Glossary
LinkedIn hook
A LinkedIn hook is the opening line or two of a post — the only part most people see before deciding whether to tap “see more.” It is a standalone promise that earns the reader’s attention for the rest of the post.
Why the hook matters
LinkedIn truncates every post after roughly one or two lines, hiding the rest behind a “see more” tap. That cutoff is not a minor interface detail — it is the structural reality that shapes whether anyone reads what you wrote. The hook is the only part of your post that is guaranteed to be seen, every time.
Because of that truncation, the hook is judged completely alone. A reader scrolling past your post has no idea what comes next. They make a split-second decision based solely on those first words. The hook does not have the luxury of a warm-up paragraph or a promising headline above it — it is the headline, the lede, and the pitch all at once.
That dynamic sets a post’s ceiling. A brilliant insight buried three sentences in is invisible if the hook fails to earn the tap. The body can only do its work once the hook has done its job. Investing real time in the opening line — often more than in anything else you write — is the highest-leverage editing decision you can make.
What strong hooks have in common
- Specific, not vague — “I made a mistake that cost us a client” beats “Thoughts on client relationships.” Specificity signals there is something real to read.
- Opens a curiosity gap — the reader needs an unanswered question in their mind that only tapping “see more” can close. A finished statement stops curiosity before it starts.
- Speaks to one reader — the best hooks feel addressed to a particular person with a particular problem, not broadcast to a crowd. Write as if one person is reading.
- No throat-clearing — starting with “I wanted to share” or “Really excited to announce” burns the hook on setup. Start with the substance itself.
How to write a better one
Start by asking: if someone reads only this first line, would they feel a genuine pull to read more? Not “is this good writing?” but “would a busy person scrolling past stop here?” If the answer is uncertain, the hook needs another pass.
A simple editing trick: delete your first sentence and re-read the draft. Often the hook you actually wrote is line two — the opener was context you needed to write but the reader did not need to see. Cutting the setup and leading with the substance improves most first drafts immediately.
Writing multiple versions of the same hook is the fastest way to find the best one. Different angles — a contrarian claim, a specific result, an honest admission — reveal possibilities you would not have seen from a single attempt. Quippy’s Hook Lab is built for exactly this: paste your draft, and it scores your opening line and suggests sharper rewrites in your own voice. Because every Quippy idea also generates three full drafts, you naturally get three different hook angles to compare before you commit to posting.