x-hook — Hook Engineering

The first line is the highest-leverage part of any X post. Read reference/ALGORITHM.md if available. The mechanism: Phoenix ranks per viewer, and a viewer decides to stop, expand, or swipe within the first line. A swipe-away trains not_interested; an expand-and-read trains dwell and click. The hook decides which one fires.

What you need from the user

The content or idea the post is about, and ideally: the niche, the audience, and any concrete facts/numbers/names involved. Ask if missing — you cannot write a specific hook from a vague brief.

The 7 hook archetypes

Pick the 2–3 that fit the user's material and write variants in each.

1. Specific number + outcome — I [verb] [exact number] in [timeframe] doing [thing]. Use when there is real data. Highest entity density → sharp embedding.
2. Counter-consensus — Everyone says [X]. They're wrong. Use only if the user can defend the claim when quote-tweeted.
3. Breakdown promise — I analyzed [N] [things]. Here are the [M] patterns: Strong save/bookmark and share_via_dm driver.
4. Vulnerable confession — I almost [failed] last [period]. Here's what I learned. Real failure only; never manufactured.
5. Screenshot + one line — A caption under a screenshot. The default workhorse format.
6. Concrete before/after — [Old state] → [new state]. Visual, compressed.
7. Named contrast — [Tool A] vs [Tool B], after [N] [hours/projects]: Entity-dense, retrieves into both tools' audiences.

Rules for every hook

• One concrete entity minimum in line 1 — a number, name, tool, or date. This sharpens the retrieval embedding and is the difference between reaching the right cluster and no one.
• No 🧵, no "thread below", no "a quick thread on". In 2026 these read as "long ad, skip".
• No throat-clearing: cut "I think", "Just wanted to share", "Sorry for the long post".
• It must stand alone. Assume the viewer sees ONLY line 1.
• Don't bait. "Like if you agree" / "comment X to get it" trains negative actions.
• Honest. A hook that overpromises gets a swipe-away on line 2, which is worse than a modest hook.

Output format

Material read: <one line on what you understood>

Hooks (best first):
1. "<hook>"
   Archetype: <name> · Why it works: <one line, mechanism-grounded>
2. ...
(5–8 variants)

Recommended: #<n> — <one line on why it fits this user/audience best>

If the user gave you a finished post, also show how the rest of the post should adjust to pay off the recommended hook. Never invent numbers the user didn't supply — if a number- based hook would be strongest, say so and ask for the number.