Hooks

The opening line is your first and best chance to grab a listener's attention. The spark ignites interest and sets the tone for a story, feature, or entire segment. Like a powerful opening scene...

Books can be captivating through compelling characters, colorful language, or an exciting plot, but a handful of books grab attention with the first line or two. The hook is the gateway to engagement, and...

7 seconds go by quickly. But that's exactly how much time personalities have to keep the listener's attention when launching a talk break or changing a topic. The 7 Second Challenge is a real...

What's the difference between a talk segment that fails and one that succeeds? We know from research that breaks must gain attention quickly to have a chance at holding interest. That's the 7-second challenge....

Usain Bolt is the fastest human being in history. The key to his amazing achievements: Start fast. This is good advice for any brand, including personality radio shows. In this article, I share the importance...

How is that collection of opening lines working out? This isn't a list of cheesy lines to pick up women or guys, though that can be a great segment on the air. You may want...

The difference between being ignored and heard is often a small thing. Even the greatest story is wasted if the audience has tuned out. And the difference between getting a listener to lean in...

A headline on social media is designed to cause users to take action. If it's not provocative enough, the publisher won't win the engagement. That's why successful online sites go to great lengths to...

Many air personalities are rude. In the interest of brevity, they rush into content to get off to a quick start. Quickstarts are great, but not when it's at the expense of connection. And...

Everyone is aware that attention is at a premium. You have 7 seconds to hook the audience and get them interested. But even if the hook is interesting, it doesn't mean listeners will be...