B2B Content Show: A Podcast About the How, What, and Why of B2B Content Marketing · Jeremy Shere

The problem with "hooks" in copywriting w/ Derek Pollard

·50 min·3 clips

Derek says the work is messy, not scalable, and requires being available to ideas when they arrive.

1. B2B Content Show focuses on Derek Pollard’s argument against the word 'hook' in B2B copywriting. 2. Jeremy Shear hosts, and Derek Pollard appears as the owner of Constellar Creative, a marketing and thought leadership agency, plus a published poet and former university writing teacher. 3. The episode asks whether 'hook' is the right word for attention-grabbing copy, or whether 'invitation' is a better frame. 4. Derek says the problem is the connotations around 'hook,' not the idea of getting attention itself. 5. He compares 'hook' language to 'chum,' 'reel you in,' and 'kill it,' arguing that those phrases suggest violence and trickery. 6. Derek says marketers on social media often broadcast these phrases out loud, which can make the relationship sound transactional. 7. He argues that content should protect against being misread or misinterpreted, especially when speaking to ideal clients. 8. Derek says a mindful approach to words can create clarity, trust, and better discovery-call conversations. 9. Jeremy raises the objection that people just want to 'stop the scroll' and do not mean to deceive anyone. 10. Derek answers that intention is not enough if the language still sends mixed signals about the business. 11. He says the best newsletter is the one that does not bullshit, does the research, and shares expertise honestly. 12. Derek names Amy Tan’s essay 'Mother Tongue' and says the goal is reaching 'that one person' before 'the next and the next.' 13. The conversation turns to differentiation, with Jeremy pointing out that 'hook'-based thinking can make many writers sound the same. 14. Derek says creative work benefits from play and from unlearning marketing guidebooks that turn writing into a rigid 10-to-12-step process. 15. He says the process is messy, not scalable, and requires training yourself to be available when ideas arrive. 16. Derek uses Keith Richards and Jack White as examples of ideas that arrived before they were fully understood, then became major songs. 17. The episode has an interview format with long back-and-forth exchanges and repeated reframing of the same idea from different angles. 18. The tone is reflective, argumentative, and practical, with a lot of emphasis on word choice, audience respect, and creative process. 19. Best for B2B marketers, copywriters, and content strategists who care about language. 20. Skip if you want a tactical checklist instead of a language debate.

As heard by us

A useful case against hook-chasing copy and for language that earns attention more slowly.

Jeremy Shear opens by questioning the familiar idea that a strong hook must do all the work, and Derek Pollard moves the discussion toward something less mechanical: write as if inviting someone in, do the research, and keep the ideal client in view so the language lands as…

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Why you'd press play

If hooks are making your copy sound like everyone else, start here.

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