The Hook Toolkit — MHI Media

How to use this

3 steps

01 — Open Claude

Go to claude.ai

Start a new conversation. No special setup, API keys, or technical knowledge needed. Free account works fine.

02 — Paste the prompt

Fill in your details

Each skill has a ready-to-use prompt below. Copy it, fill in the highlighted fields with your product details, paste into Claude.

Copy → Fill in highlights → Paste → Done.

03 — Get your output

Test it

Claude applies the MHI framework and returns hooks, diagnoses, scores, or rewrites — ready to test in your ad account.

Hook rate benchmarks

Know your target before you test

Below average

<20%

Significant hook problem. 1.2x ROAS.

Average

20–30%

Decent but won't scale. 1.8–2.6x ROAS.

Strong

30–40%

Competitive. 2.6–3.4x ROAS.

Target

40%+

3.2–4.2x ROAS. This is where you scale.

MHI Media analysis of 12,000+ video ads, 2025–2026. Every 10-point hook rate improvement = 0.6–0.8x ROAS gain, even when the rest of the ad is identical.

The five skills

What each one does

Skill 01

hook-angle-finder

Maps your product to all 5 awareness levels

Most brands write every ad for level 5 — the 1% ready to buy. The other 99% are cold, scrolling past your brand name and discount because it means nothing to a stranger. This maps your product across all five Eugene Schwartz awareness levels so you stop ignoring the majority of your audience.

Output

Diagnosis of which level your current hook targets
One hook angle per awareness level (5 total)
The psychological mechanism behind each angle
Which of the 7 MHI frameworks each angle uses
Which level to prioritise based on your spend

Skill 02

three-second-rewriter

Rewrites your first 3 seconds for 40%+ hook rate

Hook rate above 40% generates 3.2x higher ROAS than hooks below 30% — from MHI's analysis of 12,000+ video ads. Every 10-point improvement = 0.6–0.8x ROAS gain. This runs a 5-dimension diagnosis on your opener then produces 5 rewrites, one per MHI framework.

Output

5-dimension hook diagnosis score
5 rewrites — one per MHI framework
Hook rate tier prediction per rewrite
Which to test first and why

Skill 03

scroll-stopper-checker

Runs your hook through the MHI 7-point audit

Every ad at MHI passes 7 questions before going live: emotion, promise, proof, zero confusion, does it sell, does it entertain, is it memorable. An ad without emotion is wallpaper. An ad without a promise gives nobody a reason to care. This gives you an exact verdict before you spend.

Output

Pass / Fail on all 7 MHI questions
Verdict: ready / needs one fix / rewrite required
Hook rate tier prediction
Cold audience test result

Skill 04

identity-hook-builder

Sells who they become, not what you made

People don't buy clothes — they buy identity. The moment their inside matches their outside. The feeling when a friend says "where did you get that?" Your hook must show the transformation implicitly. The second you say the quiet part out loud, you've lost. Fashion works when it's unspoken.

Output

The real identity purchase your customer is making
What they fear people will think without your product
5 identity-driven hooks — all implicit, none feature-first
Safest vs bravest hook to run

Skill 05

fatigue-detector

Diagnoses angle fatigue before the CPA craters

Accounts running fatigued creative spend 30–45% more per acquisition than accounts with fresh rotation. By the time most brands notice the CPA creep, they've wasted weeks. The MHI signals are specific: 7-day frequency above 3.5, CTR declining 15–20% week-over-week, hook rate dropping below 20% on previously strong creative. This catches it early, distinguishes frequency fatigue from angle exhaustion, and gives you a pivot plan.

Output

Fatigue verdict: not fatiguing / early / active / dead
Frequency fatigue vs angle exhaustion — which one you're dealing with
Estimated weeks of life left in the angle
3 replacement hook angles with frameworks and example hooks
Minimum creative volume needed at your spend level

Awareness levels

Eugene Schwartz, 1966 — still the whole game

Every person seeing your ad sits at one of five levels. Most brands write exclusively for level 5. The hook-angle-finder maps your product to all of them.

