How to Write a Good Hook for an Essay Introduction

An introduction gives the readers or audience a clear idea of what your essay will cover. To find a balance when writing, you must have a perfect hook for your essay. At least, that way, your motivation to write gets a boost.While most students find writing essays, an annoying, time-consuming, and tasking process, which is never the case. In most cases, you are asked to write an essay to assess your creativity, critical thinking, and reasoning skills.Writing an essay should not be a near-death experience. Instead, your task is to grab the attention of your readers and to keep them from introduction to the end.One great way of luring your writers is having an essay hook, which does the work of subtly convincing of your readers.Unlike a mystery novel, an essay does not leave the readers in suspense. That way, it should state the contention and arguments from the onset. Why do we even need great essay hooks? We will answer this question and related questions in a moment!There are so many hooks as are essays. However, how do you know what type of openings in the introduction best for your college papers? Our writers can help you right away or if you wish, cruise through this page and get tips on writing hooks for your college essays.What are Hooks for Essays?To put it plainly, an essay hook is a single or two sentences of your paper that grabs the attention of the reader. Essay hooks help the readers decide from the onset whether to engage with your text.Just like the fisherman’s hook, known for catching fish, a good essay hook is meant to lure the readers into your essay trap. And once they are in, they will find your purpose and get to engage with your text. Similarly, depending on your audience, you will need different types of hooks.It is vital to discern hooks from essay introductions. An essay hook is part of your introduction, so it is part of your intro. an essay hook is succeeded by the topic and thesis statement, which introduces the essay topic to the readers. So, let’s distinguish the three:An essay hook – A strong opening sentence (1-2 sentences) that grabs the attention of the readers.Essay Topic – A string of words that gives a concise idea of the focus of an essay. Examples of topics include “childhood obesity in America,” “Anorexia Nervosa among Adolescents,” “White collar crimes in the digital era.” They are also referred to as essay titles.Thesis statement – A sentence or two that comes mostly at the end of the essay introduction. A thesis serves to state your opinion on the topic.Where else are Hooks Used?Now that you understand that hooks in writing are not merely metaphors but a meaningful string of words, you must also know that they are tools of persuasion.Hooks are not only used in college papers and essays. Instead, they are applied by copy bloggers, speechwriters, screenwriters, fiction writers, songwriters, and other men whose tools of trades are words and punctuations. All these professionals use hooks as a tool to achieve persuasion, influence, and control on their audience.In literature, hooks are literary devices enjoined in the opening sentence (s) to grab the attention and captivate the readers. Hooks make you have a striking beginning, create an engaging environment, and set the mood for your work.You can identify various masters of persuasion and hooks by just reading the introduction of their works.While we said before that writing an essay is easy, that is not true for hooks. Essay hooks can become a challenge to generate, particularly if you can’t distinguish it from a thesis statement.However, every eye-catching essay we’ve read, and which score the highest grades have a lovely opening.How to choose a Good Hook for Your EssayThere are so many types of essay hooks, and it is no wonder many people get confused in picking the right one for their paper. When writing a sensational opening for your essay, consider answering these questions:What type of essay are you writing? What tone and style have you chosen for your essay?Who is your audience?What structure or format of writing are you aligned to?How long is your paper?When writing admission essays, a good hook can soften the hard heart of a college admission committee. So, it is always about your audience.The type of essay also defines the scope and whether or not you will use hooks in writing essays. Do not be tempted to begin just every essay with a hook because it is a great way to grab the attention of your readers. However, be wary that some hooks do not work with other types of essays.For instance, when writing a critical precis, there is no way an anecdote hook or a joke hook would fit, but it is a good fit for contention essays. It is the same way rhetorical questions and quotes are good for persuasive essays, article critiques, and book reviews.An Expert Tip: Always write a hook and introduction when you are done with writing the body and conclusion. That way, you get to clarify the thesis and select the type of hooks that suit your essay.While many videos out there try to explain essay hooks as grabbers, James’ video tutorial below will make you have a good idea on hooks for essays and write an excellent introduction.The