Published: 12/8/2025

If you don’t have them in the first 10 seconds, you don’t have them at all.

Online? You get 2-3 seconds, max. Don’t let your audience tune out before they’ve even had a chance to tune in.

Whether you’re speaking or writing, online or in person, high-impact communication revolves around landing that opening line to set the tone for what’s to come.

Here's how to engage your audience right away.

Five Ways to Hook Them Instantly

Ask a relevant question. "Have you ever walked into a meeting unprepared and had to wing it?" A question like this engages the audience personally and makes them reflect on their own experience. You could also say “What would you do if…?” or “What happens when…?” to get them actively thinking about your topic instead of what they’re having for lunch later.

Challenge assumptions with a shocking fact. For example, I might say: "Did you know that public speaking is the number one fear in the world – scarier than heights, snakes, and even death?" Surprising stats create curiosity.

Deliver a high-impact quote. "As Maya Angelou said, 'People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'" The right quote frames your message and borrows authority.

Use a prop or physical item related to your topic. If you’re talking about a microchip brain implant, don’t just say it’s the size of a coin. Hold up a coin and tell the audience to imagine something like this interfacing with their brains.

Tell a tight, high-impact personal story. This is often the most powerful hook when done right. But most people start at the beginning. Don't.

Start Stories In Medias Res

In medias res means "in the middle of things"—begin in the crisis, the action, the problem. Waste no time on backstory.

Bad opening: "Three years ago, I was working at this company in Boston, and my boss was really demanding. One day in the fall, I think it was October, she called me into her office..."

Better opening: "My hands were shaking as I held the termination letter. After five years at the company, I had fifteen minutes to pack up my desk."

The second version drops you directly into the emotional moment. You're hooked immediately. Now the speaker has earned the right to fill in the backstory before delivering the resolution.

Engage emotions immediately or lose your audience. Once they're hooked, then you can back up and frame things. But you have to earn that patience first.

Add Value Immediately

Even if you can't give them the full answer in your first sentence, outline what they're going to get.

"In the next three minutes, I'm going to show you how to cut your meeting time in half while actually increasing productivity."

"By the end of this article, you'll have five concrete strategies you can use tomorrow to speak with more confidence."

“Read to the end to see how we solved this issue faster than we had any right to.”

People need to know why they should care. Make the value proposition crystal clear upfront.

Written vs. Spoken Content: Know the Difference

Written content (LinkedIn posts, articles, newsletters) competes with infinite distractions. People can scroll away instantly. Your first sentence better be excellent.

Accompany writing with eye-catching images. A compelling visual stops the scroll. Condense ruthlessly—every word must earn its place. Get to the point faster than feels comfortable.

Spoken content (presentations, speeches, videos) benefits from stronger audience commitment in person. Once someone sits down to hear you speak, they're more invested. This doesn't mean you can waste time, but your overall piece can and should be longer with room to build and develop ideas.

Use slides or visual aids that serve a similar function to images in written content—they break up information and reinforce key points visually.

Both formats demand strong openings. The difference is how much runway you have after the hook.

Keep It Relevant

Know your audience. Who are you talking to? What are their interests, problems, motivations, and goals?

Especially online, you don't have to be 100% relevant to absolutely everyone—that's impossible and dilutes your message. Know your crowd so you can super-serve that slice of the internet or that room who wants exactly what you're offering.

A post about executive leadership won't resonate with college students looking for internships. That's fine. Write for the executives to hold their attention. When you try to be everything to everyone, you end up being nothing to anyone.

Make Every Opening Count

You're competing for attention against everything else demanding it. The opening moment is your only shot.

Ask questions that make them think. Share facts that challenge beliefs. Quote voices they respect. Show them something unexpected. Drop them into the middle of a story that makes them feel something.

Then immediately show them why it matters and what they'll gain by sticking around. Do this consistently, and you won't just grab attention—you'll keep it, and you’ll have people sharing what you said when it’s over.