a single source, nothing corroborates it

Open with the line that stops your buyer

A hook that appeals to everyone brings an audience that buys nothing. Stating where you were, where you are now and the figure attached, or opening with a blunt forecast that threatens the group you sell to, means whoever stops is by definition your market, and photographs carrying the same claim reinforce it.

The method

1. 01

   Open a promotional thread with a before-and-after line that names the old situation, the new one and the money involved.

2. 02

   Open with a blunt prediction that threatens the group you sell to, so the people who stop to read are by definition your buyers.

3. 03

   Attach photographs that show the transformation your hook describes, so the image carries the same claim as the text.

What it returned

• $14K

  Nick Dyer's thread on leaving a miserable day job for $14K a month while travelling earned 20K impressions from a base of 272 followers, roughly 100 times his follower count.

• 3,862

  Milly Tamati, then on 3,862 followers, opened with a forecast that nine in ten communities would fail; she sells to community builders.

• Dyer paired a downbeat shot representing the day-job years with cheerful travel photos from after the switch.

Sources

• 3 Game-Changing Self-Promotion Strategies from Under-the-Radar CreatorsJustin Welsh · justinwelsh.me · Tell Your Founder Story · 2023-04-01