Hook fatigue is real. Tell the damn story.

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Hey friend!

Everyone talks about hooks. "Grab attention in the first line." "Use this formula." "Hook them or lose them."

I bought into it. Tried all the tricks.

One week, I tested a bunch of "viral" openers. You know the ones: "The secret no one tells you," "Most people won't agree with this," "You're making this mistake."

Clicks were flat. No replies. Nothing moved.

Call me crazy but I’ve only seen them work on creators who already have a large following, especially LinkedIn. Prove me wrong 😑 

So, I scrapped the formulas and shared a real story.

About a client who launched her beauty product, got zero sales, and felt like shutting it all down. Instead of hiding, she wrote one honest email about that flop what she learned, how it felt, and why she wasn't quitting.

She got 10 sales from that email one email. Same audience. Same offer. Different story.

Here's what hit me: People don't remember formulas. They remember characters. They remember the moment they saw themselves in your mess and thought, "Finally, someone gets it."

Her story worked because it was REAL. Because every entrepreneur has bombed a launch. Because vulnerability beats viral every single time.

Want a story structure that actually works? Try this:

Before → Trigger → After → Takeaway

Show where you were. What shifted everything. Where you ended up. And what you learned.

Simple. Repeatable. And way more powerful than any hook formula you'll find in someone else's playbook.

Stop chasing tricks that sound like everyone else. Start telling stories that only you can tell.

That's why my ghostwriting starts with your story, not someone else's swipe file.

What's one story you haven't told yet because it feels too ordinary?

It might be the one they remember most.

Cheers,
Stephen

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