How do I install the Hook Writer skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add gabrielmoreira/hook-writer in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Hook Writer safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Hook Writer?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Hook Writer free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Hook Writer?

gabrielmoreira (@gabrielmoreira) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Hook Writer by gabrielmoreira — Agent Skill

Name: Hook Writer
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: gabrielmoreira

Hook Writer

Generate scroll-stopping hooks — the first line of a post, thread, video, or email that decides whether anyone keeps reading. Use when asked to write a hook, an opener, a first line, a thread starter, a video cold-open, or to make something more clickable. Produces multiple distinct hook options across proven angles (curiosity, contrarian, result, story, stakes), each labelled with why it works and which platform it fits.

gabrielmoreira Updated Sep 9, 2026 17 repo stars

File contents

Hook Writer Skill

The hook is 80% of the result. A brilliant post with a flat first line dies; a mediocre post with a great hook travels. This skill writes hooks the way top creators do — multiple angles, each engineered to stop the scroll — so you can pick the one that fits.

Working from a brief

Given just a topic or a finished piece, generate the hooks anyway. Infer the audience and the payoff, and never return a single safe option — the value is in the range. Mark any invented number (assumed — use a real one) because specific numbers are part of what makes hooks land.

Required Inputs

Ask for (if not already provided):

The topic / the content the hook is for
Platform & format (X, LinkedIn, YouTube title, Reel cold-open, email subject)
Audience and the payoff (what they get if they keep reading)

Output Format

Give 8–12 hooks grouped by angle, each with a one-line why it works and the format it suits:

Curiosity gap — open a loop the reader needs closed
Contrarian / pattern-break — challenge a common belief
Specific result — a concrete, numeric outcome
Story / in-media-res — drop them into a moment
High stakes / cost of inaction — what they lose by ignoring it
Listicle / promise — a clear, scannable payoff
Question — a sharp, non-obvious question (used sparingly)

Then:

🏆 Top 3 picks — the strongest for the stated platform, ranked, with why.
Hook teardown — one line on the mechanism the best hook uses, so the user can write their own next time.

Keep each hook in the platform's natural length (a YouTube title ≤60 chars; an email subject ≤50; a Reel cold-open speakable in 2–3s).

Quality Checks

Multiple genuinely different angles, not variations of one line
Each hook is specific (names, numbers, stakes), not vague
Top picks match the platform's length and norms
No clickbait that the content can't pay off — the hook must be honest
The teardown gives a reusable mechanism

Anti-Patterns

"Here's everything you need to know about X" (zero tension)
Ten rewrites of the same hook
Clickbait the body betrays (kills trust + reach long-term)
Hooks too long for the platform (a 90-char YouTube title, a 3-line "first line")

---name: hook-writerdescription: Generate scroll-stopping hooks — the first line of a post, thread, video, or email that decides whether anyone keeps reading. Use when asked to write a hook, an opener, a first line, a thread starter, a video cold-open, or to make something more clickable. Produces multiple distinct hook options across proven angles (curiosity, contrarian, result, story, stakes), each labelled with why it works and which platform it fits.--- # Hook Writer Skill The hook is 80% of the result. A brilliant post with a flat first line dies; a mediocre post with a great hook travels. This skill writes hooks the way top creators do — multiple angles, each engineered to stop the scroll — so you can pick the one that fits. ## Working from a brief Given just a topic or a finished piece, **generate the hooks anyway**. Infer the audience and the payoff, and never return a single safe option — the value is in the *range*. Mark any invented number *(assumed — use a real one)* because specific numbers are part of what makes hooks land. ## Required Inputs Ask for (if not already provided): - **The topic / the content** the hook is for - **Platform & format** (X, LinkedIn, YouTube title, Reel cold-open, email subject) - **Audience** and the **payoff** (what they get if they keep reading) ## Output Format Give **8–12 hooks grouped by angle**, each with a one-line *why it works* and the format it suits: - **Curiosity gap** — open a loop the reader needs closed - **Contrarian / pattern-break** — challenge a common belief - **Specific result** — a concrete, numeric outcome - **Story / in-media-res** — drop them into a moment - **High stakes / cost of inaction** — what they lose by ignoring it - **Listicle / promise** — a clear, scannable payoff - **Question** — a sharp, non-obvious question (used sparingly) Then: - **🏆 Top 3 picks** — the strongest for the stated platform, ranked, with why. - **Hook teardown** — one line on the *mechanism* the best hook uses, so the user can write their own next time. Keep each hook in the platform's natural length (a YouTube title ≤60 chars; an email subject ≤50; a Reel cold-open speakable in 2–3s). ## Quality Checks - [ ] Multiple genuinely different angles, not variations of one line - [ ] Each hook is specific (names, numbers, stakes), not vague - [ ] Top picks match the platform's length and norms - [ ] No clickbait that the content can't pay off — the hook must be honest - [ ] The teardown gives a reusable mechanism ## Anti-Patterns - "Here's everything you need to know about X" (zero tension) - Ten rewrites of the same hook - Clickbait the body betrays (kills trust + reach long-term) - Hooks too long for the platform (a 90-char YouTube title, a 3-line "first line")

Frequently asked questions