Your hook is the whole game.

If you don’t earn their attention in the first line, you’ll never earn their trust, buy-in, or investment.

That’s the brutal truth, and the hidden advantage, of founder storytelling.

In this week’s Storytelling for Entrepreneurs Newsletter, we’re breaking down the science and art of the hook: the opening line that decides whether your audience leans in or tunes out. Inside, you’ll discover:

Enjoy sharpening your edge… LG

You have 7 seconds.

Seven seconds before your audience decides whether they’re going to listen to your founder story or check out, glance at their phone, or start planning dinner. That’s it, according to research by behavioral scientist Vanessa Van Edwards.

It comes from this evolutionary survival mechanism, where our brains instantly process qualities to evaluate safety or danger. 

TV research shows viewers often give a show only a few seconds before deciding to change the channel. When they’re surfing, many make that choice in under 5–10 seconds. That’s why TV writers obsess over the opening shot or line: if you don’t grab them immediately, they’re gone.

I learned that lesson in spades producing my first primetime TV show, American Made. We had to make sure those opening moments sucked people in or they were lost. The remote control in their hand held your show’s fate.

One of the reasons our show became the #1 program on CNBC was that we immediately pulled viewers into the lives of the entrepreneurs we were filming.

Whether it was the founder of Starbucks talking about growing up in poverty and how success hinged on a gray area of perseverance, or the founder of Harley-Davidson describing how their brand was as American as baseball, motherhood, and apple pie, we had to strike an emotional chord at the very beginning or we’d lose them to some mind-numbing comedy show.

Because if you can't win their attention in seconds, you may never get the chance to share what really matters. 

Your founder story faces the exact same brutal reality.

Sure, the time window varies: in an elevator, maybe you get 15 seconds; on social media, 3 seconds; pitching in a competition, 30 seconds; selling to a customer face-to-face, maybe 2 minutes. But the principle doesn’t change.

If you don’t hook your audience immediately, they’re gone. 

That’s the difference between a founder story that dies in those first few seconds and one that creates raving fans, committed investors, and loyal customers.

A story hook is a deliberate, creative way to instantly grab your audience’s attention. It’s the first line or moment that holds them completely. Think of it as opening the door to your audience’s mind and establishing a foothold so you can share the rest of your story and vision.

(Here’s a short video I did on this topic: Your Story Needs a Hook)

Because you’re not just sharing your story, you’re convincing them to care. And a great hook is the fastest, most powerful way to start that convincing process.

So how do you make them care? You start with the fire.

David Ogilvy, the advertising legend, said: “When you advertise fire extinguishers, open with the fire!” Not the features. Not the benefits. Not the corporate vision. The fire.

Your founder story needs its own fire moment, something that forces people to stop mid-conversation and say, “Wait, what happened next?”

Look at Brian Chesky of Airbnb. He doesn’t say, “I’m the CEO of a travel platform that revolutionizes accommodation.” He says:

Feel the difference? One is a corporate pitch. The other is a vivid moment you can see and feel. That’s what a hook does. It buys you time. It earns you the next line.

The most critical reason you need a hook is simple: time. You’re not just competing against other founders. You’re competing against every distraction in their life.

A great hook can silence that noise in seconds. That’s why you open with fire so they have few options, but to pay attention to the fire in the room. 

Gary Vaynerchuk, founder of VaynerMedia, doesn’t lead with, “I built a multimillion-dollar wine business and media empire.”

He says,

A stellar hook doesn’t just grab attention; it creates connection. It moves your audience. It makes them relate.

When you share a hook that’s personal, specific, and even vulnerable, you’re building a bridge between your experience and theirs. That bridge is how you get them to know, like, and trust you.

People don’t remember abstract corporate visions. They remember moments that felt real.

Tony Horton, creator of the $400M brand P90X, once explained that he had to make people laugh or surprise them in the first minute of a workout video or they’d quit. He doesn’t say, “I’m a trainer.” He jokes, banters, and surprises you, unconsciously pulling you into his sweat-infused sessions because he makes you feel comfortable and entertained while so you want to feel the burn with him.

Your hook is more than bait. It frames your entire story. It tells people what’s coming, sets expectations, and sparks curiosity.

It’s your headline. Your teaser. Your promise. And when you get it right, it avoids disappointment by giving your audience a reason to listen and a sense of where you're taking them.

I saw this masterfully in action attending Tony Robbins’ multi-day events. He’s on stage for 10–14 hours at a time, yet he constantly pulls you in with powerful stories to frame each lesson.

When he wants you to embrace uncertainty and risk, he starts with:

It’s the same storytelling skill he brings to the 100+ privately held businesses he owns or runs, a consistent ability to frame ideas in ways that grab attention and drive action.

Don’t forget: your hook creates your first impression. And first impressions last long after you’ve finished talking.

Your opening sets the tone. It’s your chance to control what they remember about you. Make sure it’s something they want to carry with them.

Daymond John, founder of FUBU, doesn’t say, “I’m a fashion entrepreneur and Shark Tank investor.” He says:

You can see him. Young. Hustling. Sewing machine humming. One sentence gives you the entire movie in your head.

A hook isn’t optional. It’s essential. It’s the difference between being ignored and being invested in. Between talking to the back of someone’s head and watching them lean forward, completely engaged.

So find your fire. Because without it, you don’t have a story at all.

Next week, I’m going to dive into show you exactly how to create a hook that will stop them in their tracks and have them wanting to know more so I’ll save the Storytelling Lessons section to allow you to really get hooked on this whole thing. 

Facebook and Nielsen found that 65% of people who watch the first three seconds of a video will watch at least ten seconds, and 45% keep watching for thirty seconds. It’s proof that grabbing attention immediately isn’t optional, it’s the difference between getting ignored and getting heard.

Your founder story works the same way: you have only seconds to make someone lean in. That’s why crafting a strong, irresistible hook is critical, it buys you those next precious seconds to tell the rest of your story.

Thread Wallets nails the art of the hook in their playful, cinematic brand film “Thread Wallets® - Origin Story”. The first seven seconds promise love, adventure, and murder, immediately pulling you in with sharp visuals, quirky music, and on-screen graphics that make you want to know more. It not only grabs your attention, it makes you until the very end. If you want to see a founder story that people actually watch, this is it.