Introduction Hook Ideas

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Ideas for Introduction Hooks (what you might have as the very first part of your intro.)

1. A factual statement or a summary who-what-where-when-and-why lead-in (only use if required.)

Texas's first execution of a woman in twenty-two years occurred September 17 at the Huntsville Unit of the state's Department of Corrections, despite the protests of various human rights groups around the country.

2. A question (only use if it’s a unique question)

It is three times the number of people who belong to the Southern Baptist Convention, nine times the number who serve in the U.S. armed forces, and more than twice the number who voted for Barry Goldwater for President in 1964.  What is it?  It's the number of people in the United States who admit to having smoked marijuana: a massive 62 million.

3. A paradoxical or intriguing statement

“Always remember that you are absolutely unique.  Just like everyone else,” said cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead.  We see this paradox often played out in high school.  All students are trying to be different but in doing so, they are also acting just like everyone else.  Our identities may seem like unique and separate entities, but our cultural traditions and beliefs highly shape who we are.

4. An arresting statistic or shocking statement

One of every seven women living in Smith County will be raped this year, according to a recent report prepared by the County Rape Information and Counseling Services.

5. A quotation or literary allusion

“I was doing sketches that were funny but socially irresponsible.  I felt I was deliberately being encouraged and I was overwhelmed.”  Dave Chapelle has identified one of the main problems with comedy:  where do we draw the line?  What is considered racist and what is considered just a joke?

6. A catalog of relevant examples

A two-hundred-pound teenager quit school because no desk would hold her.  A three-hundred-pound chef who could no longer stand on his feet was fired.  A three-hundred-fifty-pound truck driver broke furniture in his friends' houses.  All these people are now living healthier, happier, and thinner lives, thanks to the remarkable intestinal bypass surgery first developed in 1967.

7. A relevant story, joke, or anecdote

“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty.  She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the hell she is.”  Ellen DeGeneres’s words might make us laugh, but exercising daily is a serious matter especially for a culture that has become increasingly overweight and unhealthy.

8. A description, often used for emotional appeal

With one eye blackened, one arm in a cast, and third-degree burns on both her legs, the pretty, blond two-year-old seeks corners of rooms, refuses to speak, and shakes violently at the sound of loud noises.  Tammy is not the victim of a war or a natural disaster; rather, she is the helpless victim of her parents, one of the thousands of children who suffer daily from America's hidden crime, child abuse.

9. An analogy or comparison

The Romans kept geese on their Capitol Hill to cackle alarm in the event of attack by night.  Modern Americans, despite their technology, have hardly improved on that old system of protection.  According to the latest Safety Council report, almost any door with standard locks can be opened easily with a common plastic credit card.

10. A contrast

Ten massive bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, a luxurious chandelier above the 20-seat dining table, white leather furniture, a 20-seat home movie theater, two swimming pools, a tennis court, a 10-car garage filled with sports cars.  While most of us can only aspire to living like movie stars, a homeless person might aspire merely to have a good shower in a clean bathroom. 

11. A personal experience

I asked my four-year-old daughter if she wanted to play basketball, and she replied, “Girls can’t play basketball!” In horror, I proceeded to show her Diana Taurasi’s top 10 plays on YouTube to which my daughter exclaimed, “Whoa!  She’s gooder than Michael Jordan!” The gender roles that are ingrained at a very young age by media and society require proactive and continually combatting.

12. A statement of a problem or a popular misconception.

Contrary to popular belief, finding a Tootsie Pop wrapper with a Native American shooting a star on it will not earn you a free Tootsie Pop.  Still, it’s nice to imagine that there are still things that are free in our world.  With today’s increasing cost of living, however, anything free is most likely just a part of our imagination.