Hook Duel: free copywriting game, which ad hook wins?

What is Hook Duel?

Two hooks for the same product: ad headlines, email subjects, video openings, buttons. Pick the one that performed better, then see the results and the copywriting principle that made it win.

Hook Duel is an A/B testing game for copywriters, marketers and anyone who writes headlines. Each round shows two hooks for the same product: an ad headline, an email subject line, the first line of a short video, a button. Pick the one that performed better.

Then you see the results and the copywriting principle behind the winner: specificity, benefits over announcements, social proof, loss aversion, curiosity with a promise, clarity over cleverness. Results are illustrative, but the principles are the ones that win real tests.

At a glance

Category

Skillz

Difficulty

Easy

Play time

3–5 min

Price

Free, in your browser, sign-up optional

How to play

Compare

Two hooks, same product, same audience.

Pick

Tap the one you think won: more clicks, opens or sign-ups.

Reveal

See both results and the principle behind the winner.

Climb

Duels get subtler as you go. A wrong pick costs a life.

Strategy and tips

Hunt the specifics

Numbers, amounts and outcomes usually beat adjectives.

Who is it about?

Hooks about the reader (you) beat hooks about the brand (we).

Kill the objection

Answering the fear (contract, price, time) often wins over a nicer slogan.

First second counts

In video, a bold claim beats a greeting.

Short on mobile

Subject lines get cut: front-load the value.

Why play Hook Duel?

Great copy is mostly a set of repeatable principles. Comparing pairs trains you to see them, so you write stronger hooks and predict A/B tests before you run them.

Frequently asked questions