📘 5-3-1: PASTOR, 6 hook formulas, Lara Acosta

Welcome to the 4th issue of Content Playbook by Kleo.

This week you’ll get:

This newsletter is brought to you by Kleo, the #1 AI personal brand tool.

Before you dive in...

We’re closing the doors to the first-ever Kleo Accelerator.

If you want to spend the next 6 weeks turning your LinkedIn into a profitable inbound engine with direct, live coaching from Lara Acosta, Jake Ward, Rob Hoffman, and Cam Trew... this is your last chance.

94 out of 100 spots are gone.

Grab one of the final 6 spots here before we close.

(Now, let's get into the templates...)

People don’t buy products.

They buy remedies for painful problems.
They buy desirable outcomes.
They buy a new identity.

Ali does a great job of focusing on all 3 of these BEFORE he mentions his product.

Here’s a template to get you started:

Many [people/group] want [desirable change/outcome].

But most of them never [identify invisible barrier that holds them back].

[Identity A] [default behaviour pattern].
[Identity B] [upgraded behaviour pattern].

If you're interested in [achieving the desirable outcome], [introduce your offer/resource and how to access it].

[Post image – e.g. A two-column comparison graphic. Example title: "[Identity A] vs [Identity B]”]

Your audience doesn’t want fresh ideas from you day after day.

As Nikolett learned the hard way: "Repetition builds recognition."

The truth is, you don’t control who sees what you post. It’s a different group of people every time. And even the people who see your content the most will have forgotten all about it a week later.

The most profitable creators aren’t the most original. They talk about the same 10-15 *validated* ideas on repeat. Repeat your message, often.

Here’s a template to get you started:

I [dismissive reaction] at so much [your field/niche] advice.

(And now I wish I'd listened)

When I started, everyone kept saying:

"[Common advice #1]."
"[Common advice #2]."
"[Common advice #3]."

And I thought: yeah, yeah. I'll figure it out my own way.

So I did. [What you actually did – list 2-3 wrong choices/mistakes you made].

It cost me.

The advice I ignored the most: "[The one piece of advice you wish you'd taken, in quote format]."

I thought [why you dismissed it]. That [second reason you dismissed it].
That I needed to [third reason, framed as what you believed instead].

I was wrong.

The [clients/businesses/individuals you now see succeeding]? [Brief description of what they're doing]. They've been [doing the thing you dismissed] for [timeframe]. And it's working.

Because [relatable human truth that explains why the advice works].

[Summarise core lesson].

I just had to learn it the hard way.

[Question for audience or call to action].

[Image that matches the post]

Great copywriters don’t just open a blank doc and write whatever comes to mind. 

They use proven persuasive writing frameworks as skeletons to hang their ideas on.

Justin’s fav? “The PASTOR Method”

See it in action below…

Here’s a template to get you started:

There’s nothing worse than [relatable pain point].

But a lot of [people/group] are in that situation. It sucks.

I can remember [when you experienced this yourself].

[Specific details of your struggle: financial, emotional, professional — give concrete numbers and feelings if possible].

Back then, [explain why things were different].

But today? [Explain how the landscape has changed for the better].

- [Opportunity/option]
- [Opportunity/option]
- [Opportunity/option]

[Optimistic one-liner about the opportunity available].

[Briefly acknowledge any difficulties or roadblocks honestly].

But [restate the core benefit of taking action].

If you don't know how to start, [give one simple first step].

I’ll show you exactly how [mention your resource/offer/lead magnet].

[Outline the value prop].

[Simple next step - CTA].

[Relatable text image to act as a ‘billboard’ for your post]

This is a proven attention-getter and authority-builder (all rolled into one):

2 punchy time-stamped moments that display your story’s key transformation.

You contrast a low point with a high point. The start with the end. This leaves the same unanswered question in the reader’s mind:

“How did that happen?”

Which Morgan goes on to answer in the rest of his post.

Here’s a template to get you started:

[Year]: [Where you struggled or almost gave up]
[Year]: [Where you are now – e.g. same domain, elevated position]

I almost quit [role/pursuit] [timeframe] in. I remember [specific moment of doubt – what you were looking at, thinking, feeling].

I [complained about/struggled with] [specific frustration]. [Another frustration]. [Another frustration].

[Optional: Self-deprecating joke or aside that lightens the weight of the story].

[What you tried: effort you put in that still didn't work, 2–3 short lines].

Still [briefly explain where you were at mentally].

So before [pivotal moment], I made [decision you’d come to].

[Briefly expand on what happened: who was there, their relationship to you, where you were, what you said/did].

What [they said/happened] next [impactful statement]:
"[Question/advice/moment that changed your perspective]."

[Share what you realised].

[The initial change you made/action you took].

[Short timeframe later], [the first result – specific number or milestone]. I still remember the feeling of [what that felt like].

[X years/months] later, I've [stacked accomplishments – numbers, programs, milestones], and I'm [doing the elevated thing from your hook].

