Hook Rubric (score out of 10)

# Hook Rubric (score out of 10)

1. **Curiosity Gap (0–2)**

- 2: Opens with 2–4 escalating questions about a single pain → identity. Leaves a clear mystery (“Why X but not Y?”).
- 1: One question or mild tension.
- 0: States a fact; no tension.

1. **Identity First + Self-Discrepancy (0–2)**

- 2: Affirms who they are (“you’re a top operator…”) then reveals paradox (“…yet your own product stalls”).
- 1: Affirms or paradox but not both.
- 0: No identity framing.

1. **5 Connection Actions (0–3)**

   Give yourself 0–1 for each you include clearly (aim for ≥3):

- **Encourage Dreams:** name the Promised Land (asset, freedom, sale).
- **Justify Failures:** externalize (“service model trained you this way”).
- **Allay Fears:** low-risk path (“small, ugly first steps; won’t hurt client work”).
- **Confirm Suspicions:** validate a hunch (“planning feels productive but it’s a trap”).
- **Throw Rocks at Enemies:** define a safe villain (perfectionism, scope creep, feast-and-famine, “custom work treadmill,” vanity research).

1. **Status Borrowing (0–1)**

- 1: Quick prestige anchor (pro athletes, elite teams, named case study, “8–9 figure outcomes”).
- 0: None.

1. **Micro-Reward (0–1)**

- 1: Illicit/juicy phrasing (“steal the play,” “cheat code,” “swipe my vault”).
- 0: None.

1. **Clear Payoff (0–1)**

- 1: Specific promise + incentive to stay (“in 30 minutes you’ll get X; checklist at the end”).
- 0: Vague.

**Pass bar:** 7+/10. Kill or tweak anything <7.

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# Assembly Order (40–50s total)

1. **Question Cascade (8–12s):** 2–4 “Why…?” building from task → process → identity.
2. **Identity Flip (6–8s):** Compliment → paradox.
3. **Justify + Confirm (6–8s):** “It’s not you; the system/reflex trained you.” + name the trap.
4. **Throw Rocks (3–5s):** One crisp villain.
5. **Status Borrow (3–5s):** One line.
6. **Allay Fears (3–5s):** “Small, safe first steps.”
7. **Payoff + Micro-Reward (6–8s):** “In 30 minutes you’ll get **_; we’ll ‘steal’ _**; stay for the checklist.”

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# Line-Level Template (“Mad-Lib”)

**[Q1]** Why is it easy to **_, but _** never happens?

**[Q2]** Why does **_ feel productive, yet _** keeps slipping?

**[Q3 – identity]** And why, even as a **_ who _**, do you still \_\_\_?

**[Flip]** You’re not the problem — your **\_\_\_ reflex** trained by \_\_\_ is.

**[Confirm]** It rewards **\*, not , so you feel stuck.[Rocks] The real enemy is \*\*** (e.g., perfectionism / scope creep / “custom work treadmill”).[Status] The teams who win — **\*\*\*** / **[case study]** — drill **\_\_\_**.**[Allay]** You can do this with **tiny, low-risk reps** that protect your client work.**[Payoff + Reward]** In the next **30 minutes**, you’ll get the **Agency→SaaS playbook** to turn one repeatable win into recurring revenue — and we’ll **steal my checklist/case-study vault** at the end.

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# Phrase Banks (steal these)

- **Identity compliments:** “operator,” “rainmaker,” “battle-scarred founder,” “the one clients call when it’s on fire.”
- **Paradoxes:** “brilliant for clients / beginner for yourself,” “plans soar / starts stall.”
- **Villains:** scope creep, context-switching, feast-and-famine, “custom work treadmill.”, the agency business model
- **Status anchors:** “every pro athlete,” “elite product teams,” “Mailchimp/Basecamp play,” “8–9 figure outcomes.”
- **Micro-rewards:** “steal the play,” “use my swipe file,” “borrow the drill,” “pocket the cheat code.”
- **Payoffs:** “first 10 paying users,” “minimum effective version,” “one workflow → one product,” “checklist + case-study vault.”

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# Rhythm & Style Guardrails

- **Second-person:** 70–90% “you/your.”
- **Sentence length:** mostly 6–12 words; 1 punchy 3–5-word line.
- **Readability:** Grade 6. Zero jargon.
- **Time:** 110–140 words total (≈40–50s at 170–190 wpm).
- **No solutions early:** keep the core mechanic unnamed until payoff.

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# QA Before You Record

1. Do I open with at least **2 escalating “Why?”** questions?
2. Did I **affirm identity** and then reveal a **paradox**?
3. Did I **externalize blame** (justify) without absolving agency?
4. Did I **name one villain** crisply?
5. Is there **one status anchor**?
6. Is there a **micro-reward** phrase?
7. Is the **payoff** concrete and time-boxed?
8. Are sentences short and **second-person**?
9. Any technical jargon left? (cut it)

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