---
name: hook
description: Generate high-retention content hooks using tri-modal engineering (Visual + Audio + Text) across 10 dimensions — from research-backed wisdom to frontier science to comedic timing. State-of-art 2026 hook psychology for creators who respect their audience's intelligence. Use when creating video intros, social content, article hooks, or any attention capture.
---

# Hook Engineering v2.0

Generate compelling content hooks across **10 dimensions** using tri-modal engineering (Visual + Audio + Text). State-of-art 2026 approaches combining cognitive science, narrative theory, and platform psychology.

---

## Core Philosophy

**Intelligence Over Manipulation:**

| AVOID | EMBRACE |
|-------|---------|
| Fear, shame, FOMO | Curiosity, wonder, adventure |
| "Stop doing X" | "The frontier where..." |
| Empty clickbait | Earned intrigue |
| Manufactured urgency | Genuine discovery |

**The Test:** Does this hook invite exploration or exploit anxiety?

---

## The Tri-Modal Framework

Every hook synchronizes three attention channels:

```
HOOK = [VISUAL] × [AUDIO] × [TEXT]
         ↓           ↓          ↓
    Pattern      Emotional   Curiosity
    Interrupt    Resonance   Architecture
```

**2026 Enhancement:** Add **cognitive load balancing** — ensure one channel leads while others support, never three competing elements.

---

## 10 Hook Dimensions

### FOUNDATION TIER (Credibility)

#### 1. Research-Backed (Science)
Ground hooks in published research, data patterns, or expert consensus.

**Formula:** `[Institution/Researcher] [discovered/found] [surprising finding]`

**Examples:**
- "MIT's AI lab found the pattern that predicts creative breakthroughs."
- "After analyzing 50,000 decisions, one cognitive bias appeared in 94%."
- "Neuroscience just explained why your best ideas come in the shower."

**Best For:** Educational content, professional audiences, building authority.

---

#### 2. First Principles (Pattern Recognition)
Reveal the underlying architecture that explains surface phenomena.

**Formula:** `The [fundamental structure] behind [observable thing]`

**Examples:**
- "Every viral idea shares this same architecture."
- "Strip away the noise: mastery reduces to one feedback loop."
- "The physics of compound growth most people never visualize."

**Best For:** Systems thinkers, strategic content, those tired of surface advice.

---

#### 3. Wisdom Transfer (Masters & Mentors)
Share insights from proven practitioners with earned credibility.

**Formula:** `What [expert] understood about [topic] that [most miss]`

**Examples:**
- "What chess grandmasters know about decision-making under pressure."
- "The counterintuitive advice every experienced founder eventually gives."
- "After 10,000 hours, here's what actually matters."

**Best For:** Mentorship content, trust-building, experience-based audiences.

---

### EXPANSION TIER (Engagement)

#### 4. Counter-Intuitive (Reframes)
Present a perspective shift that makes the familiar strange.

**Formula:** `[Common belief] misses [deeper truth]`

**Examples:**
- "The most productive people don't use productivity systems."
- "Motivation is actually the enemy of consistency."
- "Why your biggest strength is probably your biggest blindspot."

**Best For:** Thought leadership, viral potential, challenging audiences.

---

#### 5. Transformation (Journey)
Open with the pivot point of a meaningful change.

**Formula:** `The [moment/catalyst] that [shifted everything]`

**Examples:**
- "The three-word question that restructured my entire approach."
- "What I unlearned after a decade in the industry."
- "The day I stopped optimizing and started building."

**Best For:** Personal brand, trust-building, deeper engagement.

---

#### 6. Adventure (Exploration Call)
Invite the audience into an unfolding journey or discovery.

**Formula:** `[Action verb] into [unexplored territory] where [intriguing possibility]`

**Examples:**
- "Let's trace the path where ancient wisdom meets machine learning."
- "Follow this thread into the mathematics of beauty."
- "Venture with me into the architecture of extraordinary teams."

**Best For:** Documentaries, long-form, audience who loves the journey.

**Emotional Core:** Wonder, anticipation, shared discovery.

---

#### 7. Humor (Pattern Disruption)
Use comedic timing, absurdity, or wit to create memorable hooks.

**Formula:** `[Setup expectation] → [Subvert with truth/absurdity]`

**Examples:**
- "I asked GPT-5 for life advice. It told me to touch grass. Fair."
- "The productivity hack that changed my life: lowering my standards."
- "Scientists discovered why we procrastinate. We're still processing the findings."

**Best For:** Relatability, virality, humanizing expertise.

**Comedic Techniques:**
- **Subverted expectations** — Setup leads one way, punchline pivots
- **Self-deprecation** — Humanizes the creator
- **Absurdist precision** — Specific details make absurdity land
- **Callback potential** — Humor that rewards attention

---

### FRONTIER TIER (Vision)

#### 8. Visionary (Future Architecture)
Paint a compelling picture of emerging possibilities.

**Formula:** `[Emerging pattern] is reshaping [domain] — here's [the architecture]`

**Examples:**
- "The infrastructure being built right now will define the next decade."
- "What the next generation of creators will take for granted."
- "The shift happening beneath the surface of every industry."

**Best For:** Thought leadership, forward-thinking audiences, inspiration.

**Visionary Techniques:**
- **Pattern extrapolation** — Connect dots others haven't
- **Inevitability framing** — "Not if, but when and how"
- **Agency invitation** — Position audience as builders, not spectators

---

#### 9. Frontier Science (Quantum / Space / Deep Systems)
Hook with cutting-edge science that reveals fundamental truths.

