đź’ˇ Make your ideas less boring

5 ways to get more attention on your content without using generic hooks and templates

We've all been there: it's that exhilarating moment when a brilliant idea strikes and you're buzzing to unleash it upon the world. You hit that publish button, expecting to receive a virtual standing ovation. Instead, you feel a pang of disappointment when all you hear is silence.

As creators, we’re brimming with ideas that we find interesting. The difficulty is making other people interested in them. In an attempt to stand out from the noise of endless content, most of us think about using engaging hooks, but here’s where another problem lies: a lot of hooks are overused.

Sure, some of these formats might have their place. But what started out as a great idea can easily turn into something boring and generic when everyone’s packaging their ideas in the same way. To truly make scroll-stopping content, it's time to break free from predictability and infuse creativity into your approach.

So how can you make your ideas less boring?

Embrace Unconventional Angles

Instead of settling for a generic approach to a topic, take a step back and look for a fresh perspective. I’m sure there are many articles that explore dating, but this article, “I Went to a Bumble IRL Event And Finally Understood Why Modern Dating is a Mess”, is able to stand out by taking a different approach: interviewing 50 single people about their dating experiences.

Target your audience

Make your content as specific as possible by mentioning your audience directly, naming the problem they’re struggling with, or describing their situation. This video could have been called “5 exercises to grow your glutes”, but instead it addresses the problem that the audience struggles with: “Rounder Glutes: 5 Mistakes Keeping Your Butt Flat”. By diving deeper into the “why” of the problem (a flat bum), it appeals directly to the audience and makes the “how” (glute exercises) much more interesting.

Inject Your Personality

Using your unique voice and stories is a guaranteed way to avoid generic content. Infuse your content with your personal experiences, anecdotes, and insights. Share your wins and losses, your triumphs and failures. Kieran’s viral tweet is a great example of this. Instead of the standard “life lessons” thread, he shares his personal story to be make it more memorable.

Use someone else’s popularity

Celebrities, politicians, entrepreneurs, and famous content creators can give your content an instant boost, especially when they're trending. There’s a lot of videos on how to grow on YouTube, but Paddy Galloway leveraged MrBeast’s popularity and attracted over 450k views with his video, “How MrBeast Made YouTube’s Greatest Video (Genius Strategy)”.

Use non-verbal hooks

When it comes to captivating our audience, we tend to fixate on the words we use. But here's something we often forget: visual cues can be a game changer. If you're a video creator, think about a killer backdrop, some captivating B-roll footage, or a unique camera angle. If you’re a writer, don't underestimate the power of visuals to spice up your writing and keep your readers hooked. This is something Lawrence Yeo does to gain millions of impressions on his articles.

Content is an attention game. You might have some great ideas, but ask yourself: are they interesting enough for others to stop scrolling? Skip the generic hacks and templates, it’s time to get truly creative.

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Stay passionate,

Akta