Level	Name	What they know	Best framework	Hook rate potential
01	Unaware	No idea they have a problem	Pattern Interrupt or Contrarian — violate feed expectations before they scroll	40–55% with strong visual disruption
02	Problem Aware	Knows the pain, not the solution	Problem Statement or Stakes Raiser — name the exact moment it hurts most	35–45% with tight specificity
03	Solution Aware	Knows solutions exist, not yours	Contrarian or Curiosity Gap — challenge why everything they've tried failed	35–48% with a credible claim
04	Product Aware	Heard of you, not converted	Social Proof or Before/After — specific numbers remove the remaining doubt	38–50% with authentic proof
05	Most Aware	Knows you, needs a nudge	Stakes Raiser — make inaction feel expensive. The 1% most brands write for exclusively.	25–38% (smaller, qualified pool)

The prompts

Copy. Fill in. Paste.

Skill 01 — hook-angle-finder

Find 5 angles across all awareness levels

You are a DTC creative strategist trained on MHI Media's methodology. MHI Media produces 800+ ads per week across 200+ DTC brands and manages $100M+ in Meta ad spend. Core belief: most brands write every ad for the most aware 1% of their audience and ignore the other 99%. CONTEXT Product: [describe your product in 1–2 sentences] Category: [e.g. skincare / supplements / fashion / homewares] Current hook: [paste the exact first line or first 3 seconds of your ad] Who actually buys this: [specific — age, situation, their problem] Current daily spend: [£/$ per day] TASK Using Eugene Schwartz's 5 levels of awareness: 1. Diagnose which level my current hook targets 2. Explain what % of my cold audience is at that level 3. Write one hook angle per level (5 total). Each must: — Be 10–15 words max — Lead with the emotion or problem at that level — NOT mention brand name, product name, or price 4. For each hook: (a) psychological mechanism, (b) which MHI framework (Problem Statement / Bold Claim / Curiosity Gap / Social Proof / Tribal Identifier / Contrarian / Stakes Raiser) 5. Given my daily spend, which level to prioritise first and why One section per level. Direct. No filler.

Skill 02 — three-second-rewriter

Diagnose hook rate failure and rewrite for 40%+

You are an ad creative specialist. MHI Media data from 12,000+ video ads: hook rate above 40% generates 3.2x higher ROAS than hooks below 30%. Every 10-point increase = 0.6–0.8x ROAS improvement. Get this hook above 40%. CONTEXT My product: [one sentence] My customer: [who they are, what problem they have] My current hook (exact words): [paste your first line or first 3 seconds] Current hook rate if known: [% or "unknown"] Ad format: [Facebook Feed / Instagram Reels / Stories / static] DIAGNOSIS Score my hook on each dimension (1–5): — Visual contrast: breaks the feed pattern in frame 1? — Relevance signal: tells the right person "this is for you"? — Curiosity gap: opens a loop the viewer needs to close? — Specificity: concrete problem or claim, not generic? — Sound-off: readable text overlay in first second? Total score + single biggest failure point. REWRITES 5 hook variations — one per MHI framework: 1. Problem Statement — the exact pain at the moment it hurts 2. Curiosity Gap — a loop that demands resolution 3. Contrarian — challenges something they believe 4. Social Proof — specific number or volume signal 5. Tribal Identifier — calls out the exact person Each: max 12 words. No brand name. No price. Mark which work sound-off. Pick the one predicted to get the highest hook rate. Explain why in 2 sentences.

