· Skillz · Copywriting & ads
Hook Duel: free copywriting game, which ad hook wins?
Two ads, two subject lines, one winner. Pick the hook that performed better and learn the copywriting principle.
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.
Rounds cover the places where a few words decide everything: the subject line that gets an email opened, the first second of a short video, the headline of an ad, the text on a button. Each pair differs in one principle, so you learn to see exactly what changed and why it matters.
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.
Scoring
Each right answer scores 100 points, plus up to 50 for answering fast and up to 50 for a streak (10 for every right answer in a row, up to five).
A wrong answer or a timeout costs one of your 3 lives. Your best score is kept in this browser.
What it trains
- Copywriting
- What makes a hook work: specifics, benefits, curiosity.
- Marketing sense
- Reading what an audience clicks on.
- Judgement
- Duels get subtler as you go.
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.
It is also useful when you're on the other side: once you know the levers, you notice when a headline is playing on fear of missing out or a vague promise, and you read ads with a clearer head.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hook Duel free?
Yes. It is free and runs in your browser, with no download. Signing up is optional.
Are the results real?
They are illustrative numbers that show the typical gap; the principles behind each winner are well established in copywriting.
Who is it for?
Marketers, founders, creators and students who write ads, emails, pages or videos.
Can I use these hooks in my own ads?
Use the principles rather than the exact lines. The products and numbers in the game are made up, but the patterns transfer to real campaigns.
What is A/B testing?
Showing two versions of the same message to similar audiences and keeping the one that performs better, for example more clicks or sign-ups.