next time you run out of ideas on how to start an essay, think of a good essay hook as a possible escape route.Step by step guide on How to Write a Good HookNow, have you reached the point where you are wondering how to write a hook sentence? Now, before we delve deep into the types of perfect essay hook ideas, here are some steps a student must follow when deciding on which hook to choose.Envision the end of your essay from the beginning: whether it is a persuasive, argumentative, critical, analytical, definition, profile, autobiography, or speech essay, understand that you have different writing strategies to consider. Now, with the gist of your essay anchored in the topic or title, you can choose a good essay hook format.Create an outline for your essay: Ensure that you have an essay outline. Within the outline, work up the ideas to include in the hook given the content you have planned for the body of your essay.Understand your audience: So, every essay has a target audience. Mostly, college essays and papers are meant for professors or instructors. But when you choose an audience stick to the rules of their level of writing and understanding. For instance, when writing for a professional linguist, choose the best words and have an action plan to get them to the climax.Understand the purpose of the essay: You could be writing a complicated piece like a poem or literary analysis or an Op-ed for a popular magazine, you can take a formal and informal tone, all in one plate. Otherwise, if it is a white paper or a conference paper, stick to a professional tone.Expert Tip 2: Essay hooks can never exceed 1-2 sentences as they can make your paper boring. Also, good hooks always fit your tone, style, and writing strategies naturally.Sensational Types of Essay Hooks You should include in your Next EssayEverybody out there is wondering if there exist some catchy hooks for essays. Oh! Well, there are a couple of essay hooks ideas. Let us dig in straight away!1. Interesting Questions/Rhetorical Question HooksA question hook is an excellent strategy and approach used to grab the attention of the readers. It also sets a serious tone as it makes the readers resonate with some of the crucial facts.This type of hooks whet the appetite of your reader and gives them the interest to read your essay to its conclusion. These questions must never be too general.For instance, when writing an essay about HIV/AIDS, asking a question like “Have you heard that AIDS kills?” is pure BS. That approach hardly captivates your readers, and it can hardly make them think critically.Great Question Hook ExamplesHave you ever watched the high-flying, jump shooting, slam-dunking, ankle-breaking players that play in the NBA? Have you heard or the gag rule that risks cutting funds to organizations that support abortion and family planning?What would your reaction be if you found yourself in the middle of Amazon rainforest?What changes would you make if you became the president of your country for just a day? That is what citizens in poorly governed nations wake up to answer daily.Rhetorical questions are good for essay hooks. Like using quotes from famous individuals, they are straightforward. But that makes them overused too. So, you need to rake your brain for the best approach to make the rhetorical questions catchy. Maybe start with common facts, but in an intelligent way.2. Quotation HookChoosing to use quotes as essay hooks is also a great attention grabber. People have high regard for what Martin Luther Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Steve Jobs, Jack Ma, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk said. Such people and many more are worth listening and can make a good opening sentence to an essay.But before using a quote hook, make sure it comes from a credible source. So, you should note, using the academic writing format, the in-text citation, and the name of the person being quoted in the hook when writing.Examples of essay hook ideas of Quotes from Famous People “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” ― Benjamin FranklinHealth is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.” ― Buddha.In the words of John F Kennedy “, As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest form of appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.” “The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.” “Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men.”Most professors and tutors despise the use of this type of essay hook for being too overused and general. Therefore, it is common to get discouraged from beginning college papers and essays using words in verbatim from influential people.If you must use a quotation hook, use rare ones. Do not copy and paste the top quotes from quotation websites like Brainyquote, Goodreads, and Keepinspiring.me.3. Literary Quote HookA literary quotation hook is a type of essay hook that fits most of the essays and college papers. However, it is a preserve for essays about books, literature, art, visual analysis, advertisement analysis, and authors. It entails beginning your essay with a relevant quote from a book you are reviewing. Mainly, this approach helps create credibility and authority from the