Skill 03 — scroll-stopper-checker

Run your hook through the MHI 7-point audit

You are a DTC ad auditor. Before any ad goes live at MHI Media it passes 7 questions: (1) Does it target a specific emotion? (2) Is there a clear promise? (3) Is there proof or credibility? (4) Zero confusion about who this is for? (5) Creates a reason to keep watching? (6) Entertains or surprises? (7) Will it be remembered? An ad without emotion is wallpaper. CONTEXT My hook (exact words / first 3 seconds): [paste here] My product: [one sentence] My target customer: [specific description] Ad format: [video / static / carousel] Awareness level targeting: [unaware / problem aware / solution aware / product aware / most aware] AUDIT Run through all 7 questions. Each: Pass / Fail + one sentence. Then: — Verdict: Ready to test / Needs one fix / Rewrite required — If "Needs one fix": the exact fix in under 20 words — If "Rewrite required": 3 hooks that pass all 7 questions — Hook rate tier prediction: <20% / 20–30% / 30–40% / 40%+ — Single change with biggest impact on hook rate Final: does this work on a cold audience who's never heard of my brand?

Skill 04 — identity-hook-builder

Write hooks that sell who they become

You are a brand strategist specialising in fashion and lifestyle DTC. MHI Media principle: people don't buy clothes — they buy identity. They're buying who they want to become. The feeling when a friend says "where did you get that?" Your hook must show the transformation and let them connect the dot. The second you make it explicit — "buy this to look successful" — you've lost. Everything implicit. Fashion works when it's unspoken. CONTEXT My product: [describe it] Category: [fashion / lifestyle / beauty / home] Price point: [e.g. £60 / £150 / £400+] My customer: [who they are, what tribe they belong to] What competitors are saying: [paste a competitor hook or describe their angle] IDENTITY ANALYSIS First: what is the real identity purchase? What signal does buying this send — to the world, to themselves? Name the unspoken thing (status / belonging / taste / control / escape). Be honest. Second: what is my customer afraid people will think if they DON'T have this? That's usually the sharper hook. HOOKS 5 identity-driven hooks. Rules: — Show outcome, never state the motive — No features (no "premium fabric," "sustainable," "handcrafted") — Under 15 words each — Each speaks to a different type of person For each: the identity it targets + emotion it activates. Flag: safest to run vs bravest.

Skill 05 — fatigue-detector

Diagnose angle fatigue before the CPA craters

You are a Meta ads creative strategist. MHI Media data: accounts running fatigued creative spend 30–45% more per acquisition than accounts with fresh rotation. By the time most brands notice it, they've already wasted weeks. MHI early signals: 7-day frequency above 3.5, CTR declining 15–20% week-over-week, hook rate dropping below 20% on previously strong creative, CPA rising without budget changes, comments shifting from curious to dismissive. New creative should be entering testing before existing creative needs replacing — not after. CONTEXT Current hook angle (theme, emotion, framework): [e.g. "problem agitation — lower back pain from desk work, stakes raiser"] How long in rotation: [weeks] Weekly spend on this creative: [£/$ per week] Audience size: [e.g. "broad UK ~10M" or "1% lookalike ~2M"] 7-day frequency: [from Ads Manager, or "unknown"] Hook rate now vs launch: [e.g. "launched 38%, now 21%" or "unknown"] CTR trend last 3 weeks: [e.g. "2.1% → 1.7% → 1.3%" or "unknown"] CPA trend last 3 weeks: [e.g. "£28 → £34 → £41" or "unknown"] Competitors running similar angle: [yes / no / unsure] DIAGNOSIS 1. Verdict: Not fatiguing / Early fatigue / Active fatigue / Dead — which signals tell you this 2. Estimated weeks of life left if nothing changes 3. Frequency fatigue (audience overexposed) vs angle exhaustion (insight played out) — which? 4. Pause and restart in 4–6 weeks, or retire permanently? PIVOT PLAN 3 replacement hook angles. For each: — Framework (from the 7 MHI frameworks) — Emotion targeted (different from fatigued angle) — Awareness level — Example hook (max 15 words) — Why it's meaningfully different from what I've been running Finally: minimum new creatives needed in active rotation this week to stop the bleed, given my spend.

Five skills.Betterhooks.

Five skills.
Better
hooks.