How to write introductions to hook and engage your readers (+ free 50 hooks templates)

If your introduction starts with “In today’s fast-paced world…” or “Let’s talk about the importance of…”, the answer is no.

Your reader’s attention span is shorter than a TikTok video, and you just wasted their first five seconds on a sentence that says nothing. Say goodbye.

So, how do you write an introduction that grabs them by the eyeballs and refuses to let go? With structure. With strategy. With six ridiculously effective frameworks that make writing a banger opening easier than your morning coffee order.

Because if your intro doesn’t hook, nothing else matters. Let’s fix that.

TL;DR

• A strong introduction is non-negotiable. It hooks readers, sets expectations, and keeps them from bouncing.
• Think of your intro like an ATF homepage. Headline, subheading, strong visual (or analogy), and a clear CTA.
• Use proven frameworks to structure your intros. PAS, BAB, FAB, 4Ps, PASTOR, and QUEST make writing 10x easier.
• You don’t have to memorize every framework. Steal the ones that work best for your style (or grab our free hook templates!).
• Want to go beyond intros? The Art of Storytelling course at dslx Academy helps you master storytelling in both business and creative writing.

The anatomy of a high-converting introduction

Your introduction section is the main event, the opening hook, the moment when readers decide if they’re in or out. 

I break intros down like this:

✅ Grab attention: The first sentence should hit like a homepage headline. No slow build-up, no unnecessary fluff.

✅ Set expectations: What’s on this page? Why does it matter? Clarity wins.

✅ Create intrigue: Don’t spill everything at once. Tease the value and make readers want more.

✅ Lead smoothly into the main content: No abrupt transitions. A good intro sets the stage for what’s coming next.

💡 Ray Berry breaks this down perfectly in his LinkedIn post. He shows exactly how to structure introductions with a homepage-style approach—hook first, value second, and always keep the reader’s attention in mind.  His insights on crafting powerful intros are worth stealing—uh, I mean *learning from*.

Ray nails the formula for high-converting introductions, and I’m borrowing it directly from his playbook:

1. Your first sentence = The hook. Make it punchy. Make it matter.
2. Your second & third sentences = The subheading. Support your hook, build intrigue, and set the stage.
3. A strong visual. If you can’t use an image, use a visual analogy. Make the reader see what you’re saying.
4. A CTA (yes, in your intro). What’s the takeaway? What will readers walk away with? Make it clear.

Now, let’s talk frameworks. 

6 Frameworks that make writing 10x easier (I use them everywhere)

Most of these frameworks were designed for copywriting—think landing pages, sales emails, ad copy. But I love using them across the board, from blog intros to LinkedIn posts to case studies. 

And every time I do? They hook, engage, and get results.

I've had nothing but positive feedback from my team and clients, so this is me revealing my secrets. 🤫 I also talk about these frameworks in my LinkedIn posts. 

Here’s a quick bite-sized overview of each framework:

Let’s get into all the deets! 

1. PAS: Problem – Agitate – Solution

This one’s a classic for a reason—it hooks readers by leading with what’s wrong, making it feel even worse, and then hinting at the fix.

💡 How to use it in an introduction:

• Problem: Call out a real struggle your reader faces
• Agitate: Make them feel the frustration—highlight the consequences
• Solution:  Offer relief, but don’t give it all away yet—make them want to read on

👉 When to use it? If your blog post is solving a specific problem, PAS is your best bet for making sure people actually care enough to read it.

📌 Example:

Problem: Your sales team spends hours chasing leads that go nowhere.

They’re sending emails, making calls, and following up—but most prospects either ghost them or say, “Not the right time.”

Agitate: And it’s not just frustrating—it’s expensive.

Every wasted hour is lost revenue. Every unqualified lead drains your team’s energy. You’ve invested in the best CRM, automated follow-ups, and even rewritten your pitch. But deals still aren’t closing.

Solution: The problem isn’t your sales team—it’s your lead qualification process.

If you’re talking to the wrong people, no amount of follow-up will change the outcome. But with a few tweaks to your qualification strategy, you can turn dead-end conversations into pipeline gold. Let's break it down.

