Rating: Average
Hook Point blurb excerpt: In Hook Point, out of the box thinker Brendan Kane, breaks down the most effective strategies to generate new opportunities, innovate and scale your business, and create a compelling brand—both online and off—so you can thrive in the new micro-attention world in which we live.
My opinion: I will say this, his "Hook Point" worked as it got me to purchase the book. However, the book is much more than just hook points. Although hook point is the title, I think he spent far too long on a very simple concept. The first half of the book is poor, the second half was good but very generic. If you have a marketing background I would give this book a miss as it has a tendency to be a bit basic. It's definitely not one of The Best Marketing Books, but it's a great place to start.
Lessons from Hook Point:
A hook point can be comprised of text for example a phrase, title, or piece of copy, insights from statistics, a professional's point of view, a philosophy or person's thoughts, etc used to grab an audience's attention in the shortest possible amount of time. It differs from clickbait by delivering value or being supported by substance. It's typically attached to an authentic and compelling story that helps build trust and credibility. Your hook doesn't have to be the same as your USP, tagline, point of difference, or mission statement.
Hook points must evolve because cultures and consumers change. Markets also become saturated and brands need to find new ways to capture and hold attention.
When creating a hook point:
Be aware of who you are talking to and tailor your communication to them.
Become your demographic.
Know your why - why you do what you do.
Be authentic and real.
Uses as few words as possible.
Make people think differently by subverting expectations.
Can be understood quickly but also makes people think.
It should have an element of curiosity that leaves people wanting to learn more.
Offers solutions to your audience's pain point.
When packaging a hook point:
An easy place to start is to use the formula of If (Insert audiences known problems) then (present your services or product as the solution)
Content Creation:
It’s important to consider what will make your marketing shareable in a digital ecosystem.
Don’t try and achieve two different objectives with one piece of content.
When using video - over annunciate your words, make it satisfying to watch, ensure it moves at the right pace, and is linear in delivery.
Find the intersection of where the audience's problems and your solutions meet and talk to that.
Effective storytellers will use a vocabulary of logic, values, humour, imagination, actions, and emotions - they will insert messages for all 6 of the personality types so they can engage 100% of the audience with their stories.
Don’t try and create traffic for your products from scratch - go where the traffic already exists.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, let other peoples success guide you in creating yours. Email Outreach Sequence:
Email 1: How you can solve a specific pain point through your services or products.
Email 2: Restate your services or products and see if they are interested - add an example or list relevant clients you have worked with.
Email 3: Apologize for following up and ask a question to see if the person's goals and objectives align with your services.
Email 4: Ask if they have time to connect. Golden Formula To Make Your Message Resonate:
Ask a yes question - one your potential customer would answer yes to.
Reveal that you have been in your audience's position.
Call out the discovery that changes things (what you learned, changed or did that got you to where you are).
Have a call to action.
7 ways to get people to like you quickly;
Listen without judging
Stay in the moment
Ask them the "best question"
Ask for advice
Ask whether it's a good time
Tell them you have only got a minute
Use the right body language
More details can be found here
Active listening;
Listen to what the other person has to say, don’t interrupt, disagree, or evaluate.
Make brief acknowledgments.
Repeat back what the other person said.
Ask questions that help move the discussion forward.
Oprah Winfrey starts every meeting with these three questions;
What is our intention for this meeting
What’s important
What matters
Hook Point Best Quotes:
“Learn to listen, listen to learn”
"Brands' are storytellers"
"People don't buy what you make, they buy what you believe"
"Sometimes saying no can create more demand"
What Next:
If you are interested in this book, you may want to check out our list of reviewed Marketing Books.
My personal recommendation for those who loved this book - Contagious, why things catch on.
Comments