Design right hooks that work on a phone in ten seconds or less

Most calls to action fail because they ask the brain to do three things at once: decode vague copy, hunt for the next step, and trust an unknown page. On mobile, that’s a losing bet. People are standing in line, juggling bags, and their screen is smudged. Your hook has to be legible, obvious, and low‑friction. One action, one benefit, one button.

Think of the last time you bailed on a checkout. The headline was fluffy, the form wanted your zodiac sign, and the button looked like wallpaper. Compare that to a page that says, “Get the Saturday class pass in 20 seconds,” shows the studio room, and offers Apple Pay. You can feel your thumb relax. The dopamine isn’t in the graphic, it’s in the instant clarity of what you’ll get and how fast you’ll get it.

Behavioral economics calls this reducing cognitive load and decision friction. The Fogg Behavior Model says behavior happens when motivation, ability, and prompt converge. Your right hook’s job is to raise ability (make it easy) while the jabs built motivation. Keep it stupid simple, especially on phones.

Choose one single action you want people to take and strip away every extra link. Write a seven‑word benefit headline, place a big button above the fold, and shorten the form to the bare minimum, offering Apple or Google Pay if you can. Add a quick visual preview so people feel the result before they tap, then test it on your own phone with one thumb. If you can’t complete it comfortably in ten seconds, it’s not ready. Tighten it up and try again tonight.