The Exact Hook That Got Our Client Over 150K Views

Insider secret: some of our best-performing posts weren't our idea. Our clients' followers wrote them.

Every month we dig through the comments and DMs on the accounts we manage, because that's where the best content ideas are hiding. For one client, the same frustration kept coming up. Different people, different wording, same story. So we turned it into the first line of a Reel.

That one Reel brought in over 150,000 views. Below are the hook, the real numbers, and how to write your own.

The receipts

These are the real analytics from the Reel, straight from Instagram. No edits.

• 156,523 views and 111,021 accounts reached
• 2.7K shares and 1.6K saves
• 393 comments
• 346 new followers from one video

The number we care about most is shares. Almost twice as many people shared this Reel as liked it. That means people weren't just watching. They were sending it to someone who needed to hear it, and that's what pushes a post in front of new people.

Where the idea came from

Their comments section.

We noticed the same thing showing up again and again: people describing what they'd been told by someone else, and how it left them frustrated and still looking for answers. Our client could actually speak to that. So instead of brainstorming something clever, we wrote a hook that talked directly to those people.

We're not sharing the client's exact line, but the structure is yours to use.

The hook template

It's also easy to share. When a hook names something a lot of people have been through, they send it to the friend who's been through it too. That's a big reason this Reel was shared 2.7K times.

How it could sound in your industry

Realtor: "Patiently waiting for all the people who have been waiting for interest rates to drop to find my page, because nobody has told you about rate buydowns."

Nutritionist or health coach: "Patiently waiting for the women who were told to just eat less and move more to find my page, because your last diet plan probably didn't tell you this."

Esthetician: "Patiently waiting for all the people who were told their skin is just sensitive to find my page, because that TikTok influencer probably didn't tell you this."

Financial coach: "Patiently waiting for all the parents who are already stressing about paying for the holidays to find my page, because nobody told you about a sinking fund."

Studio or class owner: "Patiently waiting for all the elder millennials looking for a new hobby to find my page, so I can show you the one that changed my life."

Personal trainer: "Patiently waiting for all the women over 40 who were told cardio is the only way to lose weight to find my page, because your gym probably didn't tell you this."

Med spa injector: "Patiently waiting for all the people who were told Botox will make them look frozen to find my page, because that one bad before-and-after didn't tell you the whole story."

Family law attorney: "Patiently waiting for all the people who were told divorce has to be a long, ugly court battle to find my page, because your friend's lawyer probably didn't tell you this."

Dog trainer: "Patiently waiting for all the dog owners who were told their pup will just grow out of it to find my page, because the dog park probably didn't tell you this."

Photographer: "Patiently waiting for all the people who were told they're just not photogenic to find my page, because your last photographer probably didn't tell you this."

Ways to use it

The hook works anywhere your audience decides in a second whether to keep going.

• On-screen text on a Reel. Put it over a few seconds of you working, then use the rest of the video to give the answer.
• The first line of a talking video. Say it straight to the camera, then explain.
• A carousel cover. Use it on slide one and answer it on the slides that follow.
• The opening line of a caption. It's the part people see before they tap "more."
• An email subject line. Shorten it to "If you were told [the thing], read this."

How to find your version

1. Read your comments and DMs. Go back a few months. You're looking for repeats, not one-offs.

2. Write down the exact words people use. "I was told it's normal." "My last realtor never mentioned that." Their wording is better than anything you'd come up with.

3. Find what they were told. The best version of this hook names advice or an answer your ideal client got somewhere else that didn't help.

4. Fill in the template. Keep it short enough to read in a couple of seconds on screen.

5. Deliver on it. The hook gets people to stop. The rest of the Reel has to actually tell them the thing.

Want another example of this approach? Read how we got a health coach 3.4 million views on one post.

Prefer to hand it off completely? Reading comments, spotting patterns and turning them into content is part of what we do for our social media management clients every month.