Hook grader for X posts

Paste the first line of your post and get a grade from A to F against six clear rules. Every point is explained, so you know exactly what to fix.

  • Runs in your browser
  • Nothing uploaded
  • No sign up
Only the first line is graded.
Examples
A90 / 100

A heuristic checklist score, not a prediction of how the post will perform.

A
90+
B
80+
C
70+
D
60+
F
<60

Length

100 / 100 · weight 15

14 words. Readable at a glance.

  • 14 words
How it is scored

Counts the words in the first line. 5 to 14 words scores full marks, and the score falls away on either side.

Specificity

65 / 100 · weight 20

One concrete detail. A second one would make it sharper.

  • $12,000
How it is scored

Looks for numbers, amounts, percentages, names of people, products or places, and @handles.

Tension or promise

100 / 100 · weight 20

Clear tension and a reason to keep reading.

  • nobody
  • learned
  • colon
How it is scored

Looks for contrast words like but, instead or stopped, promise words like how, why, lessons or steps, a question, or a colon that sets up a payoff.

Clarity

100 / 100 · weight 15

Plain words throughout.

How it is scored

Takes points off for jargon and buzzwords, for words in capitals used as shouting, and for very long words.

Filler words

100 / 100 · weight 15

No filler words.

How it is scored

Takes points off for words that add length but no meaning, such as just, really, very, basically and I think.

First five words

80 / 100 · weight 15

The first five words already earn attention.

  • "I spent $12,000 on ads"
  • concrete detail
How it is scored

Looks at the first five words alone. Rewards a number, a name, a contrast or a promise there, and takes points off for warm up openers.

Live. Everything runs on your device.Nothing is uploaded

How to use the hook grader

  1. 1

    Paste your first line

    Only the first line is graded, because that is what readers see first.

  2. 2

    Read the grade

    The letter sums up six weighted rules. It is a checklist, not a forecast.

  3. 3

    Open the weakest rule

    Its verdict and chips show exactly which words cost points.

  4. 4

    Rewrite and compare

    Change one thing at a time; the grade updates as you type.

  5. 5

    Borrow a pattern if stuck

    Copy a template from the hook library and fill in your own details.

What makes a good hook: the six rules

Each rule scores 0 to 100 and is weighted into the total. Simple enough to check by hand.

  • Length

    weight 15

    5 to 14 words scores full marks.

    Short enough to read at a glance

  • Specificity

    weight 20

    Numbers, amounts, names, products, @handles.

    $12,000 · 7 emails · Relay

  • Tension or promise

    weight 20

    Contrast, a promise, a question or a colon payoff.

    but · instead · how · why

  • Clarity

    weight 15

    Loses points for jargon, shouting and long words.

    synergy · SEAMLESS

  • Filler words

    weight 15

    Loses 25 points per empty word.

    just · really · I think

  • First five words

    weight 15

    Rewards a strong start, punishes warm ups.

    So I just wanted to…

Grade bands. A clean line with no details usually lands around C.
below 6060+70+80+90+

Only the first line

The grader stops at the first line break. On X, that line carries the post in the timeline.

Hook examples, scored before and after

Scored by the same rules as the tool. The product is made up.

F51 / 100Before

So I just wanted to share some thoughts on onboarding.

  • Length 100
  • Specificity 15
  • Tension or promise 20
  • Clarity 100
  • Filler words 75
  • First five words 20
C79 / 100After

We cut onboarding from 7 emails to 3, and more people finished setup.

  • Length 100
  • Specificity 90
  • Tension or promise 20
  • Clarity 100
  • Filler words 100
  • First five words 80

Warm up and filler out; a before and after with two numbers in.

D65 / 100Before

Excited to announce our new AI powered analytics dashboard!

  • Length 100
  • Specificity 65
  • Tension or promise 20
  • Clarity 100
  • Filler words 100
  • First five words 20
B81 / 100After

Reports that took six clicks in Relay now take one.

  • Length 100
  • Specificity 100
  • Tension or promise 20
  • Clarity 100
  • Filler words 100
  • First five words 80

It stopped announcing and started showing.

C72 / 100Before

Here are some tips for writing better.

  • Length 100
  • Specificity 15
  • Tension or promise 65
  • Clarity 100
  • Filler words 100
  • First five words 75
B84 / 100After

I rewrote 40 landing pages last year. The fix was the same every time: cut the first paragraph.

