The first two lines of a LinkedIn post — about 210 characters — are all most people see. They decide whether the post is read at all. The LinkedIn Hook Generator writes ten two-line openers for one topic across five patterns, each sized to fit above the fold, with a note on what the third line should do.
This guide explains the five patterns, why the hooks are two lines rather than one, and how to choose two to test.
Five patterns
Result states what happened ("We cut onboarding from 14 days to 3."). Mistake admits one ("I hired for culture fit for six years. It was the wrong filter."). Contrarian challenges a belief your readers hold. Specific number promises the story behind a figure. Story open drops the reader into a moment. The report writes two of each and names who each one lands hardest with.
Two lines, not one
LinkedIn shows two lines, so a hook can use a setup and a turn: line one earns attention, line two earns the tap. "I got fired in March. / It was the best thing that happened to my career." Both lines stay under about 105 characters so nothing truncates. Each hook comes with what line three should do — start the payoff, add the proof or sharpen the promise.
Choosing the test
The report recommends the pattern that fits the topic and picks two hooks to test. Post them a week apart on the same day and time, with the same body, and keep the pattern that wins. Over twenty posts the winner is usually consistent for a given audience.
Tips
- Write the body first and paste it; the report writes sharper hooks when it knows the payoff.
- Plain language wins. If a hook needs a second read, it loses.
- Use the strongest runner-up hook as a comment on your own post two hours later to re-hook late readers.
Common mistakes
- Announcing — "Excited to share some thoughts on leadership" is not a hook. It is a delay.
- Hashtags or emojis in line one — They take characters from the only lines that matter.
- Promising more than the post delivers — The tap you earn becomes an unfollow.
Worked example
Input: Post about how most sales teams measure the wrong pipeline metric. Head of sales at a B2B SaaS.
What the report returned: Strongest (specific number): "Our pipeline was $4.2M. / $3.1M of it had been dead for 90 days." Line three: name the metric that would have shown it. Test against the mistake pattern: "I reported pipeline coverage for three years. / I was reporting a fiction."
Frequently asked questions
Do these work for comments?
Yes. Say "comment" and the patterns shift toward extending or countering the original post.
Should I use line breaks inside the hook?
One break between line one and line two. The report formats it that way.
Can it write hooks for a carousel post?
Yes — say "carousel" and the hooks promise what the slides deliver.