Global Content Resource — Applies to All 26 Songs
The Hook Library

A hook doesn't have to be gimmicky. It just has to create a micro-moment of curiosity or pattern interruption in the first half second. The rule for everything in this library: it should feel like something you'd actually do anyway. The camera just happens to catch it.

"The hook isn't a performance. It's just the thing you do right before you say something real."
Physical / Visual Hooks — KB Style
  • The hat adjust. Adjust your hat brim slowly before you look up at the camera. Says "I'm about to tell you something." Completely on-brand, totally natural.
  • The coffee set-down. Take a slow sip and set the cup down before you speak. Unhurried. Grounded. Signals you're not in a rush to perform for anyone.
  • The single chord. Strum one chord on an acoustic guitar and let it ring before you say anything. The sound is the hook. Stops the scroll with audio before you've said a word.
  • The off-camera glance. Look just off camera first — like you're mid-thought — then turn and speak directly into the lens. Creates the feeling of catching a private moment.
  • The notebook open. Flip open a journal or notebook to a page. Don't explain it yet. Just look at it. Then look up. Instant curiosity.
  • The set-down. Put something on the table — a guitar pick, your phone, a pen — then speak. Action before words signals something's coming.
  • The slow exhale. Just breathe out before you talk. That's it. Reads as someone who's about to say the real thing instead of a rehearsed thing.
  • The private laugh. Laugh quietly to yourself before you start — like you just remembered something. Pulls people in immediately. Works especially well for songs with humor or irony.
  • The already-in-it start. You're already doing something — writing, playing, making coffee, sitting on the lanai — and you just start talking mid-thought like the camera's been there the whole time. No setup. No "hey guys." This is the most powerful hook for your brand specifically.
  • The cat-eye lean-in. Slow lean toward the camera before you speak. Works with the glasses. Signals you're about to say something worth listening to.
Verbal Hooks — One-Liners That Open a Video
  • "I wrote a song about this and I'm not even sorry."
  • "Nobody told me this was allowed." [then say the thing]
  • "This is either really relatable or I'm the only one — let me know."
  • "I've been wanting to say this for about fifteen years."
  • "Here's the thing nobody actually talks about." [then say it plainly]
  • "This is going to sound dramatic but it's actually just Tuesday."
  • "I wrote this at [specific weird moment] — and somehow it became a whole song."
  • "Fair warning — this one's going to hit different if you've ever [specific situation]."
  • "I don't know who needs to hear this but it might be you."
  • "Okay so this is embarrassing but also extremely relatable."
  • "I'm just going to play you something and you tell me if this is just me."
  • "I didn't plan to write a song about this. And then I did."
  • "This lyric came out of me and I had to sit with it for a minute."
  • "The honest version of this story is kind of a lot. But here it is."
  • "I spent [X years] not saying this out loud. Then I wrote it into a song."
Humor Hooks — On-Brand Funny / Self-Aware
  • "I wrote 26 songs because I hyperfocused for two years and nobody stopped me. You're welcome."
  • "My ADHD said write one song. My autism said make it a concept album. We compromised with 26 tracks and a double disc. This is fine."
  • "Neurotypical people make EPs. I made a 26-song double album. I don't make the rules. Actually I do make the rules. There are a lot of rules."
  • "I didn't realize I was masking until I stopped and suddenly couldn't talk to anyone at a party. Wrote a song about it. Then 25 more."
  • "Fun fact: hyperfocus is just passion with no off switch. Midnight Church Aftermath is what happens when hyperfocus meets a guitar and a recording studio."
  • "I rehearsed this casual conversation with you approximately 47 times before posting it."
  • "I wrote 26 songs on a double album because I have ADHD and nobody stopped me."
  • "This is what happens when you give a neurodivergent woman a guitar and too many feelings."
  • "Normal people write singles. I wrote a double album. Anyway, here's track seven."
  • "My producer said 'this is too long.' Reader, I did not cut it."
  • "For anyone who has ever been called 'a lot' — hi, I made you an album."
Neurodivergent-Specific Hooks — Humor Meets Honest
Sharp & Honest — The Real Experience
  • "Late diagnosed AuDHD means I spent 40 years thinking I was broken. Turns out I was just running software nobody else had the manual for."
  • "The thing about masking for decades is eventually the mask gets so heavy you can't remember what your actual face looks like."
  • "I didn't burn out because I was weak. I burned out because I was running a full band on a single instrument for 40 years and calling it normal."
  • "The neurodivergent experience: doing everything ten times harder than everyone else and still believing you're the one falling behind."
  • "I was the most organized, most prepared, most on-top-of-it person in every room. I was also completely exhausted every single day. Turns out those two things were related."
Funny Meets Honest — The Sweet Spot
  • "I cannot small talk but I can write you a 26-song double album about the human condition. My brain is very normal and fine."
  • "Neurotypical people said I was too intense. I said okay and wrote an album. Joke's on everyone — the album has 26 songs."
  • "I don't have an off switch. I have a 'write a concept album about burnout, identity, and spiritual transformation' switch. Same thing basically."
  • "My nervous system said rest. My brain said but what if we made a double album first. We compromised. The album exists. My nervous system is still mad."
  • "I spent my whole life being 'a lot.' Turns out a lot was exactly the right amount for this record."
