Hooks & Angles

Fifteen ways into the story

The first line decides whether anyone reads the second. Here are 15 angles for Mind Makeover by Amy Waterman, each with the reader it suits, three opening lines you can use today, the belief it shifts and the email, post or article to finish it with.

Find your angle Download all 15 (.txt)

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How to use a hook

  1. 1
    Pick the reader. Choose the angle that fits the women who already read you. A divorce-recovery blog and a dating-app TikTok need different first lines.
  2. 2
    Open with one line. Use it as your subject line, the first sentence of a post, the first three seconds of a video or the headline of an ad. Change the wording so it sounds like you.
  3. 3
    Finish with the pairing. Each hook lists the email, post or article that carries the same idea through to your link, with the disclosure already in it.

Keep it honest. Never promise a man, a relationship or a date by a certain time, and never call the book therapy. Quote Amy and her readers word for word, and don't suggest a reader's result is typical.

The opening lines have no link in them. Whatever you paste them into needs your hoplink and a plain disclosure, such as "I earn a commission if you buy through my link, at no extra cost to you."

Find your angle

Start with the reader you know best. Tap a hook to jump to it.

1
Problem

The department store

Who it suits: Women who are worn out by dating apps: plenty of matches, very few real dates.

Good for: Online-dating bloggers, TikTok and Reels creators, women's lifestyle newsletters.

She believes

“If I swipe more, I'll find him sooner.”

After reading, she sees

“More options are not better options. Knowing what I want and what I'm worth is the part that changes things.”

Opening lines

  1. Dating apps can feel like walking into a huge department store and finding nothing you actually want to buy.

  2. Just because there are men out there doesn't mean there are men you like, and that is not a failing on your part.

  3. If your phone is full of matches and your weekends are still empty, the problem may not be the app.

Pair it with

2
Myth-buster

It's not all on you

Who it suits: Women who feel dating has turned into a second job, and one they are somehow failing at.

Good for: Women's lifestyle blogs, Facebook groups for single women, podcasters who enjoy a strong opinion.

She believes

“I have to do everything right so that he picks me.”

After reading, she sees

“Love is a two-way thing. I don't have to put myself on display and hope. I get to choose too.”

Opening lines

  1. Most dating advice puts all the work on you, as if he doesn't have to lift a finger.

  2. After years of writing about dating, Amy Waterman has a one-word verdict on all the "how to bag a guy" advice: poppycock.

  3. Our great-grandmothers never read a dating book, and people still managed to fall in love. So who decided it had to be this hard?

Pair it with

3
Self-worth

It's not your looks

Who it suits: Women who blame their looks, their weight, their age or their past every time a date goes nowhere.

Good for: Self-love and body-confidence creators, Instagram quote accounts, Pinterest pinners.

She believes

“Men don't stay because of how I look, how old I am or what happened before.”

After reading, she sees

“How I feel about myself shapes what happens with men far more than my looks do.”

Opening lines

  1. "It's not your looks. It's not what happened to you in the past. It's how you feel about yourself, who you are, and what you deserve." That line from Amy Waterman is worth reading twice.

  2. If you've ever decided the problem was your weight, your age or your face, read this before you decide it again.

  3. You don't need anyone else telling you you're not pretty enough. You've heard plenty of that already.

Pair it with

Careful: Sarah Donaldson's story fits this hook well. Quote her word for word, as the email swipe does, and don't add to it or suggest her result is typical.

4
Method

How to be, not what to do

Who it suits: Women who have read the dating books, know all the rules, and are still single.

Good for: Book bloggers and BookTok, self-help newsletters, coaches who are tired of tactics.

She believes

“I need better tactics: the right message, the right outfit, the right moment.”

After reading, she sees

“Who I am inside, and how I carry it, matters more than any script.”

Opening lines

  1. Every dating book tells you what to say, what to wear and when to text. This one asks how you want to be.

  2. If knowing the rules were enough, most of us would be happily settled by now.

  3. Better opening lines won't help much if you walk into the room already expecting to be turned down.

Pair it with

5
Problem

A date is not a job interview

Who it suits: Women who get nervous before dates, over-prepare for them, and come home exhausted.