2. BAB: Before – After – Bridge

BAB is all about transformation. You show the reader where they are (Before), where they could be (After), and how to get there (Bridge). It’s simple, satisfying, and ridiculously effective for writing introductions that make people crave the solution.

💡 Why BAB Works in Introductions:

• It’s relatable: The Before stage mirrors the reader’s current struggles 
• It’s aspirational: The After makes them want the outcome
• It’s actionable: The Bridge teases the exact steps to get there

👉 When to use it? If you’re writing a blog post that teaches, improves, or optimizes something, BAB makes it impossible for readers to walk away.

📌 Example:

Before: Your marketing team is drowning in spreadsheets.

Campaigns are scattered across multiple tools, reports take hours to compile, and no one has a clear view of what’s working.

After: Now imagine a single dashboard that pulls all your data into one place.

Your team can track campaign performance in real time, identify trends instantly, and make data-driven decisions without manual reporting.

Bridge: That’s exactly what [Your SaaS Product] does.

In this guide, we walk you through how to centralize your marketing analytics, eliminate busywork, and get clearer insights—fast.

3. FAB: Feature – Advantage – Benefit

FAB takes a product, feature, or strategy and makes it impossible to ignore. Instead of dumping dry facts, it connects the dots between what something does and why your reader should care.

💡 How to use it in an introduction:

• Feature: What are we talking about? Keep it simple.
• Advantage: Why is this better than the status quo?
• Benefit: What’s in it for the reader? Make it tangible.

👉 When to use it? Think feature breakdowns, SaaS blogs, case studies, and comparison posts.

📌 Example

Feature: Your inbox is a mess—hundreds of emails, lost follow-ups, and scattered conversations.

Manually tracking leads feels impossible. Important deals slip through the cracks.

Advantage: An AI-powered sales assistant can sort, prioritize, and even suggest the best next steps—so you never miss a follow-up again.

It automatically flags high-intent leads, reminds you to check in, and drafts responses based on past conversations.

Benefit: More closed deals, fewer missed opportunities, and a sales team that spends time selling—not chasing emails.

You work smarter, move faster, and hit targets without the burnout.

4. 4Ps: Problem – Promise – Proof – Proposal

If PAS hits hard with the pain, the 4Ps balance the struggle with credibility. This framework highlights a problem and backs up the solution with proof before making a clear proposal. 

💡 How to use it in an introduction:

• Problem: Call out a specific pain point
• Promise: Reassure the reader that there’s a solution
• Proof: Back it up with credibility—stats, case studies, or logic
• Proposal: Lay out what’s coming next in the article

👉 When to use it? 4Ps is perfect for data-backed blog posts, SaaS use cases, and thought leadership content.

📌 Example

Problem: Your churn rate is climbing, and you don’t know why.

You’ve spent months optimizing your onboarding emails, tweaking pricing, and adding features. But customers keep leaving.

Promise: It’s not about your product—it’s about how customers experience it.

‍Retention isn’t just about what you sell—it’s about how users engage with it. And the right strategy can turn churn into long-term loyalty.

Proof: Companies that personalize onboarding see up to a 40% drop in churn.

‍Research from [report X] shows that when users get tailored guidance in their first week, they’re more likely to stick around.

Proposal: In this guide, we break down the onboarding tweaks that actually reduce churn—plus real-world examples from SaaS companies that got it right.

5. PASTOR: Problem – Amplify – Story – Testimony – Offer – Response

The PASTOR framework is credited to Ray Edwards, a renowned copywriter and marketing strategist. He designed this framework as an evolution of the PAS formula, incorporating storytelling, testimonials, and transformation to create more emotionally engaging and persuasive copywriting.

Unlike PAS, which is direct and punchy, PASTOR takes a more narrative approach—guiding readers through a structured storytelling arc that makes them feel seen, understood, and ready to take action.

💡 How to use it in an introduction:

• Problem: Highlight a real struggle
• Amplify: Dig deeper—why does this problem really hurt?
• Story: Drop in a real or hypothetical example to make it tangible
• Testimony: Show that this solution has worked before
• Offer: Tease what’s coming in the article
• Response: Give them a reason to keep reading (or take action)

👉 When to use it? PASTOR is powerful for narrative-driven SaaS content, case studies, and persuasive blog posts. If your article is about solving a big pain point with real-world proof, this intro gets the job done.

