STOP Overusing Negative Hooks.

There is more to hooks than pretending every day is a tragedy.

Feb 21, 2025

Some of you write like your entire brand depends on spreading doom and despair.

Every post starts with:

❌ "This chain is CURSED."
❌ "This market wants to FINISH us."
❌ "If you don’t know this, you are ALREADY BROKE."

Damn. Can we breathe?

You act like people wake up every day, craving doom.

It is like you believe the only way to get engagement is to trigger fear, anger, or sadness.

That’s a trap. And if you are not careful, it will limit your growth as a writer.

Sure, negative emotions work, they grab attention, but when that's all you rely on, you don’t look smart. You look predictable.

Worse is that, you look desperate.

And nobody likes "Desperate Dan the Engagement Farmer."

The Problem with Using ONLY Negative Hooks.

The truth is negative hooks are easy.

People are hardwired to react faster to bad news than good news.

That’s why drama-filled tweets always pop off.

But, If you ONLY use negativity, people will eventually zone you out. Time is a revealer.

Think about this for a sec.

If every time you texted a friend, you said:

"Bro, I think my life is over."

At first, they’d be concerned.

By the 10th time? They’d stop responding.

Same thing happens with your audience. They start ignoring you because they already know:

"Oh, here we go again, another disaster tweet."

And when people expect your hooks, you lose your power.

Portrait of a little girl who is reflected in the glass Portrait of a little girl who is reflected in the glass on the street girl peeping through window stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

The "Tragic Main Character" Problem

Then there is the wannabe storytellers who think every story must start with a disaster.

If your main character isn’t:

❌ Dying from a terminal disease,
❌ Getting scammed for their life savings,
❌ Or suffering from some impossible tragedy,

…you can’t write.

It is always some exaggerated, movie-style suffering.

❌"I was completely BROKE… until I found this."
❌"He had a cancer or an accident or he was robbed "
❌"I almost gave up on life… then I made my first $10 online."
❌"I lost my entire net worth… then I discovered this tool."

Why does it always sound like a Netflix documentary intro?

The problem with these types of hook is that, it makes your writing feel fake.

Because let’s be honest with ourselves, nobody’s life is that dramatic every single day.

If you keep using these "pain Olympics" hooks, people will stop believing you.

And when people don’t trust your words, they stop reading.

Confused asian woman reading a paper book at home Confused asian woman reading a paper book at home someone that stopped reading stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

When Negative Hooks Become Clickbait.

There is a fine line between a good hook and clickbait nonsense.

🚫 Clickbait is NOT the same as a good hook.

Clickbait tricks people into clicking, only to disappoint them.

A good hook grabs attention and delivers on the promise.

Here is the difference:

🚫 Clickbait Hook:

"Ethereum is DEAD."

(But in the post, you are just complaining about high gas fees. Ethereum isn’t actually dead.)

✅ Good Hook:

"Ethereum gas fees just hit an all-time high, what does this mean for users?"

(Still engaging, but honest.)

See the difference?

Clickbait makes people feel tricked.

A good hook pulls them in without lying.

And if people keep feeling tricked, they will get used to it and stop reading your content overtime.

If your audience feels lied to, they won’t trust you.

And if they don’t trust you, your credibility is COOKED!

Now, you keep wondering why your engagement is dead.

Confused, thinking and idea with face of girl for question, solution and wondering. Doubt, knowledge and learning with puzzled child in concentration for thoughtful, imagine and uncertain at home Confused, thinking and idea with face of girl for question, solution and wondering. Doubt, knowledge and learning with puzzled child in concentration for thoughtful, imagine and uncertain at home A girl looking curious stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

The “Bashing a Project” Trap

Here is another thing I want to address:

Trashing a project just to hype another one makes you look ridiculous.

Some of you have built your entire brand around hating one project just to hype another.

You will see tweets like:

"Solana is a JOKE. Use this chain instead."

Then three months later…

"Actually, Solana is the best chain ever."

Make it make sense.

Hating for engagement is short-term thinking, because one day, you might need to work with the same project you trashed.

And when that day comes, you either:

A) Look like a clown.
B) Start deleting tweets like a crime scene cleanup.

Either way, you lose credibility.

Sad woman looking rain through a window Photo of Sad woman looking the rain falling through a window at home or hotel. Close up of sad depressed teenager spending time alone at home, outdoor photo of young upset pensive woman feeling lonely or frustrated thinking about problems, looking through a window. girl peeping through window stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

The Fear of Experimenting with Hooks

Many of you stick to negative hooks because you are scared to try something else.

• You fear curiosity-based hooks won’t work.
• You don’t believe humor will hit.
• You think storytelling takes too much effort.

So you play it safe by using negative emotions..

You rely on:

• Shock.
• Doom.
• Drama.

Because it is easy.

But the truth is that, If you never test new hooks, you will never improve.

The best writers experiment.

Not every hook will work. Some will flop hard. Be comfortable with that,

Because that’s the whole point. You test, you learn, you improve.

Young woman relaxes by lakeshore in the morning She writes in journal on lakeside pier, Lake Lugano below a writer thinking stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

So What Should You Do Instead?

1. STOP relying only on negative hooks.

If every of your post sounds like a funeral announcement, you are doing it wrong.

Not every story needs to be about tragedy or controversy.

Try curiosity, humor, or an unexpected fact.

Example:

✅ "This one small mistake cost me $5,000. Here’s what I learned." (Curiosity)

✅ "Why do all crypto traders look stressed? Science explains." (Humor)

✅ "Ethereum gas fees might actually be a good thing. Here is why." (Contrarian)

2. Think about your reputation.

Your reputation matters.

Bashing projects for clicks or just to prove a point, will come back to haunt you.

It could backfire when you need to work with them later and cost you opportunities.

Example:✅ Instead of "This project is dead," say "This project is struggling, but can it recover?"

It still grabs attention, but it doesn’t burn bridges.

3. Experiment with different styles.

Try curiosity, humor, storytelling. If it flops? So what? Learn from it.

Growth comes from testing.

Try new styles, see what resonates and adjust based on feedback.

If you are serious about growing as a writer, you need to be flexible.

Don’t fall into the trap of negative hooks every time.

Don’t rely on clickbait just for engagement.

And most importantly, don’t be afraid to experiment.

I want to see you try a new hook style in your next post.

Are you ready to write better hooks?

Now, go write some killer hooks.

My goal and mission is to help you up your content game.

Make sure you implement.

I'm available to taking your questions.

Drop a message for me if you have any.