About hook-battery
hook-battery is a skill for marketing copywriters that generates opening hooks for ads, emails, landing pages, and videos from product and audience details. It organizes ideas into five psychological trigger categories and checks for specificity and mobile-friendly length.
Key features
- 01Generate hooks in five trigger categories
- 02Provide two hooks per category
- 03Use product mechanisms and audience language
- 04Check specificity and mobile-screen length
- 05Support three copy tones
Use cases
- 01Draft opening lines for product ads
- 02Create opening hooks for marketing emails
- 03Develop landing-page or video openings
- 04Explore angles based on audience pain points
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ coleschaffer/ copywritingskills-rmbc --skill hook-batteryAfter installing, type/hook-batteryin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEhook-battery
Purpose
Generate 10 hooks (2 per type) across 5 psychological trigger categories. A hook is the FIRST thing a prospect sees — the opening line of an ad, email, landing page, or video. It determines whether they engage or scroll past. Stefan's standard: if a hook could apply to any product, it's too generic. Every hook must be specific to the product, reference its mechanism when possible, and work in 1-2 lines on a mobile screen.
Inputs
| Input | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
product_description | Yes | What the product is, what it does, key features/ingredients/components |
target_audience | Yes | Who the prospect is — demographics, pain points, desires, sophistication level |
key_mechanism | No | The product's unique mechanism (output from /mechanism-ideation) |
key_result | No | The specific transformation or outcome the product delivers |
tone | No | One of: aggressive, conversational, professional (default: conversational) |
Execution Protocol
Step 1 — Load Framework Context
Read rmbc-context/SKILL.md for framework overview. Hooks sit at the top of the copy funnel — they must earn the next line of reading.
Step 2 — Extract Hook Fuel
From inputs, identify:
- Specific numbers — stats, timeframes, dollar amounts, percentages
- Mechanism language — named processes, compounds, or systems to reference
- Audience pain language — exact words the prospect uses to describe their problem
- Desire language — exact words the prospect uses to describe their ideal outcome
- Contrarian angles — common advice in this space that can be challenged
Step 3 — Generate 10 Hooks (2 Per Type)
Curiosity (×2)
Pattern: Open a knowledge gap the reader must close.
- "The weird trick that..." / "Why [unexpected thing] works better than..."
- Must promise a specific revelation, not vague intrigue
Fear (×2)
Pattern: Surface a cost or danger the reader hasn't considered.
- "Are you making this [specific cost] mistake?" / "The hidden danger in..."
- Must name a real, specific threat — not manufactured anxiety
Desire (×2)
Pattern: Paint the outcome so vividly the reader self-selects.
- "How to [specific outcome] in [timeframe]" / "What if you could..."
- Must include at least one concrete detail (number, timeframe, or named result)
Social Proof (×2)
Pattern: Leverage credibility or crowd behavior.
- "[X] people already..." / "The method [credible person/group] uses to..."
- Must reference a real or plausible proof point — never fabricate
Contrarian (×2)
Pattern: Challenge conventional wisdom to stop the scroll.
- "Stop [common advice]" / "Everything you know about [topic] is wrong"
- Must target advice the audience has actually heard and believed
Step 4 — Validate Each Hook
For every hook, check:
- Specificity — Could this apply to a different product? If yes, rewrite.
- Mobile fit — Does it work in 1-2 lines on a phone screen? If no, shorten.
- Mechanism tie-in — Does it reference the product's mechanism (when provided)? Prefer hooks that do.
- Scroll-stop power — Would this make YOU stop scrolling? Be honest.
Output Format
## Hook Battery: [Product Name]
**Audience:** [target audience summary]
**Mechanism:** [key mechanism, if provided]
**Tone:** [aggressive | conversational | professional]
---
| # | Hook Type | Hook Text | Why It Works | Platform Fit |
|---|-----------|-----------|-------------|-------------|
| 1 | Curiosity | [hook] | [1 line] | Meta / Native / Email / YouTube |
| 2 | Curiosity | [hook] | [1 line] | Meta / Native / Email / YouTube |
| 3 | Fear | [hook] | [1 line] | Meta / Native / Email / YouTube |
| 4 | Fear | [hook] | [1 line] | Meta / Native / Email / YouTube |
| 5 | Desire | [hook] | [1 line] | Meta / Native / Email / YouTube |
| 6 | Desire | [hook] | [1 line] | Meta / Native / Email / YouTube |
| 7 | Social Proof | [hook] | [1 line] | Meta / Native / Email / YouTube |
| 8 | Social Proof | [hook] | [1 line] | Meta / Native / Email / YouTube |
| 9 | Contrarian | [hook] | [1 line] | Meta / Native / Email / YouTube |
| 10 | Contrarian | [hook] | [1 line] | Meta / Native / Email / YouTube |
---
## Top 3 Picks
1. **Hook #X** — [why this is the strongest] — Best for: [platform]
2. **Hook #X** — [why] — Best for: [platform]
3. **Hook #X** — [why] — Best for: [platform]
## Testing Notes
[1-2 lines on which hooks to A/B test first and why]
Quality Criteria
-
Every hook must name something specific — no "improve your life" or "get better results"
-
At least 4 of 10 hooks should reference the product's mechanism (when provided)
-
Platform Fit must vary — not all hooks suit all platforms
-
Hooks must be mobile-first: 1-2 lines max on a phone screen
-
Each "Why It Works" must name the psychological lever, not restate the hook
-
Specificity gate: Every hook must include a number, name, or timeframe — no "improve your life" or "get better results"
-
Mechanism quantification: When referencing the mechanism, include at least one specific data point (number, timeframe, study reference)
-
Audience journey: Hooks must reference where the reader IS (what they've tried, what's failing) — not just who they are demographically
-
Proof diversity: Use at least 2 different proof types (testimonial, statistical, authority, case study) — do not rely on a single proof mode
-
Objection handling: Hooks must address at least 2 likely objections with concrete responses (ROI math, proof of similar result, risk reversal)
Related Skills
- Run
/mechanism-ideationfirst for mechanism-driven hooks - Run
/unified-research-synthesizerfor audience language patterns - Feed hooks into copy formats:
/pdp-ecomm-template,/webinar-registration-copy - Validate copy using these hooks with
/rmbc-copy-audit
Attribution
Generated using RMBC framework by Stefan Georgi. Learn more: copyaccelerator.com/join