**Formula:** `[Scientific frontier] reveals [unexpected insight about reality/ourselves]`

**Examples:**
- "Quantum mechanics suggests your decisions create parallel versions of you."
- "What black holes teach us about information and memory."
- "The mathematics of emergence: how simple rules create infinite complexity."
- "Cosmology's answer to why anything exists at all."
- "The observer effect isn't just physics — it's psychology."

**Best For:** Intellectually curious audiences, wonder-seekers, deep thinkers.

**Science Domains:**
- **Quantum mechanics** — Observer effects, superposition, entanglement
- **Cosmology** — Origins, scale, cosmic perspective
- **Complexity theory** — Emergence, self-organization, networks
- **Neuroscience** — Consciousness, perception, decision-making
- **Information theory** — Entropy, computation, reality as information

**Integrity Note:** Ground in actual science, not pseudoscience. Link to real research.

---

#### 10. Exploration (Unknown Territories)
Invite deep dives into uncharted conceptual or physical spaces.

**Formula:** `Beyond [known boundary] lies [territory worth exploring]`

**Examples:**
- "Past the edge of the observable universe, physics gets weird."
- "Below the surface of expertise lies the territory of intuition."
- "Inside the gap between stimulus and response is everything."
- "What lies in the space between knowing and understanding."

**Best For:** Philosophical content, depth-seekers, contemplative audiences.

**Exploration Techniques:**
- **Liminal spaces** — Thresholds, transitions, in-between states
- **Scale shifts** — Zoom in or out to reveal hidden patterns
- **Boundary questioning** — Challenge assumed limits

---

## 2026 State-of-Art Techniques

### Cognitive Load Optimization
Modern hooks balance three loads:
1. **Intrinsic** — Complexity of the idea itself
2. **Extraneous** — Noise from presentation
3. **Germane** — Productive processing toward understanding

**Principle:** Reduce extraneous, match intrinsic to audience, maximize germane.

### Attention Wavelength Matching
Different platforms have different attention "frequencies":
- **TikTok:** 0.5-2s hook window, high energy required
- **YouTube:** 3-10s hook window, can build
- **LinkedIn:** 1-2 sentence hook, professional framing
- **Twitter/X:** Single line hook, thread promise
- **Podcast:** Voice modulation in first 15s

### Dopamine Architecture
2026 understanding: Dopamine isn't about pleasure, it's about **anticipated reward**.

**Application:** Hooks should create anticipation of insight, not just promise it.

### Pattern Interrupt Calculus
The brain filters ~99% of input. To break through:
1. **Novelty** — Something unexpected
2. **Relevance** — Connected to existing mental models
3. **Tension** — Gap between current and desired state

**Best hooks hit all three.**

---

## Output Format

When generating hooks, produce concepts using this structure:

```
### Concept [Number]: [Working Title]
**Dimension:** [Research | First Principles | Wisdom | Counter-Intuitive |
               Transformation | Adventure | Humor | Visionary | Frontier Science | Exploration]
**Target Emotion:** [Curiosity | Recognition | Wonder | Insight | Validation |
                    Amusement | Anticipation | Awe]

- **Visual Hook:** [Precise direction]
- **Audio Hook:** [Soundscape description]
- **Text Hook:** [Exact words, under 12]

**Why It Works:** [Psychology/principle]
**Platform Fit:** [Best platforms]
```

---

## Quick Reference: Dimension Selection

| If the topic involves... | Use Dimension |
|-------------------------|---------------|
| Data, studies, research | Research-Backed |
| Systems, architecture, fundamentals | First Principles |
| Expert insight, experience | Wisdom Transfer |
| Challenging common belief | Counter-Intuitive |
| Personal journey, pivot | Transformation |
| Unfolding discovery | Adventure |
| Relatable absurdity | Humor |
| Future trends, emergence | Visionary |
| Physics, cosmos, deep science | Frontier Science |
| Unknown territories, depth | Exploration |

---

## Anti-Patterns (Never Use)

| Pattern | Problem | Alternative |
|---------|---------|-------------|
| "Stop doing X" | Shame-based | "Consider instead..." |
| "You won't believe" | Empty promise | State the insight |
| Fear/anxiety triggers | Manipulation | Wonder/curiosity |
| Fake urgency | Exploitation | Genuine relevance |
| Vague mysticism | Pseudo-depth | Grounded exploration |

---

## Quality Checklist

- [ ] **Integrity** — Invites exploration, not exploits anxiety?
- [ ] **Value** — Genuine insight promised?
- [ ] **Specificity** — Concrete, not vague?
- [ ] **Dimension Fit** — Right category for content?
- [ ] **Tri-Modal Sync** — Channels complement, not compete?
- [ ] **Platform Match** — Optimized for target platform?
- [ ] **Actionable** — Creator can execute this?

---

## References

- `hooks/templates/` — 10 dimension-specific templates
- `hooks/examples/` — Production-ready hooks
- `hooks/prompts/` — Reusable Claude prompts
- External: frankx.ai/hooks

---

**Skill Version:** 2.0.0
**Updated:** February 2026
**Philosophy:** Intelligence over manipulation. Wonder over anxiety. Exploration over exploitation.
