thread_hooks_craft v1.0.0

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.