Hook, line, and sinker (No Tessa Bailey reference intended)

 

You’ve probably heard some variation of the statement, “Your worth is not measured in likes and comments.” And that is absolutely true. But when you are trying to grow a platform, market your books, or monetize your account, Instagram engagement, such as likes and comments, makes a huge difference.

 

Engagement on Instagram is always a hot topic because it does matter and the methods of increasing that engagement tend to change a bit with each update Meta makes. (Don’t you just looooove change? Yeah, me neither.) 

 

So, let’s jump into one of the quickest and most effective (even with the new Meta update) ways to boost your Instagram engagement.

 

Three Seconds To Hook Your Audience

 

Picture this with me: You’re sitting at a coffee shop sipping your beverage of choice and nibbling on that sweet treat (because you deserve it). You pull out your phone and begin the scroll. 

 

About five minutes later you realize you’ve looked at a whole lot of content but haven’t really seen any of it. Nothing has tugged on your attention enough to get you to slow down, read, or engage. 

 

Sound familiar? (raising my hand over here) That’s because a content creator’s biggest competitor and challenge is the human attention span (and what a fickle thing it is).

 

Did you know that you only have about 3 seconds to capture someone’s attention on Instagram? And with the endless stream of curated content your audience has at their fingertips, learning how to stand out is a top priority. It is harder to stand out than ever before (sigh). But it is possible.

 

One of the best ways to do that is with a strong hook that stops doom scrollers in their tracks. Your hook is the copy (words) you use in the first few seconds of your Instagram reels or stories. Don’t get me wrong, visual hooks are equally important, but I’ll get to that in another blog.

 

Curiosity Killed The Scroll

 

Let’s venture back into our hypothetical scenario (how is that pastry treating you?). This time, your eyes catch on a short sentence at the beginning of a reel that piques your curiosity. So you stop scrolling and read the caption. 

 

Maybe you end up with a new book to add to your TBR (or start reading today). Maybe you learn something about one of your favorite creators that inspires you to go after your dream. Or maybe you find a solution that speaks to a problem you’ve been facing.

 

You’re much more likely to engage with that content, aren’t you? It’s easy to leave a like, write a quick comment, or even DM the creator when their content draws you in and then keeps you reading. 

 

Don’t you just love the connection you feel in these situations? 

 

Solid hooks not only grab attention but tug on that innate human desire for deep connection. People want to feel understood, part of something, seen, and accepted. 

 

So really, you can think of a good hook as a gateway to connection and community on social media.

 

When writing hooks, use attention grabbing statements, promises that you pay out in the caption or later in the reel, the beginning of a story that continues in the caption, or even a question that your audience can relate to. 

 

Have I mentioned it’s key to know your target audience inside and out? This is especially true when writing hooks. This blog post dives deeper into identifying and attracting your target audience. 

 

It’s important to remember, though, that while you want to grab attention, you don’t want your hooks to feel like “clickbait”. (No one hates clickbait more than me.) Instead, think… pain points, storytelling, asking a question, or sharing a personal story or experience. 

 

Start With These Hook Templates

 

You might be thinking, “But where do I start? I have a hard time writing hooks!” These hook templates are ready for you to customize and make your own.

 

• “Convincing you to read a book based off one quote” (show the quote)

 

• “That moment when… (Insert specific trope)” + Film your reaction or show the book quote

 

• “I stayed up until 2 am reading…”

 

• “When you are reading ___ and hear this song from TTPD in your head” (have song playing over reel)

 

• “When you open a book, and this is the dedication”

 

• “Books that made me sob” 

 

• “That moment you finish an emotionally damaging book….”

 

• “When (s)he/they goes from ____ to _____”

 

The Attention Grabbing Power Of Storytelling 

 

It’s time to channel the power of storytelling into your social media hooks (and copy in general, but this blog is about hooks…).

 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… 2024 is the year of sharing your personal experiences over your top five tips, being less polished and more authentic, giving people a window into your world over telling them why they should care. 

 

Let me show you what I mean with these examples of storytelling reel hooks:

 

• “Read this enemies to lovers book” VS “When he went from trying to kill her to telling her he’d burn the world down for her”

 

• “3 tips to write a great book” VS “How I was able to quit my 9-5 and write love stories for a living”

 

• “Open up my book mail with me” VS “I screamed when I saw this at my doorstep”

 

Can you feel the difference? Did the storytelling hooks make you want to read the caption to find out more? 

 

Quality Content is Queen

 

Don’t forget that at the end of the day, the quality of your content and the value it provides has to live up to the promises you make with your beautifully crafted hooks. While a solid hook attracts attention, it’s up to the rest of the content (copy, images, graphics, videos, audio…) to hold it.

 

This may mean that you add a secondary hook to your reel a few seconds in. But for the most part it means that whatever promise you make with your hook, the rest of that piece of content delivers in a way that leaves your audience feeling satisfied. 

 

For a hook that says, “How I was able to quit my 9-5 and write love stories for a living,” you’ll need to follow up with your story and examples of how others can benefit from that knowledge by applying it to their own situations.

 

If your hook promises emotionally damaging book recs, deliver a solid list of books that wrecked you. Talk about your reactions or give some tropes (spoiler free, of course). 

 

Bonus: DM Automation

 

If you want to boost engagement even more, consider using DM automation. Creators are not using it because it is trendy but because it is statistically proven to increase engagement in the form of comments and DMs. 

 

The more comments, the more it signals to the algorithm to push out your content to more people. The more people are DMing you, the more connected they feel to you. DM automation is also one of the biggest ways to drive sales in 2024.

 

The “comment ____ for ____” format” using a DM automation that is hooked to a keyword, doubles as both a hook and a CTA (call to action). This type of hook allows you to pull your audience deeper and offer them value. I personally use Manychat for my DM automation posts.

 

I recently posted “comment dragon for a list of titles and where to get them.” The response was a large increase in that reel’s engagement, pushing the reel out to more people and increasing its views. 

 

The best part was that it got some A-MAH-ZING enemies to lovers, dragon, romantasy books out to the readers who have been searching for them. AND it boosted sales for many of the authors on the list because I made it as easy as humanly possible for people to *add to cart*.

 

Just be sure not to overuse DM automations, because, like with all of our hooks and content, the goal is to avoid becoming background noise in the scroll. 

 

Ok, my friend, it’s time to get out there and stop the scroll. What you have to say is worth it, and your audience is waiting. 

 

If you are ready to take a deep dive into stopping the scroll with engaging reel hooks, building a brand that stands out in your niche, monetizing your account, creating a connected bookish community, and so much more, I designed Bookstagram 101 with you in mind. Tap here to find out how becoming a B101 member can help you meet (and exceed) your bookstagram goals.