Good for: Confidence coaches, career women's newsletters, Instagram and Threads writers.

She believes

“One wrong word and it's over, so I have to be perfect.”

After reading, she sees

“I'm allowed to be human on a date. The right man won't be keeping score.”

Opening lines

  1. If you prepare for a first date the way you'd prepare for a job interview, no wonder you come home worn out.

  2. A lot of dating advice makes it sound as if one slip means you're laughed out the door. Nothing could be further from the truth.

  3. What if you walked into your next date to find out whether you like him, instead of trying to pass his test?

Pair it with

Careful: Talk about first-date nerves, not anxiety as a condition. Don't say the book treats anxiety.

6
Identity

Starting again after a long gap

Who it suits: Women in their 40s and 50s dating again after a divorce or a long relationship, often for the first time since the apps arrived.

Good for: Divorce-recovery blogs, midlife women's communities, Facebook groups for women over 40.

She believes

“I've been out of this too long. I've forgotten how, and it's too late to learn.”

After reading, she sees

“Starting again is allowed at any age, and the confidence I need is still mine.”

Opening lines

  1. Kim was 45, recently divorced, and dating for the first time in 17 years when she wrote to Amy Waterman.

  2. If the last time you dated nobody had a smartphone, you're not behind. You're starting again, and that takes nerve.

  3. Your confidence didn't leave with the marriage. It may just need reminding where it lives.

Pair it with

Careful: Kim Collier's story is on the sales page. Use her facts and words exactly as she wrote them, and don't suggest her result is typical.

7
Problem

Love is not a video game

Who it suits: Women worn out by "let's just hang out" and by men who never quite make a plan.

Good for: Dating podcasters, X and Threads writers, Facebook pages with a sense of humour.

She believes

“I should give every maybe a chance, or I might miss him.”

After reading, she sees

“My time and my heart are worth protecting, and I can learn to tell the browsers from the men who mean it.”

Opening lines

  1. "Let's just hang out and see where it leads." If that sentence has cost you a few too many evenings, keep reading.

  2. Love is not a video game. When it goes wrong, you don't get to press a button and start over.

  3. Hoping for an actual dinner in an actual restaurant should not feel like asking for too much.

Pair it with

8
Curiosity

Is he The One, or a heartbreaker?

Who it suits: Women who keep falling for the same kind of man and wonder why it always ends the same way.

Good for: Relationship advice blogs, YouTube talkers, Pinterest boards about dating red flags.

She believes

“If it feels this strong, it must be right.”

After reading, she sees

“I can listen to my heart wisely, and walk away when the signs say no.”

Opening lines

  1. Sometimes your own feelings can convince you a man is The One when he's really just a heartbreaker.

  2. If the flakes, the players and the charming bad boys always seem to find you, the pattern is worth a closer look.

  3. Strong feelings are worth listening to. They are not always worth obeying.

Pair it with

9
Author story

Carrie Bradshaw or Murphy Brown?

Who it suits: Women who are wary of dating gurus and like their advice with a dry sense of humour.

Good for: Email lists with a personal voice, book reviewers, women's humour and lifestyle pages.

She believes

“Dating authors are smug marrieds selling magic bullets.”

After reading, she sees

“This is a straight-talking writer who is on my side.”

Opening lines

  1. Amy Waterman started out wanting to be Carrie Bradshaw. After more than ten years of writing about dating, she says she turned into Murphy Brown.

  2. Dating advice from a woman with a sharper tongue than most, who still believes in love.

  3. She has written or co-written ten books about dating, and she still has no patience for advice that makes women feel inadequate.

Pair it with

10
Self-worth

Quiet the critical voice

Who it suits: Women who replay every awkward moment and are harder on themselves than they would ever be on a friend.

Good for: Self-care and self-kindness creators, journaling communities, women's wellbeing newsletters.

She believes

“I have to be hard on myself, or I'll never get better at this.”

After reading, she sees

“Being kinder to myself is what lets me show up as myself.”