onset. If it is one that can be applied to different texts, it fits the definition of a good essay hook.4. Setting a Scene HookThis type of essay hook is an attention grabber that is mostly used when writing personal statements and other types of essays. The goal of using this approach is to bring a vivid picture of a scene from real life or fictitious story. For instance, you can describe the book burning party in Marcus Zusak’s Book Thief.You could also explain the conditions you grew up in.Examples:It was all in the news that Hurricane Dorian was slowly recruiting its wrath handles, and all we could do is to evacuate as soon as possible…If you are fortunate enough to own a bicycle, you would understand the joy I had riding my first bike. I joined the local team and did more than 60 miles in a day. It made me realize that I can push my limits.Expert Tip: Always choose an appealing scene that can set the mood for your essay. When describing the scene, you can use the spatial order format to make things clear.5. Definitions/Descriptions/Facts HooksFifth, in our list of hooks for essays, is the definition or description hook. As the name suggests, it entails surprising the readers with a fact that is interesting and which they are not privy.Give a fact, description, or definition that will intrigue your readers and make them stick to the end. The hook should be relevant to your significant arguments in the essay.Expert Advice: Be very careful with definitions. If you commence your essay with a definition lifted from a dictionary, your professor can loathe your paper. If you decide to begin an essay with a definition relating to the topic, do not copy and paste a definition. Instead, paraphrase the definition and cite it.Sometimes making bold announcements, exaggeration, or cautionary statements can hook your readers.Examples:“Vaping has continuously caused otherwise preventable deaths among teenagers.”“Drinking scalding tea is linked to throat cancer.”“The escalating student loans debt spell doom to the future of the American education system.”“The proposed law on GMO promises to declutter our tables from lethal organisms we have been consuming in the name of food.”Whatever it is you choose to stick to as a hook for your essay, stay relevant. Every hook statement counts towards the worth of your essay and is a currency to better grades.6. Simile/Metaphor HookWhen writing a hook for an essay, you can introduce a simile or a metaphor.  Opening your paragraph with a metaphor or simile captivates the readers and grabs their attention. They then can decide to reconsider their stance on a topic they already know.For instance, you can compare a company to a kitchen.Example: “More like a well-arranged kitchen with utensils in cabinets, Apple’s structure is one to emulate and is a model of success for the company.”“A business blog explains everything about the company so well that it is like a magnet.”“Working on the go is a model that is a cup of tea for Millennials.”Expert Tip: Your choice of a metaphor or a simile for an essay hook should be guided by the topic. A good simile could be “Writing a great research paper compares to riding a bike in a 96 degrees Fare height climb.” 7. Statistic HookStatistics are good hooks for persuasive essays. So, if you are wondering how to write a hook for a persuasive essay, try using statistics at the start of your argumentative essay.You can use statistical data to hook your readers to new facts that they are unaware of.Examples:“According to the CDC, the prevalence of obesity in America is 38.9%, translating to 93.3 million of US Adults being obese.”“As of June 2019, the rate of unemployment in America is 3.7%. With 150 million people being unemployed, the effects are likely to be felt sooner or later.”“88% of women who break the ceiling of leadership in MNCs are those who have persistently worked and had long tenures.”“Today, close to 38% of the Millennials marriages end up with hurting and violent divorce that mostly affects children.”Expert Tip: When using statistics, do in-depth research, and only refer to credible and reliable sources.  Statistic hooks can comprise of any numbers, decimals, and percentages. Also, you have to explain what the statistics mean in the background part of your introduction.8. Personal Narrative HooksWhen writing a college application essay or a personal statement, you are allowed to use this type of hook. However, for argumentative and formal persuasive papers, it would be sacrilegious.Always consult with your professor if first-person pronouns can be used when writing your essay. If it is affirmative, hook your readers with a personal story, which can be someone else’s as well.Now, this approach makes a good essay hook for a personal philosophy, leadership philosophy, nursing philosophy, and admission essays.It should look like this.Examples:“In my formative years, I held leadership in various positions, all of which I received accolades and great followership.”“On the grounds of an affair, President Clinton faced an inevitable impeachment. His main error was failing the oath of office as he lied about the affair under oath.”