Do you want to double your marketing results and learn the secrets to creating viral content?
You do? Good.
I’m going to give you my ultimate playbook on the most important factor in marketing:
Hooks.
Do it right and your audience listens. Do it wrong and you end up with 50 views.
By the end of this email, you’ll know:
The secret the best marketers use to instantly create viral hooks
How to create irresistible hooks that grab your audience and forces them to listen
Why hooks are the most important factor in your marketing
Your hook is the first thing everyone sees.
The first shots of your video
The headline of your website
The first words of your article
If you can’t grab the viewer’s attention in that short window, you’ve lost.
Because they won’t even bother looking at the rest of your content, no matter how good it is.
You see, all of the best marketers spend most of their time on their hooks, not the content.
The hook determines if the audience listens to the content.
Hooks are also slightly different across each platform. And to create the best hooks, you need to match the hook with the format.
Here is a chart of hooks compared by format:
Credit: Buffer
As you can see, each hook varies with each format.
And when you master hooks:
You consistently go viral
You create profitable ads
You increase viewership
You can easily reuse and recycle hooks
Just mastering your hooks will explode your marketing.
But how do you do this…
… The simple secret world-class marketers use to instantly create viral hooks
There is a technique where you can come up with viral hooks in a matter of seconds.
And it works extremely well.
Most people hear about this and are 1) too lazy to try it or 2) think they are too smart and want to come up with their “own, original ideas”
But you are not that type of person.
So, what is this simple secret that world-class marketers use to instantly create viral hooks?
A COLLECTION OF THE ALREADY VIRAL HOOKS:
Create a collection of marketing examples to use for inspiration. This is known as a “swipe-file.”
Yes, this isn’t a revolutionary idea. But it can and will explode your marketing if you use it.
Whenever you see a viral piece of content, save it in a file for reference.
Here’s why every top marketer swears by it:
You have viral content that you can copy
You don’t stare at a blank screen and get marketing ideas in seconds
You remix and improve already exceptional hooks and content
Here is a screenshot of my own swipe file for Reddit posts.
See the title I tested 5,000+ ads this year. These are the hooks actually making money in 2025...
Well, that post (not created by me) went viral. So, I added my own spin to it and created these posts:
I studied 60+ consumer behaviors. Here are top 5 buyer psychology lessons that actually make people buy
I spent 50+ hours learning about productivity. This is the advice that actually worked for me as a busy entrepreneur.
I scraped 54k+ comments to find the best side hustles and business ideas that actually work in 2025
These posts all had the same format: I [action] [timeframe] to get [benefit] that actually works.
And by adapting this format, these became some of my best posts with over 50k, 100k, and 200k views.
To take your swipe file further, start with a focus on a specific format.
For me, that was Reddit. For you that could be:
Ads
Instagram
TikTok
Twitter/X
YouTube
Sales emails
Website designs (yes, swipe files aren’t just used for content)
And so on.
Now create a Google Doc, Notion, or a spreadsheet and add the hook and category. And when you see viral content, add it to your swipe file.
OK, you have made a swipe file of viral content and hooks. What next?
Creating the hooks. Specifically…
How to create irresistible hooks that grab your audience and forces them to listen
Here are the three factors I see in the best hooks.
Curiosity gaps: Create a curiosity gap and gatekeep the information they want to know.
You won’t believe this hidden way to lose weight…
What if you could double your revenue without spending a dollar more on ads?
Easy to visualize: Use specific descriptions, numbers, and language that inspires the senses.
Would you pay $1,000 to have the business of your dreams
in 30 days?Lose 10 pounds in 30 days—without giving up your favorite foods.
Self-Benefit: Call out their identity and problems, and hint why they will benefit from viewing.
If you’re a gym owner struggling to get leads, you need to know this technique…
Calling all busy moms! This 5-minute meal hack will change your life.
Ok, let’s see some hooks “in the wild”.
Look at the curiosity points, the visualization, and self-benefit within these hooks.
🎯 My Favorite Hooks (From My Swipe File)
These are some of the best-performing hooks I have used in my marketing and refer to in my own swipe file.
Why the most successful people are the most boring people (and why you should be boring too)
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Never spend a fortune on luxury colognes.
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How to Create a Writing Portfolio That’ll Wow Potential Clients
Stop making this one mistake that’s killing your conversion rate.
Fitness routines that promise quick results are a scam; here's why.
This is how I lost 10 pounds by cutting out unhealthy habits.
Thirteen lessons I learned after graduating college from the real world that I wish I
learned earlier.The “Content is King” Myth Debunked
I want to give you this from the ACQvault...
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Local business owners, I have a gift for you 🎁
I tried every popular fitness app so you don’t have to—here’s the best one.
Why It’s Good to Be in a Crowded Niche (Seriously)
How I brainwashed myself to succeed
When you make your content, refer to your swipe file for that specific format.
Then, once you find a hook that works, adapt it for use across different platforms and angles.
Reuse the best performing and create a cycle of viral posts.
- Warren
PS: Look at the opening to this email. Did I hook you?