So.. before you [quit/give up on] something this year, [ask yourself/remember this]:

[Repeat/reinforce core quote/lesson].

[Key takeaway].

[Image that matches the post]

Below, Cam teases a BIG opportunity in his hook without revealing anything until sentence 6. By which time, the reader has clicked “see more” and is almost halfway through his post.

How?

He taps into FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). He promises insider knowledge that very few know about, and implies the window is closing.
An irresistible way to present a time-sensitive opportunity.

Here’s a template to get you started:

We are staring at the BIGGEST opportunity since [recent reference point] and [historical reference point]. If you're seeing this right now, you're ahead of [large percentage] of [people/group].

This isn't just another [category] post.

For context:

[Name of tool/trend] is [briefly explain what it does/what’s going on].

If you [take relevant action], then [bold claim about what becomes possible].

I can see a future where [vivid, specific prediction].

[Briefly explain how the reader should think about this].

[Audience segment 1]: you need to [specific action].

[Audience segment 2 – if relevant]: [specific action].

Here's how you should get started:

- [Step 1]
- [Step 2]
- [Step 3]

[Sum up opportunity/share key takeaway].

[Image that matches the post]

Ever popped a can of Pringles, eaten one, then – before you can even blink – polished off half a can?

Once the first one hits your tongue, it’s game over! It’s impossible to have just one.

That’s the feeling you want to leave your reader with when they read your hook. “Your hook is 80% of your post” as the saying goes. If it fails to catch attention (and stir up curiosity), then your post goes unread.

So, try Dickie’s ‘6 proven first-sentence formulas’ to brainstorm hooks that actually stop the scroll.

Appreciate someone for showing up in your comments daily?
Tell them.

Used someone’s framework and it actually worked?
Tell them.

Admire a friend for posting consistently?
Tell them.

And don’t *just* leave a comment. Take the extra steps to tell them via DM. They’ll appreciate it more (even if they don’t respond).

Ever wondered how the #1 ranked Global LinkedIn Creator (by Favikon) writes posts quickly and easily?

Here’s how:

In 2022, Lara Acosta deleted her LinkedIn account and started from zero.

18 months later, she became THE leading authority for personal branding on LinkedIn, and has just landed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

The numbers behind the climb:

"I couldn’t find a seat at the table. So I built my own."

In the 4th episode of Creator Spotlight, our host Jake Ward sits down with Lara to unpack how she writes for reach (without sacrificing authority), what actually grows an audience in 2026, and more.

Here are 5 highlights worth bookmarking:

(Btw - We only scratch the surface below. Click here to find the full podcast - goes live on Apr 19th at 10 PM UK time)

Lara still has that negative inner critic. As do most of the successful people she’s met. But she’s learned that it’s a choice to listen to that voice. When you ignore it and take action anyway, that voice gets quieter. Her advice: “Get that micro-win as fast as possible.”

Too many creators limit their reach. They get hyper-specific trying to only target their ICP. But here's the thing - “the more people you reach, the more people flow into your funnel.” So experiment with generic terms in your hooks to appeal to a wider audience. Then get more specific in the body of your post to appeal to your ICP.

If your goal on LinkedIn is to book calls, then drop a simple “Book a call” CTA at the end of your posts. Just because big creators have 10 different lead magnets and a newsletter doesn’t mean you have to. Keep it simple when you’re starting out - like Lara did.

People say video content is the next big thing on LinkedIn. Lara does it because she’s on YouTube and has editors. But if you hate being on camera, then don’t feel like you have to do it. Same goes for text-only content. If you’re not a copywriter, then lean on other formats that work better for you.

Lara suggests finding a viral post format (or template) then swap out the context. That’s it. Don’t mess with the hook or post structure. Just plug your ideas into a winning formula. Reverse engineer what’s already working. 

Btw - Find 100s of viral templates that you can use to turn your rough ideas into LinkedIn-ready posts that sound like you (in less than 5 minutes) - Click here and scroll down to find out more about Kleo’s Swipe File.

In the full episode, Lara also covers:

Thank you, Lara!

Make sure to follow and subscribe to Lara Acosta on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Thanks for reading, and until next week!

Did you miss it? I posted 8 Hilarious Posts on LinkedIn earlier this week +4 other insightful posts.

Follow Content Playbook by Kleo to never miss a post.

PS. Know someone who’ll enjoy this newsletter? Please forward it to them. It only takes 10 seconds. Writing it takes days.

PPS. If there are any creators, topics, issues, etc, you’d like us to cover in future, please REPLY with your ideas and suggestions.

BTW – Ever struggle to ideate and write consistently on LinkedIn? 

If so, try Kleo - the #1 AI personal brand tool used by 1,000+ entrepreneurs, business owners, and LinkedIn creators to write faster, stay consistent, and sound like yourself.

And more - click here to discover more about Kleo and try it for free.