“With a strange environment, language, food culture, and hostile inhabitants, it would be so soon to judge whether the mission would be a success.”Expert Tip: Avoid stuff like “I felt like creating a story that resonates with mine in this essay.”Most teachers abhor such approach. It is a hook that is as good as none. Even when being taught how to create a hook, you will never be encouraged to do so.9. Strong Statement HookThis type of hook is also known as the declaration hook. A strong statement hook refers to a sentence that makes an assertive claim on an issue or concern or topic. Mostly, statement hooks connect with the thesis statement to bring out the focus of the essay.A declaration hook is a useful technique as it does not seek the opinion of the readers. Instead, it invites the readers to stay calm as see you argue your support for the statement.Examples: “Online bullying is to blame for the rising stress levels among school-going kids.”“Online college classes are cheap, effective, and efficient compared to traditional in-person college classes.” Expert tip: This type is a great essay hook for argumentative, persuasive, or discursive essays. It makes your audience curious about your main arguments.10. Story/Anecdote hookAs the name suggests, this type of hook involves beginning your introduction paragraphs with an episode or a short story. The story must be one that relates to the topic.Most readers like stories, and they get carried away. Well-written, memorable, and reasonable stories or anecdotes stand to keep your readers. A good story hook must stimulate and connect with the readers.It can be a personal story or someone else’s; it does not matter. Mostly, anecdote hooks are a bit longer compared to other essay hooks.Your anecdote should tie with the main idea of your essay. Remember, an anecdote aims to tell a story in an illustrative way. So, let it illustrate your main point in the essay.Expert Tip: Consider the type of writing, either formal or informal, and then write the best story hook. Anecdotes work well with the narrative and descriptive essays.  You can have a funny opening, and it will tickle grades out of your stingy professor. Make the anecdote straightforward.Examples:“Charlie Chaplin was doing his thing on the screen, and I could not hold myself back from laughing. However, in the mid of my happy session, I received a text message that changed my status in the world forever.”“Yesterday evening I watched helplessly as a cyclist got flanked off the road by a trailer. The only thing I could do was to stop my car and call for emergency response services as the trailer driver shamelessly sped away.11. Contradictive Facts HooksContradictions also make good hooks. Contradictive hooks combine opposite ideas in one sentence. A contradictory statement is more like the rhetorical question; it encourages the readers to think of something important and whets their appetite for the upcoming discussion.12. Common Misconceptions HooksDid you know that you can begin your essay with a hook loaded with common misconceptions? Yes, you can. In this case, start your introduction with a strong statement on a commonly accepted myth. Such essay hooks intrigue and captivates the readers to stay on till the end.Examples:“Most Jews are shrewd businessmen who are known to build dynasties where there is none.”“A common thing about coffee addicts is that they believe they do not drink beans. However, it is the coffee bean that makes coffee.”“Palm reading has widely been accepted as a measure of knowing our fate.”“Many people believe in horoscopes.”13. Humorous Statement/JokeDepending on the tone of your paper, a good essay hook can always be a joke or comic statement. This type is common in informal essays. Such hooks grab the attention of your readers and make them yearn to read more. And by the time they get out of the trap, they are done with reading your essay and can only wish it was longer.Examples:“Like thunder and lightning, which are lethal, marriages are also made in heaven.” Clint Eastwood“Women only need food, compliments, and water, nothing else.” Chris Rock.ConclusionYour question just before we set off was “how to write a hook for an essay.” We went further to describe what an essay hook is and why we use hooks for essays. It did not stop there; we have given you some crazy hook ideas and examples. Hooks are also known as grabbers or attention grabbers as they attract your readers.  There are many grabbers beyond the 13 types we have outlines. When you have an essay, consider the kind of essay and choose the best grabbers.You are probably asking “I want an essay with a good hook written for me” Hold it right there, our essay writing help service can come through hugely.Let our expert essay writers write you an essay with a great hook statement, introduction, and thesis statement. You do not need an essay hook generator when you have all this knowledge, do you?Always remember!The next time you are afraid of starting with hooks for essays, remember that creating a good hook for essay involves different approaches. We have covered 13, but there are more than that.We can also proofread and edit your essay to improve its hook. Besides, we can write an essay outline for you with an introduction that has a carefully placed essay hook.