Opening lines

  1. Beating yourself up after a bad date has never once made the next date better.

  2. You can feel good about yourself even if you don't like your looks or the way your life is going right now.

  3. Worrying won't help you meet someone. It's a hard habit to give up, but it is a habit, and habits can change.

Pair it with

Careful: Keep this about everyday self-talk and confidence. Don't say the book treats anxiety, depression or trauma.

11
Problem

Before you give up on dating

Who it suits: Women who are tired, fed up and close to deleting every app for good.

Good for: Women's blogs with search traffic, Pinterest, Facebook groups.

She believes

“I've tried everything. Love just isn't going to happen for me.”

After reading, she sees

“I haven't tried working on the inside yet, and that part is in my hands.”

Opening lines

  1. If you're tired, fed up or just plain frustrated with dating, read this before you give up on love.

  2. Dating burnout is real, and another app or another rule book is not going to fix it.

  3. Taking a break from dating is healthy. Giving up on love because of bad advice is something else.

Pair it with

12
Desire

Are you ready to meet him?

Who it suits: Women who want a warm, lasting relationship and are starting to feel hopeful about it again.

Good for: Romance and relationship blogs, Instagram creators, warm email lists.

She believes

“The hard part is finding him.”

After reading, she sees

“The part I can work on is me: feeling ready, worthy and open if and when someone good comes along.”

Opening lines

  1. Most of us spend our energy wondering where he is. Fewer of us ask whether we're ready to meet him.

  2. Picture a cuddle on the sofa after a hard day, and his support when you're upset. Now ask what you'd need to feel ready for that.

  3. Getting ready for love is the one part of dating that is completely up to you.

Pair it with

Careful: Keep it a question. Never promise that he is out there waiting or that the reader will meet someone.

13
Low risk

Six books, $37, eight weeks to decide

Who it suits: Careful buyers who have spent money on dating advice before and felt let down.

Good for: Review sites, deal-minded email lists, anyone writing a "is it worth it?" post.

She believes

“I've wasted money on advice that didn't help, and I'm not doing that again.”

After reading, she sees

“I can try this properly and decide for myself, without the risk.”

Opening lines

  1. Another dating book? Fair question. This one comes with an 8-week money-back guarantee.

  2. For $37 you get Mind Makeover plus five bonus mini-books on affirmations, happy relationships, moving in together, love quotes and readers' questions.

  3. Read it, try what Amy suggests, and if it isn't what you wanted or expected, you have 8 weeks to ask for a full refund.

Pair it with

Careful: Describe the guarantee the way the sales page does: 8 weeks, full refund. No invented deadline, and no "the price is going up".

14
Bonus

Affirmations for love

Who it suits: Women who already use affirmations, journaling or vision boards and would like them to cover their love life too.

Good for: Affirmation and manifestation accounts, Pinterest pinners, journaling and self-care creators.

She believes

“Affirmations are nice, but they won't change anything in my love life.”

After reading, she sees

“What I tell myself every day shapes how I feel when I walk into a room.”

Opening lines

  1. Fourteen illustrated affirmations for love, plus a short guide to writing your own.

  2. The words you repeat to yourself every morning are the ones you carry into every date.

  3. If you already write affirmations for your work and your health, why not write one for your love life?

Pair it with

Careful: The affirmations are in the bonus Guide to Affirmations. Name the main book, Mind Makeover, in the same post so readers know what they are buying.

15
Seasonal

Valentine's Day, New Year and the holidays

Who it suits: Single women at the times of year when being on your own feels loudest.

Good for: Anyone with a content calendar: email lists, Instagram, Facebook pages.

She believes

“This time of year just reminds me that I'm on my own.”

After reading, she sees

“This is a good moment to put myself first and get ready for love on my own terms.”

Opening lines

  1. This Valentine's Day, start with the relationship that matters first: the one you have with yourself.

  2. Skip the dating resolution this year. Make one decision about how you want to feel instead.

  3. If the holidays feel a bit lonely this year, be as kind to yourself as you would be to a friend.

Pair it with

Careful: A season is a reason to post now, not a deadline. Never invent a sale or a closing date.

Take all 15 hooks with you

One plain text file with every angle, all 45 opening lines, the belief each one shifts and links to the swipes that finish them. Keep it next to your content calendar.

Download the hooks (.txt)