📌 Example

Problem: Your customer support team is drowning in tickets.

Every week, they answer the same repetitive questions. Response times are slipping. Customers are frustrated.

Amplify: And it’s costing you more than just time.

Delayed responses mean churn. Bad reviews. Agents who feel overwhelmed and burnt out.

Story: When [startup X] launched, they struggled with the same problem.

‍They were handling 1,000+ tickets a month, manually answering the same five questions over and over. Their churn rate? 20%.

Testimony: Then they introduced AI-powered self-service, and within six months, ticket volume dropped by 60%.

Customer satisfaction skyrocketed, and support agents had more time to handle complex issues.

Offer: In this guide, we’ll show you how to reduce support tickets with smarter automation—without losing the human touch.

Response: Ready to cut your ticket load in half? Keep reading.

6. QUEST: Qualify – Understand – Educate – Stimulate – Transition

QUEST is for guiding readers from curiosity to action. It qualifies who should care, explains why it matters, and nudges them toward a decision.

💡 How to use it in an introduction:

• Qualify: Call out who this article is for
• Understand: Show that you get their challenge or goal
• Educate: Tease a solution or insight they don’t want to miss
• Stimulate: Spark curiosity—give them a reason to keep reading
• Transition: Lead into the main content naturally

👉 When to use it? QUEST is perfect for TOFU (Top of Funnel) SaaS blogs, educational content, and thought leadership pieces. 

📌 Example

Qualify: Struggling to scale your SaaS content marketing?

If your blog traffic is flatlining, engagement is low, and conversions are nonexistent, you’re not alone.

Understand: Most SaaS brands create great content—but no one sees it.

Hitting “publish” isn’t enough. If your content isn’t strategically distributed, it’s just sitting there collecting digital dust.

Educate: The best SaaS companies don’t just write—they amplify.

They repurpose, distribute, and optimize every post for maximum reach and engagement.

Stimulate: Want to know how they do it?

We’re breaking down the exact distribution strategies that drive results—so your content actually works for you.

Transition: Let’s dive in.

While these six frameworks are my go-to for writing killer introductions, they’re far from the only ones out there. 

If you’re the kind of writer who loves to geek out on structure, here are a few more you can dig into:

1. AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action): One of the oldest and most widely used frameworks to guide readers toward taking action.
2. APP (Awareness, Problem, Positioning): Builds awareness of a problem and positions the product as the solution.
3. Star – Story – Solution: Introduces a star (main character), tells a story, and provides a solution.
4. ACCA (Awareness, Comprehension, Conviction, Action): Guides readers from understanding a problem to taking action.
5. Motivating Sequence (Attention, Need, Satisfy, Visualize, Action): A step-by-step process for persuasion.
6. The 5 Basic Objections: Addresses common objections like time, money, belief, and need.
7. The 4Us (Useful, Urgent, Unique, Ultra-specific): Focuses on creating impactful headlines or content.
8. PAPA (Problem, Agitate, Persuade, Ask): Similar to PAS but includes persuasion and asks for action.
9. SLAP (Stop, Look, Action, Purchase): Designed for quick attention-grabbing and conversion-focused writing.

You don’t have to memorize every single one of these. If none of them feel quite right for your style, create your own framework. 

Or, if you just want to grab a solid hook fast, try using one from our hook templates below!

Your 50 introduction hooks: free template!

Everyone at dslx knows that a strong introduction sets the stage for everything that follows. That’s why we’ve put together this plug-and-play template to help you craft compelling hooks with ease. 

Just swap in your topic, audience, and key pain point, and you’ll have an intro that grabs attention and keeps readers hooked. 🎣

Download your free template now!

The hook brings them in, you keep them there

Great introductions don’t just happen—they’re built. And now you’ve got six powerhouse frameworks (plus a collection of plug-and-play hooks) to make every first line count. Hook ‘em so strong, they’ll forget they had 10000+ other tabs open!

And if you want to go beyond intros and master the art of keeping readers engaged, check out The Art of Storytelling course at dslx Academy. It’s packed with storytelling techniques that turn any piece of writing into a page-turner.

See you there! 👋