How to Write a LinkedIn Hook and Sub-Hook
- Build You Marketing
- May 26
- 6 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago
Well, hello! I see you're here to master your LinkedIn hooks and sub-hooks to get more people to actually read your LinkedIn posts... we love that! A lot of people share posts on LinkedIn that simply get lost in the clutter. It's either too boring or you have a great post idea, but it's not presented in a scroll-friendly format.
We are here to help you fix that. Let's roll...
What is a LinkedIn Hook? What is a Sub-Hook?
Hook:
First sentence of your LinkedIn post to get people to stop scrolling.
Sub-Hook:
Second sentence of your LinkedIn post that gets people to click "read more."
Example:
Hook:
Your 'Thought Leadership' content is too boring.
Sub-Hook:
After 1.4M+ LinkedIn impressions, here’s my advice👇
Why does a LinkedIn Hook & Sub-Hook Matter?
The hook and sub-hook of your post are the only 2 sentences a reader can view before clicking 'read more' on your post. Yes, that means you literally only have 2 sentences before someone decides to give you their time and attention; hence, it is incredibly important to nail these. If people don't love these 2 sentences, they are going scroll past your post that you just spent over an hour writing.
A great post hook and sub-hook will lead to a more engaged fanbase and increase business opportunities.
The LinkedIn Hook & Sub-Hook Formulas
Every LinkedIn post fits into 4 post archetypes, with each category having a different hook & sub-hook structure (2 of them generally have no sub-hook at all). Below we will explore each structure with an associated example so that you can start getting people to click 'read more' on your posts!
Storytelling Post
Storytelling Hook
For a post that tells a story about a specific moment, we consider this first sentence the 'headline.' Think about any GREAT news article. They all have great headlines to stand out against the rest of the headlines, so that people read 1 article over another. This first sentence is the story headline. Just by reading this 1 line, you now know what the post is about and come to a decision if the story is interesting enough to read.
Capture people's attention.
When my Mom thought she was going to pass away, she gave me this note.
Storytelling Sub-Hook
Generally, most posts (except milestone) utilize a sub-hook that get's people to take action (click 'read more'), but in the case of storytelling, authenticity is paramount and if the headline is strong enough, you shouldn't need a sub-hook to capture clicks.
That said, we leave this line blank and insert an extra space/line between the headline and story opening similar to a news story that has a big headline that is separate from the actual story.
Milestone Post
Milestone Hook
Congrats on the achievement! Now ... just get to the point! Most likely, the vast majority of people interacting with your posts know you, and therefore, want to support you. Plainly stating the actual achievement incentivizes someone to react and comment on the post even if they don't actually read the entire thing! This way, your post will be pushed out to more people on LinkedIn, which will increase your engagement.
DON'T GET FANCY WITH YOUR HOOK! Share the milestone directly.
Elcove is officially in retail!!
Milestone Sub-Hook
About half of posts (except milestone & storytelling) utilize a sub-hook that gets people to take action (click 'read more'), but in this case, stating the hook in the achievement is strong enough to capture clicks and engagement on it's own. Oftentimes, post performance of milestones particularly, decrease when a sub-hook is used.
That said, we leave this line blank and insert an extra space/line between the milestone headline and the rest of the post, similar to a news article.
**EXCEPTION**
If you are telling a story in your milestone post, you can use a "storytelling" hook as the sub-hook to get people to click 'read more.' For example, if you are featured in a press piece, the first sentence might be, "I was published in Entrepreneur Magazine!" If the post is a milestone storytelling post, then the second sentence can be an introduction to the story such as, "I started my company when I was in the hospital..." The hook will get people to react, the sub-hook will get people to keep reading.
Thought Leadership Post
Thought Leadership Hook
This is generally a bold statement, a hot topic, or simply stating the topic that the post is about. You don't need to overcomplicate this. If the topic is truly interesting, people will read it!
Your 'Thought Leadership' content is too boring.
In this example, I am directly speaking to my target audience (people that already write thought leader content, but want to make it better). This calls them out and anchors their attention. It can spark a "Woah what are you talking about reaction?!"
Thought Leadership Sub-Hook
Now that we have the scrollers attention, we now need to get them to act and there are two ways to do this:
Credibility Statement
Remember, a lot of people who do not know you will be reading your thought leadership posts. They have no reason to trust you. Anyone could claim to be a LinkedIn content expert. So you can provide a statistic to prove your credibility and get people to 'buy in' and read your post. They'll think, "woah?! that is impressive ... I have to read that post for the advice!"
After 1.4M+ LinkedIn impressions, here’s my advice👇
In this example, the author establishes credibility and gives the audience a reason to spend time reading the post.
Fear of Missing out Statement
If you don't have a great credibility statement, you can use the "FOMO" strategy. It sounds complicated, but it's really simple.
Read this... trust me👇
If your content is REALLY solid, then you can get people to buy in and read your post by establishing FOMO. You are asking them to trust you and read the post. It's really hard to scroll away after a sentence like that. People are more likely to give your post a shot, so it better be good!
Networking Posts
There are 2 main types of networking posts: Group spotlights & 1-on-1 spotlights. Most of the time, group spotlights are sparked from an event or conference, which is why we hone in on that specifically. A 1-on-1 spotlight is more broad as you could highlight a client, colleague, potential client, or even a family member.
These hook and sub-hook structures are vastly different ...
Event / Conference Recap
Event / Conference Recap Hook
Every great event or conference recap starts with a story headline, similar to a storytelling post. You can bet that if there are thousands of people at an event, there will be many LinkedIn posts that follow; hence why your content needs a competitive advantage! And yes, your stories / moments are your competitive advantage.
I saw wire fraud in action last week…
In this example, the author uses a hook that resembles a storytelling 'headline' hook. It is the beginning of a compelling story that catches people off guard. You HAVE to click due to the interest around the topic. A reader may ask themselves, "woah! what happened?"
Event / Conference Recap Sub-Hook
A sub-hook is completely optional for an event or conference recap as we mentioned in the storytelling section. If you decide to use one, here is an effective example:
And I was shocked. 👇
In this particular example, the author used a strong emotion and an emoji pointing down towards the rest of the post to spark action from the audience. The idea of 'shock' makes scrollers pause to read to view what could have been so shocking.
1-on-1 Spotlight
1-on-1 Spotlight Hook
If you want your LinkedIn spotlight to standout on the feed of the person in the post, then you definitely need their full name in the first sentence along with an interesting story. Your job is to make it as easy as possible for that person's network to recognize that person, as then, they are more likely to engage with your post.
@Full Name was there when my Father passed away.
In this example, people in the spotlighted person's network will easily be able to recognize the person's name (making it more likely they engage) and it includes a compelling story.
This is the perfect mix of a storytelling style hook with a networking touch.
1-on-1 Spotlight Sub-Hook
Similar to an event / conference recap, a sub-hook is completely optional for a 1-on-1 spotlight post because if the story is strong enough in the first line then people will click 'read more' anyways. If you decide to use one, here is an effective example:
and her reaction caught me off guard...
You will find that sub-hook provides context to the story in a way that presents a potential twist that people get so curious about that they MUST read the post. It's a use of a cliff hanger similar to how a TV show ends with a line or scene that leaves you hanging and seething to watch more.
Free LinkedIn Hook Resources & More
Now that you understand the basics of hook creation for each post archetype, we have more free resources waiting for you to check out that may be helpful:
On the other hand, if you are interested in posting more LinkedIn content and optimizing your profile to increase your leads, investment opportunities, business partnerships and much more, we are here to take care of the entire process for you!
Reach out to us today to see how we can increase your professional community engagement!
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