The hook is an essential part of the arsenal for anyone out to tell a good story—whether you’re a sales representative pitching to potential clients, an author with an unpublished manuscript, or an entrepreneur trying to present exactly what it is that her company does. The hook captures the audience by grabbing their interest, and ensures that interest and curiosity drive the audience to hear your story and your message. As entrepreneurs presenting to investors that hear a multitude of pitches daily, a good hook can make you stand out.
Now the big question is: How do you capture your audience? Your hook can take a variety of forms—be they emphatic statement, probing question, or enlightening statistic. But every good hook will have a method to make your audience sit up and take note. That is the goal of a hook and that is why it is important. A good hook will tease, it will make the audience think, and it will make the audience listen.
But how do you write a great hook? It’s essential to think about the audience. Understand what it is that they are interested in and what about your business could be useful to them. If your hook can connect with what your investors are looking for, you will have them rapt throughout the rest of your presentation.
So, whether you ask a question, tell an anecdote, or shock with numbers, it’s important to make sure that your potential investors are paying attention to the story you’ve got to tell. There are a few different types of hooks that generally work well.
The Statement
It’s often most compelling to simply state the problem that’s facing your industry or your area of expertise and give a short, impactful explanation of how your product will solve this. For example, say you are addressing the pain-point of trying to collaborate with a remote team. In today’s technological age, collaborating in the same office setting can be difficult already, without adding the pressure of remote team members. So state that. But then make sure to describe not only your solution, but also, more importantly: why your solution is different and better.
The Surprising Statistic
If you have statistics that demonstrate a quantifiable potential for your product or company to reduce bad numbers and/or increase good numbers, it’s a great tactic to introduce these statistics right away. For example, say you are trying to raise money for a technological tool that helps businesses organize their employees, management and resources better and you’ve calculated the potential of a 60% reduction in wasted time and money. That’s a high number and your investors are guaranteed to pay attention.
The Question
Ask your audience a question to engage them from the get-go. This can be a question that is personally applicable, e.g. what if there were a way to electronically track the keys we always seem to misplace? Or it can be a piece of trivia, e.g. how many hospital deaths occur each year due to preventable causes? Either of these questions (and the answers they set up) can excite or dismay the audience and cause them to want more answers.
The Anecdote
This one can be a little tricky since you don’t want your hook to be too long. But if you can make the problem and your solution into a simple, identifiable anecdote, it will instantly connect with investors. Client success stories can be great anecdotes because they are specific. If you have a client that was able to increase traffic and business to their website due to the tools you’ve given them, for example, that anecdote can prove your potential for success.
The Metaphor
Again, this one is tricky because it can be difficult to come up with something that the audience understands and that also accurately portrays what your company is trying to do. However, when done well, a metaphor can instantly paint a picture of why your company and your product are important. Say that you are in an industry that tends to have a high input for a specific process but a low output due to slow technology. This phenomenon could be termed a ‘bottleneck’. If you’ve got a revolutionary tool that will speed up the process, you’d effectively eliminate or at least reduce that bottleneck.
Remember that starting strong could be the difference between engaging investors and having them zone out during the rest of your pitch. Make sure to capture investor attention with a really great hook. Give your investors a roadmap of why your product is important and how being on board will be useful for them. You can do it all with a simple, well-thought-out hook!