---
name: hook-engine
description: "6 hook types × platform compatibility matrix"
plugin: git-plugin-amc
---

# Skill · Hook Engine
# F&B Content Engine · core/hook-engine.md
# ─────────────────────────────────────────

## Purpose

Every post needs a hook — the single line or frame that stops the scroll
and creates an emotion BEFORE the audience reads or watches further.

Food hooks must create EMOTION (craving / curiosity / comfort).
Pure information is NOT a hook.

---

## The 6 Hook Types

### 1 · Craving Hook (smell / sizzle / steam)

Make them hungry before they see the photo.

**Best platforms:** Instagram ★★★ · TikTok ★★★ · RedNote ★★★

**Examples:**
- "That sizzle when the wok hits the oil... 🔥"
- "Close your eyes. Now imagine 麻辣香锅. That's what we just made."
- "Steam rising. Chopsticks ready. You know what time it is."
- "The sound your lunch makes when it's almost ready."

**Writing rule:** Use sensory verbs. Sizzle, steam, pour, drip, pull, wrap, char.

---

### 2 · Deal Hook (value first)

Lead with the number. Price, portion, or saving — upfront, not buried.

**Best platforms:** Instagram ★★★ · RedNote ★★★ · Facebook ★★★

**Examples:**
- "$12.90 lunch set. Feeds two. You do the math."
- "Family meal for 4 under $40. Yes, really."
- "This combo just dropped and it's cheaper than cooking at home."
- "Lunch special ends at 3pm. Don't say we didn't warn you."

**Writing rule:** Never bury the price. It must be in the first line or on screen in the first 2 seconds.

---

### 3 · Discovery Hook (something new or hidden)

Make them feel like they found something others don't know about yet.

**Best platforms:** RedNote ★★★ · Instagram ★★★ · TikTok ★★★

**Examples:**
- "We added this to the menu and nobody can stop ordering it."
- "Hidden menu item: most people don't know we make this fresh daily."
- "The dish our regulars always order but never appears on the front page."
- "Ask for this by name. It's not on the photo menu."

**Writing rule:** Frame it as insider knowledge. The reader should feel privileged.

---

### 4 · Community Hook (social proof / belonging)

Anchor the content in what real people are doing and ordering.

**Best platforms:** Facebook ★★★ · RedNote ★★ · Instagram ★★

**Examples:**
- "Our regulars order this 200+ times a week."
- "The dish that keeps the neighborhood coming back."
- "You asked for it. It's back."
- "When the lunch rush hits and everyone orders the same thing — this is why."

**Writing rule:** Use real numbers when possible. "200+ times a week" beats "very popular".

---

### 5 · Contrarian Hook (challenge a food assumption)

Start with an opinion that pushes back against a common belief.

**Best platforms:** X ★★★ · TikTok ★★★

**Examples:**
- "Delivery doesn't mean soggy. Not ours anyway."
- "You don't need to spend $30 for great Chinese food."
- "Authentic doesn't mean complicated. Our best dish has 4 ingredients."
- "Hot food delivered cold is a choice. We chose differently."

**Writing rule:** The opinion must be defensible and specific to your product.
Never attack competitors by name (YELLOW compliance flag).

---

### 6 · Behind-the-Scenes Hook (kitchen / process / realness)

Pull back the curtain. Show the work behind the food.

**Best platforms:** TikTok ★★★ · IG Reels ★★ · YouTube ★★★ · RedNote ★★★

**Examples:**
- "5am. Wok already hot. This is how your lunch gets made."
- "Hand-pulled noodles. No machine. Just skill and 30 years of practice."
- "What goes into a $12.90 set meal. (More than you think.)"
- "The prep that happens before we open so your food is ready in 15 minutes."

**Writing rule:** The rawer and more real, the better. Imperfection reads as authenticity.

---

## Platform Compatibility Matrix

| Hook Type | IG | TikTok | RedNote | FB | YT | X |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craving | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★ |
| Deal | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★ | ★ |
| Discovery | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★★ |
| Community | ★★ | ★ | ★★ | ★★★ | ★ | ★ |
| Contrarian | ★ | ★★★ | ★ | ★ | ★★ | ★★★ |
| BTS | ★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★★ | ★ |

★★★ Primary fit · ★★ Works well · ★ Use sparingly

---

## Rules

1. **Test 2-3 hooks per topic** before committing. The best hook isn't always obvious.
2. **Track engagement per hook type per platform.** Update this file weekly.
3. **Remove underperformers monthly.** Add new winners from top-performing posts.
4. **The Instagram hook is almost never the same as the RedNote hook.** Different audiences, different triggers.
5. **One hook per post.** Mixing hook types dilutes the emotional signal.

---

## Maintenance

This file is a living document. After every weekly review ([[core/scheduling]]):
- Note which hook type drove the highest engagement per platform
- Add new hook examples that performed well
- Remove examples that fell flat
- Update the compatibility matrix if patterns shift