Hooks Library · Traffic Secrets
A hook is the one line that makes someone stop scrolling and read the next line. These are ours — battle-tested on the homepage, in emails, and in our swipe file. Copy the one that fits your audience.
Get affiliate copy → Full swipe fileHook #1 — The 3 AM fine
Your AI agent paid a sanctioned wallet at 3 AM. Monday morning the OFAC notice lands on your desk — $377,700.
Why it works: Fear + specificity + a number. This is the homepage hero and the strongest hook on the site.
Use it on: Hero headline, Show HN title, cold outreach subject line
Hook #2 — The one curl call
Here is the 1 curl call that screens any wallet against OFAC before your agent pays — under 100ms.
Why it works: Curiosity + a concrete, copy-pasteable promise. Devs screenshot curl commands.
Use it on: Tweet, code-sample forums, dev newsletter subject
Hook #3 — Doesn't your payment provider screen?
x402, AgentKit, ACP — they move the money. None of them check who it goes to. Strict liability is on you.
Why it works: A myth-buster. Names the tools the audience already trusts, then reveals the gap.
Use it on: Reddit r/MachineLearning post, LinkedIn carousel
Hook #4 — 947 wallets, 19,218 names
947 OFAC-listed crypto wallets. 19,218 SDN names. 16 jurisdictions. Refreshed daily. One HTTP call.
Why it works: Specificity stack. Numbers build credibility faster than adjectives.
Use it on: GitHub README, PyPI long description, trust bar
Hook #5 — The test #47 story
I was building an agent that pays invoices. Test #47 sent USDC to a wallet I didn't recognize. I checked the OFAC list. It was there.
Why it works: Origin-story hook — the Epiphany Bridge. First person, specific detail (#47).
Use it on: Founder video, podcast intro, about page
Hook #6 — $0.05 per check
Sanctions screening for AI agents, priced like an API call: $0.05 per check. Free to start, $19/mo in production.
Why it works: Price-as-hook. Undercuts the implicit comparison (six-figure enterprise contracts).
Use it on: Pricing page H1, comparison ad headline
Hook #7 — Compliance that speaks agent
Not a dashboard for humans. A compliance layer your agent calls before every payment — HTTP, MCP, or CLI.
Why it works: Positioning hook. Draws the line against Chainalysis/Elliptic in one line.
Use it on: vs/compare pages, partner outreach
Hook #8 — The 4-Gate Protocol
Every compliant agent payment passes through four gates: SCREEN, SCORE, STOP, STAMP. Here's the framework.
Why it works: Named-framework hook. A teachable IP is the most shareable asset a brand owns.
Use it on: Blog pillar post, webinar title, framework page
Hook #9 — The TLS for agent payments
TLS made the web unable to send passwords in plain text. We're making agents unable to pay sanctioned wallets.
Why it works: Analogy hook. Borrows the credibility of a universal standard.
Use it on: Mission section, investor pitch, thought-leadership essay
Hook #10 — Your agent is one curl away from safe
One HTTP call turns your agent from 'could pay anyone' to 'cannot pay a sanctioned wallet.' Try it free, no signup.
Why it works: Action hook. Low friction + transformation in one sentence.
Use it on: Final CTA, email signature, exit-intent popup
A hook is not the whole message — it is the door. Once someone reads it, the story (the test #47 near-miss, the live data) earns the right to make the offer (free tier, $19/mo). Hook → Story → Offer. Pick one hook above, lead with it, then point at the homepage to do the rest.
Every hook above combines at least two of: a specific number ($377,700, 947, 100ms), a stake (a fine, a liability, a 3 AM payment), or a curiosity gap (the one curl call, the myth-buster). If you write your own, keep all three.
The full swipe file has tweets, HN posts, Reddit posts, and DMs — each built on one of these hooks.
Open the swipe file →