  • Length 75
  • Specificity 90
  • Tension or promise 65
  • Clarity 100
  • Filler words 100
  • First five words 80

Same promise, now with a source and a hint of the payoff.

Hook templates for X: 42 patterns by goal

Copy a template, replace the parts in brackets with your own true details, then grade it. Examples use invented figures.

Launch hooks

Announcing something new. Lead with what changed for the reader, not with how you feel about it.

  • The shipped result

    [Product] now [does the job] in [new time], down from [old time].

    Example Relay now deploys in 40 seconds, down from 4 minutes.

  • Before and after

    [Task] used to take [old effort]. As of today it takes [new effort].

    Example Exporting a report used to take six clicks. As of today it takes one.

Lesson hooks

Sharing what you learned. The cost of the lesson is what makes it worth reading.

  • The price of the lesson

    I lost [amount] learning [lesson]. Here it is for free.

    Example I lost $8,000 learning to sign contracts before starting work. Here it is for free.

  • Numbered regrets

    [Number] things I wish I knew before [milestone]:

    Example 5 things I wish I knew before hiring our first engineer:

Contrarian hooks

Disagreeing with common advice. Be specific about who the advice fails, or it reads as a stunt.

  • Stop and swap

    Stop [common practice]. [Alternative] works better for [who].

    Example Stop posting daily. Three strong posts a week works better for small accounts.

  • Overrated, underrated

    [Popular thing] is overrated for [audience]. [Alternative] is underrated.

    Example Growth hacks are overrated for B2B founders. Answering every support email yourself is underrated.

Data hooks

Leading with a number. The number must be real and the reader must know what it measures.

  • The surprising share

    [Percent] of our [users] [surprising behaviour].

    Example 62% of our users never open the dashboard. They live in the email digest.

  • We measured it

    We measured [thing] for [period]. [Result].

    Example We measured our page load for 30 days. Fonts were half the wait.

Story hooks

Opening a scene. Start in the middle of the moment, with a time, a place or a person.

  • Cold open

    At [time] on [day], [event].

    Example At 2am on launch day, our database ran out of disk.

  • The message

    A [person] wrote to us: "[short quote]". Here is what we did next.

    Example A customer wrote to us: "I'm cancelling, but not for the reason you think." Here is what we did next.

How to hooks

Teaching a method. Promise a result and give a sense of the effort it takes.

  • Steps to a result

    How to [result] in [number] steps, without [pain]:

    Example How to write a changelog in 3 steps, without a meeting:

  • The exact template

    The exact [template] I use to [task]:

    Example The exact email I use to follow up after a demo:

What a grade cannot tell you

It is a checklist, not a model of the timeline. It has no performance data and makes no claim about reach.

  • It cannot judge truth

    A made up number scores as well as a real one.

  • It cannot judge fit

    A playful one word hook can suit your account and still score low.

  • Patterns can be overdone

    If every post opens with a number and a colon, vary it.

  • It reads English

    Other languages score unpredictably.

More than one opening to choose from

In Kairo Post you can ask a draft for a different opening while the facts stay the same, then pick one. Nothing publishes without your approval. See the AI writing feature, check the body with the AI phrase checker, or browse all tools for X.

Hook grader FAQ

What makes a good hook for an X post?
It is short enough to read at a glance, specific enough to believe, and gives a reason to keep reading: a contrast, a promise or a question. It starts strong in the first five words.
Does a high grade mean my post will do well?
No. The grade checks six writing rules. Performance depends on audience, timing, topic and the rest of the post. Use the grade to catch weak lines, not to predict results.
How is the score calculated?
Six rules score 0 to 100 each. The total is a weighted average: specificity and tension weigh 20, the other four weigh 15. 90 and above is an A, 80 a B, 70 a C, 60 a D, below that an F.
Why does my hook lose points for words like just or really?
They add length without meaning and push the interesting part further from the start. Each filler word takes 25 points off the filler rule.
Why is a name at the start of my line not counted as specific?
Names are spotted by their capital letter, and the first word of a line is always capitalised, so the grader cannot tell them apart there. Numbers always count.
Can I use the hook templates for my own posts?
Yes. Replace every part in square brackets with your own real details. A template filled with vague words scores poorly and reads poorly.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. The grader is a set of rules that runs in your browser, with no sign up and no cost. Nothing is uploaded or sent to an AI model.

Written by Jonas Ben, founder of Kairo Post. Updated .

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