How Saving The Cat Can Help You Write Killer Hooks

Copywriting has become an essential part of modern-day marketing, and with the advent of A.I., subpar content creation has become widespread. From TikTok to Instagram, and Facebook to text messages, the new wave of marketing is ubiquitous. However, while trends may come and go, A.I. is here to stay.

Platforms like ChatGPT have made it effortless for anyone to create content, but solely relying on trendy prompts and fleeting trends is not a sustainable marketing strategy. Despite the paradigm shift by A.I., some timeless marketing principles have stood the test of time and will continue to do so.

The question remains: how can you differentiate yourself from the crowd and avoid sounding like a machine?

Save The Cat 

Copy is the backbone of every aspect of modern marketing, from website design to social media posts, text messages, and emails. Words have the power to move people and shape perceptions.

Recently, I came across a book called “Save The Cat” by Blake Snyder, which addresses the age-old question that we all seek to answer when creating and consuming content: “what’s in it for me?”.

With chatbots like GPT powered by vast amounts of data and predictive algorithms to create meaningful content, they have the ability to understand context and generate anything from poems to articles, coding, and even quantum physics.

However, A.I. still lacks the innate ability to create content with empathy and human connection, which is where you come in. If you can create content that educates, entertains, and inspires your audience creatively, you will stay ahead of the curve.

Furthermore, understanding these principles can also help you use A.I. to save time without sacrificing the human touch. 

So, how do you achieve this?

Consider these THREE things: 

1-What’s In It For Me? 

The first and most important thing to consider when creating content is, “What’s In It For Me?” If you cannot answer this question, it is unlikely that your audience will be interested in your content. 

We have too many options, with over 10,000 advertisements bombarding us daily from mediums such as T.V., radio, email, social media, and music. Even when scrolling through social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, it’s hard to avoid the constant stream of ads.

As social media platforms constantly evolve, creating content that people will want to follow wherever you go can be challenging. 

However, overcoming this challenge is possible by going against the trend and focusing on writing just one line. This one line is what screenwriters call the logline, and marketers call it the hook. It determines whether your content will convert or get lost in the crowd.

For instance, take the film “Goodfellas” by Martin Scorcese, a classic film about a group of Italian-American men growing up in the 1960s in New York. 

Scorcese understood the importance of creating an emotionally intriguing hook, evident in the trailer that keeps the audience emotionally involved and curious.

It’s worth noting that A.I. still needs to understand the concept of emotionally intriguing hooks, and many hooks created by A.I. will be clickbait. Clickbait may draw attention, but it does not provide value or context to your headlines and could mislead your audience to irrelevant content.

Instead, creating great hooks that draw attention and provide value and context to your headlines will help you stand out from the competition.

Let’s get into the remaining ways to grab attention. 

2- Audience And Cost 

Great job hooking your audience, but now your content must arouse curiosity by addressing your ideal customer directly and letting them know what to expect.

 Getting your audience to read or watch beyond the first few seconds is crucial to success. 

This morning I found a Buzzfeed headline this morning: “Meet the Mormon Mom Who Became a Viral TikToker.”

It’s brilliant because it speaks to a specific demographic while also intriguing everyone else to discover why she went viral.

Remember, if you can’t connect with your target audience, you won’t be able to stop the endless scroll.

3-Killer Call To Action: Clear Next Steps

Now that you’ve put in the effort, one of the final steps you MUST take is to ensure your content includes a clear call to action. This is the language you use to guide your audience on what to do after consuming your content.

It’s the knockout punch of a great piece of content. And regardless of who your audience is, you should always give them an explicit action to take.

Because the truth is, everything you do today is an opportunity to lead your audience, build trust, and create an opportunity for conversion.

Here’s an example of a non-sales ask: Did you find these (insert subject) tips helpful? Click the save button and leave a comment to let me know what else you want to learn.

And here’s an example of a harder ask: Ready to start creating content that converts? Comment “CONVERTS” below, and I’ll send you (insert offer).

Recap Of Save The Cat

In today’s world, attention is everything. Understanding your audience’s pain points and desires is crucial in answering the question “what’s in it for me?”

Your job as a marketer is to grab attention, hook them in, keep them engaged, and give them the next step.

Remember to always start with the question, “is this for me?” before creating killer hooks and content. So, save the cat by answering this question first, then creating the content second.

If you found this article helpful, please comment below so I can create more content to help you convert your audience.