I have two nieces, ages 12 and 8, whom I regularly spend time with on the phone, because they live out of state.
The older niece is about as close as one can come to the Gen Z/Gen Alpha cusp. Had she been born three days earlier, she’d be among the youngest members of Gen Z. As things are, she is one of the oldest Gen Alpha-ers. And she and her peers will be among your future prom and bridal customers before too long.
I have learned, by observing her behavior during our nightly screen-share scrolls through social media, exactly what captures her attention. And it’s so interesting to me, because again and again the number-one thing that matters – beyond topic, creator/company, aesthetics or how much effort went into a post – is how quickly something captures her attention.
Literally, if a post or video (and she much prefers the latter) doesn’t grab her in about two seconds she will tell me to scroll. It doesn’t matter what it’s about; she loses interest or gets hooked that fast. At her direction, we have bypassed a ton of potentially very interesting and clearly well put-together content simply because the intro is too slow.
The flip side is that if something DOES grab her attention, she will typically see the post through until the end, unless it is ultra wordy or boring.
This seems to be a habit among her peers – and it really has me reflecting on what is most important when creating content, especially for the younger generations. The article in VOWS October issue, Digital Courtship (pg. 68), mentions that brides won’t wait around for a slow website, with about half clicking away if it takes more than two seconds to load. This same formula can be applied to social-media content, although rather than load time they are judging hooks that either grab attention or encourage them to scroll away.
Sure, there are exceptions, such as if it’s a creator they love or they’re particularly interested in a topic and willing to give it a bit more time. But generally speaking, and especially considering how saturated the internet is with countless posts on each particular subject every hour, your focus should absolutely center around creating a hook that grabs attention instantly.
Specifically focus on:
• A bold, eye-catching photo, video or graphic. Bright colors, movement, unusual framing or expressive faces work especially well.
• Clear, punchy hook. The very first line must spark curiosity or emotion. It should be short, simple and either surprising, relatable or intriguing enough to make people want more. i.e. The truth about ______ nobody talks about” or “Three things you can do right now to _____”
• Emotion. People engage when they feel something. Humor, inspiration, relatability or even a little controversy can draw them in. If the post instantly answers “Why should I care?” you’ll keep their attention. i.e. “POV: You finally ____ after waiting forever” or “Tell me I’m not the only one who _____”
These are just some examples; there are many ways to approach it. The universal truth, however, is that you must think of your hook as a dress in the window: if it doesn’t turn heads right away, no one comes inside.
