in-the-blank hooks you can swipe for your social captions – which by the way, this post was actually the inspiration for THIS BLOG POST. 

Hook #6: STOP doing [ outdated method ] and do THIS instead.

This hook, like #10, challenges the viewer’s current method or belief.

Telling people to stop doing something feels urgent. It implies that they’re hurting their results by doing it the old way.

While the “do THIS instead” shifts the focus from pain to solution, which you should deliver on later on in your caption, of course. 

As you can see in this caption, we created a slightly different variation of this hook.

I said: “Cold outreach not working? DO THIS INSTEAD⁠”

I could have just as easily said “Stop doing cold outreach and do this instead” – and it would have had the same effect. 

Remember – you CAN and SHOULD play around with these hooks. You don’t have to use every single word verbatim if you don’t want to. 

It’s the CONCEPT behind the hook that makes it work, not the exact words. 

Alright, we’re halfway through the list, but I kept my absolute FAVORITE HOOK for #1.

Are you loving this post so far? If you want more tutorials like this one, drop a comment below and let me know! 

Alright, next up:

Hook #5: You’ve been doing [ common practice ] ALL WRONG. (here’s why)… 

This hook is a pattern interruption – it’s directly calling out something your audience is likely doing. And telling them it’s WRONG. 

Again, this plays on their ego a bit, calling them out and instantly grabbing their attention 

You can see in this caption, I say “You’re probably using ChatGPT wrong.”

I go on to explain that MOST PEOPLE are stuck using surface-level prompts.

And that if that’s all you’re using AI for, then you’re majorly missing out on what it can do for you. 

This is a great hook to use anytime you’re correcting a common misconception OR offering a different method or thought process.

Next up, we haven’t talked about this type of hook yet.

Hook #4: How I’d get [ desired outcome ] starting from ZERO. 

This hook is a good old-fashioned transformation hook. 

You’re telling them how you would get to their desired outcome, if you were starting from scratch.

And offering them some sort of insider knowledge or shortcut they haven’t heard of before.

Here I’m saying “Here’s exactly how I would make money online ASAP (if I had to start over from scratch).”

This is a great hook to use anytime you’re sharing a roadmap, plan, or beginner-friendly strategy.

Alright, just three more left.

Hook #3: Every [ avatar ] needs to [ approach / mechanism ]. 

This hook uses SPECIFICITY to directly call out your target audience or customer avatar.

Then tell them, “hey, you better be doing this thing…”

Without saying it, this implies that everyone else is doing this thing, and, trust me, a little bit of FOMO here grabs attention fast. 

Here, I say: “Copywriters NEED to master these 5 marketing skills…”

Or here’s a slightly different variation of this hook, where instead of calling out the AVATAR, I call out the PROBLEM.

I say “EVERY about page for a personal brand NEEDS to include these 6 things… ⁠⁠”

See how the words and even the angle are different – but the HOOK is the same? 

Alright, next up, now these last two hooks are my ABSOLUTE FAVORITES on this entire list.

Hook #2: Apparently, people still don’t know this… 

Ahhh yes, more FOMO.

Something about this just makes you think, “What… did I miss something?!”

I first saw this hook YEARS ago in an IFL Science post that said “apparently people still don’t know what paprika is made from”. 

LOL. It was so random, but I just HAD to click. I mean, I don’t want to be one of those ignorant people!!!

And I’ve been using this hook in my own copy ever since. It’s genius! 

It frames what you’re about to say as widely understood knowledge, but clearly, many are still missing it. That makes the reader want to know if they’re one of the clueless ones.

Here I say, “Apparently, people STILL don’t understand the whole ‘personal branding’ thing.”

And I go on to break down the misconceptions of what personal branding is NOT vs what it actually IS. 

Alright, last one, and this one is my absolute FAVORITE.

Hook #1: People are obsessed with [ trend / thing ] and I can see why…

Another FOMO hook! Clearly, I have a FOMO problem – LOL.

This hook really utilizes that bandwagon effect.

You’re leveraging social proof by spotlighting something popular that your reader may not have heard of yet.

So adding that little “and I can see why” implies that you’re going to spill the tea, or give some unique take.  

This hook works well when you’re reacting to trends, products, tools, or content that have gone viral.

But it’s also really great to use in other ways, like I have here.

I’m saying “People are OBSESSED with my FREE 99 Hooks Swipe File (and I can see why…)”

This makes my reader SUPER CURIOUS to see what they’re missing out on. 

If YOU’RE curious about the other 89 swipeable, fill-in-the-blank hooks inside my FREE 99 Hooks Swipe File.

You can grab your free copy here.

I’ll see you next week with a brand new post. Until then, I’m Alex. Ciao for now.

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