The unused feature
We spent {time} building {thing}. Nobody used it. Here's the question we should have asked first.
All templates
Free templates
60 LinkedIn hooks that earn the 'see more' click.
The first line decides whether anyone reads the rest. These hooks make one specific promise each, grouped by the kind of post you're writing. Fill in the braces with something that really happened.
60 hooks10 post typesUpdated October 2026
The short answer
A good LinkedIn hook is one line that makes a specific promise the post keeps: a result, a mistake, a number, a surprising opinion or the start of a story. It names something concrete, it's short enough to read before 'see more', and it doesn't oversell. The best hooks come from something that actually happened, not a formula.
- Make a specific promise. "We lost our biggest customer" beats "Some thoughts on customer success".
- Keep the promise. If the post doesn't deliver what the hook offers, people stop clicking your hooks.
- Front-load the interesting part. LinkedIn shows only the first two or three lines before 'see more'.
- Use real details. Numbers, names of things, timeframes. Vague hooks read as filler.
- Skip the bait. "You won't believe…" and "Nobody talks about this…" wear out fast and cost trust.
The 60 hooks
Replace everything in {braces}. Use them as they are, or as a starting point in your own voice.
Lessons
The near-cancellation
The most useful thing I learned this quarter came from a customer who almost cancelled.
Changed my mind
I used to think {common belief}. Then {event} happened.
The repeat lesson
{Number} years of {job}, and the lesson I keep relearning is {lesson}.
Ignored advice
The advice I ignored for {time} turned out to be right.
Unexpected fix
One change cut our {metric} in half. It wasn't the one we expected.
Mistakes
Cost us money
I cost us {amount} last {month}. Here's exactly how.
The bad hire
Our worst hire taught me more than our best one.
Lost customer
We lost our biggest customer. The reason wasn't price.
The wrong yes
I said yes to a deal I should have walked away from.
First-year mistake
The mistake every {role} makes in their first year. I made it for three.
Too early
We launched {feature} too early. Here's what I'd do instead.
Numbers and results
Outreach result
{Number} calls booked from {number} LinkedIn messages. Here's the message.
Growth without a team
We grew from {x} to {y} customers without a sales team.
Reply rate change
Our reply rate went from {x}% to {y}% after one change.
Monthly numbers
{Month} in numbers: {metric}, {metric}, {metric}.
Proposals
{Number} proposals sent. {Number} signed. What separated them.
First customers
Our first {number} customers took {time}. The next {number} took {time}.
Contrarian takes
Wrong for small teams
Unpopular opinion: {common advice} is wrong for small teams.
Stop doing it
Stop {common practice}. It's costing you {result}.
Data says otherwise
Everyone says {claim}. Our data says otherwise.
Overrated
{Popular tool or tactic} is overrated for teams under {number}.
You don't need it
You don't need {thing everyone buys} to {goal}.
Rule breakers
The best {role}s I know break this rule all the time.
Story openers
The phone call
A customer called me at {time} on a {day}. What she said changed our roadmap.
Then and now
{Time} ago I {situation}. Today {contrast}.
The short email
The email that saved our biggest deal was four lines long.
Almost didn't send
I almost didn't send this message.
The polite no
Last week a prospect said no in the nicest way possible. Then I asked one more question.
By accident
Our first customer found us by accident.
Questions
Stop doing
What's one thing you'd stop doing if you had a {role}?
How do you
How do you {task} without {pain}? Here's how we do it, but I'd like to hear yours.
Would you rather
Would you rather {option A} or {option B}? I changed my answer this year.
Still worth it
Is {common practice} still worth it in 2026?
Worst advice
What's the worst {topic} advice you've been given?
What you check first
When you read a {proposal, profile or pitch}, what do you check first?
Behind the scenes
How we run it
Here's exactly how our {number}-person team runs {process}.
A normal Monday
What a normal Monday looks like at a {stage} startup.
No department
We don't have a {department}. Here's what we do instead.
Cut tools
The tools we stopped paying for this year, and why.
What to build
How we decide what to build next. It's simpler than it sounds.
Short meeting
Our weekly meeting takes {minutes} minutes. Here's the agenda.
Customers and proof
Losing time
{Customer type}s lose {time} every week to {problem}.
The first-call question
The question every {customer type} asks us on the first call.
Why they switched
Why {customer} switched from {old approach} after {time}.
Hardest part
A {role} told me the hardest part of their job is {problem}. They're not alone.
What many taught us
What {number} {customer type}s taught us about {topic}.
Before and after
Before and after: {customer}'s {process}, one month apart.
How-tos and lists
Step by step
How to {outcome} in {time}, step by step.
Wish I'd known
{Number} things I wish I'd known before {milestone}.
Small habit
The {number}-minute habit that {result}.
Framework
A simple way to decide {decision}.
Questions to ask
{Number} questions to ask before you {action}.
Our checklist
The checklist we use every time we {task}.
Launches and announcements
Not any more
For {time}, {customer type}s had to {workaround}. Not any more.
Almost didn't ship
We just shipped {feature}. It almost didn't happen.
Milestone
{Milestone}. {Time} ago this was {earlier state}.
First hire
We're hiring our first {role}. Here's what the job actually involves.
Who it's for
Today we're launching {product}. Here's who it's for, and who it isn't.
Pricing change
We changed our pricing. Here's why, and what it means for you.
From hook to post
A hook only works if the post delivers. Our 12 LinkedIn post templates give you the structure for the rest: the story in short lines, the takeaway and a closing question. For the founder routine behind it, see LinkedIn personal branding for founders.
Or let Siela write the posts
Siela AI's AI social media manager writes LinkedIn posts in your voice from what happened this week, at the pace you set. Choose show me every post first, and nothing is published until you say so.
You
You 9:41
Turn this week's customer call into a post.
LinkedIn Presence 9:41
Drafted it in your voice with the hook 'The question every agency owner asks us on the first call'. It's set for Wednesday, and your setting is show me every post first.
LinkedIn Presence needs your approval
Post to LinkedIn
HookThe question every agency owner asks us on the first call
WhenWednesday, 09:00
AlsoReplies to comments that matter
Questions
What is a hook on LinkedIn?
The first line or two of a post, shown before 'see more'. Its job is to make a specific promise that gets the right people to read the rest.
How long should a LinkedIn hook be?
One short sentence, two at most. LinkedIn shows only the first two or three lines before 'see more', so the interesting part has to come first.
What makes a LinkedIn hook work?
Specifics. A real number, a named mistake, a concrete result or a clear opinion. Generic or bait-style hooks get fewer clicks over time.
Should every LinkedIn post have a hook?
Every post has a first line, so yes. It doesn't need to be dramatic; it needs to tell the right reader why this post is for them.
Can Siela write my LinkedIn posts?
Yes. LinkedIn Presence writes posts in your voice, publishes them at the pace you set and replies to comments. You choose whether each post waits for your approval.
Hooks are the easy part.
Siela writes the whole post in your voice, publishes it at the right time and replies to comments on it, the way you set it up.