---
name: thread-hooks-craft
description: Write opening lines that stop scrollers on X, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn. Pattern library of hook types, the specificity rule, first-line checklists, and variant testing. Triggers when asked to write a thread opener, improve a post's first line, or brainstorm hook options.
---

# Thread Hooks Craft

## Purpose

The first line decides whether anything after it gets read. This skill turns a topic into a short list of tested opening-line patterns, each adapted to the platform's mechanics, then helps you pick the strongest and test it. Use it for thread openers, single posts, and LinkedIn articles alike. A hook is a sentence, not a trick.

## Workflow

### 1. Gather the raw material

Before drafting anything, get these from the user or the brief:

- **Topic** in one sentence: what is this actually about?
- **Reader**: who should stop scrolling? Name them.
- **Promise**: what does the reader get if they keep reading? A method, a number, a story, a change of mind.
- **Specifics**: the real numbers, timeframes, names, and details. Vague topics get vague hooks, so push for these.
- **Platform**: X, Threads, Bluesky, or LinkedIn. Each one truncates differently, which changes what "the first line" even is.

If the user only gives a topic, draft from it and note the assumptions. Do not stall for perfect inputs.

### 2. Pick the patterns

Choose 2 to 4 patterns from the library (`references/hook-pattern-library.md`) that fit the topic. The decision rules:

- **The reader gets value out of it** → Proof-First, Number+Benefit, How-To Value.
- **The topic contradicts common advice** → Contrarian, Tension.
- **There is a real story behind it** → Story Cold-Open, Before/After Confession.
- **The reader is stuck or making an error** → Pain-Point Mirror, Mistake Pattern.
- **You genuinely want discussion** → Real Question, Hot Observation.

Never pick more than four. Ten options are a menu, not help. Match the pattern family to the platform per the library notes.

### 3. Draft each hook to the checklist

Every candidate must pass before it is shown:

1. **One or two lines.** If the platform truncates, the hook must land fully above the fold. On LinkedIn, that means earning the "see more" click inside the first ~200 characters.
2. **Specific.** It names an exact number, timeframe, pain, or transformation. "I grew my audience" fails; "I went from 200 to 20,000 followers in 6 months" passes. This is the specificity rule, and it is the single highest-leverage rule in this skill.
3. **One promise.** The reader can say what they will know, feel, or do after reading. If the promise is blurry, the hook is blurry.
4. **Stands alone.** The hook must read as a complete post on its own, because most readers will never open the thread.
5. **No cheap signals.** No "A thread:" or "[1/N]" prefaces on X, no "You won't believe", no trailer narration. The hook is the content.
6. **Voice check.** Read it aloud. If it sounds like a growth-hacking blog wrote it, rewrite it in the user's voice. Kill AI-flavored words: delve, pivotal, landscape, foster, tapestry, game-changer, unlock, elevate, supercharge. One em dash per post, maximum.

### 4. Present and pick

Show the short list with one line of reasoning each: what pattern it uses and what job it does. Recommend one, and say why. Offer the rest as alternates.

### 5. Test variants without looking desperate

After posting, or while planning a series:

- Write 3 variants of the same idea, same day apart at most, same posting window.
- Compare saves, replies, and profile taps, not just likes. Saves signal bookmark value, replies signal conversation, taps signal the account earned curiosity.
- The winner becomes the starting shape for the next post. Iterate the wording, keep the pattern.
- Never repost the identical hook for the same piece within a week. Rotate variants across the variants bank.

## Output Contract

- Return 2 to 4 hook candidates, each a ready-to-post first line (or first two lines where the platform allows).
- Each candidate carries: the pattern name, one sentence of why it fits this topic, and any platform-specific notes (fold position, character count).
- Flag any hook that needed invented specifics with **[assumed]** next to it, so the user knows what to replace with real numbers.
- No commentary about the commentary. Short reasoning, then the lines.

## Operating Rules

1. **Specificity beats cleverness.** A boring specific line out-reads a brilliant vague one. Always.
2. **Curiosity gaps need payoff.** If the thread does not deliver what the hook promised, the reader remembers the account, not the thread. Never tease what is not there.
3. **One claim, one line.** Hooks that make three claims make none of them. Cut.
4. **Match the platform's mechanics.** LinkedIn earns "see more"; X and Threads hooks must fit in a glance; Bluesky skews toward direct, low-hype phrasing. See the library's platform notes.
5. **Voice is a constraint, not a decoration.** If the user writes bluntly, the hook is blunt. Calibrate to their register before drafting.
6. **Numbers need truth.** Use the user's real numbers or mark them **[assumed]**. Never invent stats, study results, or follower counts for someone else.