Strategic Hooks — Generated from the Tyler Wise Prompt Framework
Fear & Desire Hooks — MCA Ideal Customer
  • "What if burnout wasn't a breakdown — it was your body finally telling you the truth?"
  • "I had everything I was supposed to want. I was miserable and I didn't understand why."
  • "I was so good at being what everyone needed that I completely forgot what I actually was."
  • "Everyone else seemed to know who they were by 30. I was still figuring it out at 45. Turns out that's not a failure. That's the whole story."
  • "I spent decades thinking something was wrong with me. Then I got a diagnosis and realized I'd just been running the wrong operating system my whole life."
  • "The version of me that burned out was not the real me. But I had no idea who the real me was either. That was the scariest part."
  • "I tried everything. Therapy. Manifestation. Productivity systems. Crystals. None of it was wrong — none of it was enough."
  • "There is a version of your story that you have never said out loud. Not because it isn't true — because you weren't sure anyone could handle it."
  • "I walked away from music for years to build something responsible. The responsible thing almost killed me. So I came back."
  • "You are allowed to want something just because it's yours. Not because it's productive. Not because it helps anyone. Just because it's the truest thing about you."
Paired Captions — One Per Hook
  • "I wrote a whole album in the aftermath of that question."
  • "Turns out the trophy doesn't come with instructions for what happens next."
  • "There's a song on this record for the version of you that's exhausted from being everything to everyone."
  • "This record is for the late bloomer who thought the window had closed. It hadn't."
  • "I wrote Walking Contradiction before I had the word for it. Turns out the word was AuDHD."
  • "The album starts in the collapse and ends in the coming home. That's the whole journey."
  • "There's a song called Anything But Jesus that says the quiet part out loud."
  • "This record is what happens when you stop editing yourself for the room."
  • "The hired gun becomes the artist. That's the real story behind this record."
  • "That's why I made a 26-song double album. Because it was mine. Full stop."
How to Use These
  • Each hook + caption pair is a complete standalone post — hook opens the video or carousel, caption closes it
  • Use as talking-head openers — say the hook directly to camera, then tell the story behind it, then play the relevant song
  • Mix and match — the hook from #3 can pair with the caption from #8 if it feels right
  • Run the Tyler Wise prompt again at the start of each six-week cycle with the specific single as the offer — you'll get 10 new ones tailored to that song
  • The ones that get the most saves and shares tell you exactly which fear or desire your audience is sitting in right now
Making God Laugh — Cartoon Animals / The Spectrum Moment
😂 Making God Laugh — Music Video Content Hook
  • The origin: KB pitched her videographer a music video with cartoon animals. He asked what she was on when she came up with that. She said "the spectrum." He didn't have a follow-up question. This is already a piece of content.
  • Best delivery: "My videographer asked me what I was on when I pitched him cartoon animals for a music video. I said the spectrum. He said okay." — the "he said okay" is the button. Don't add anything after it.
  • Most shareable: "The spectrum is a hell of a drug. Cartoon animals. Music video. Making God Laugh. That's all I'll say."
  • Best comment bait: "Making God Laugh music video update: there will be cartoon animals. My videographer asked what I was on. I said the spectrum. God is laughing."
  • Best for the double album / AuDHD story: "Normal people pitch music videos with performance shots and mood boards. I pitched cartoon animals. My videographer asked what I was on. I said the spectrum. He's still my videographer."
  • Execution: Talking head, casual. Could also be a text-on-screen format with a clip of KB looking completely unbothered. The delivery is the joke — keep it deadpan.
  • When to post: During MV pre-production or filming. "Behind the scenes of the most unhinged music video decision I've ever made" is its own content series.
  • Note for Making God Laugh song sheet: Log the cartoon animals MV concept and the spectrum content moment when that sheet is built.
The 432hz Easter Egg — Reveal Content (Use After Someone Finds It)
The Clock Reveal — Hooks & Captions
  • What it is: A vintage 1970s/80s clock set to 4:32 appears somewhere in every MCA music video. It represents 432hz — the tuning frequency the album is recorded in, vs the industry standard 440hz. It is intentional album architecture hidden in plain sight.
  • When to reveal: Either when someone notices it organically in the comments and posts about it — or as a deliberate reveal piece after at least 2–3 videos are out and enough people have watched to make the discovery feel earned.
  • The reveal hook: "If you've watched any of my music videos and noticed the clock — that's not decoration. The album is recorded in 432hz. Most music is recorded in 440. I'll let you go down that rabbit hole yourself."
  • Alternative reveal hooks:
  • "There's something hidden in every one of my music videos. Nobody's found it yet. I'll wait."
  • "A vintage clock appears in every MCA music video. It's set to 4:32. That's not an accident."
  • "432hz vs 440hz. Look it up. Then go back and watch the videos."
  • "I encoded the album's tuning frequency into every music video as a clock. Because I'm that person."
  • Why this works: 432hz is already a rabbit hole the internet loves — there are passionate communities around it. The moment the reveal lands, those communities find the music. The vintage clock also ties perfectly into the visual world of the album — blue hour, warm low-mids, nothing shiny. It looks like it belongs there. That's the point.
  • Comment bait follow-up: After the reveal post — "drop a 🕐 if you spotted the clock before I told you." Comments become the content.
  • Current outreach status — updated July 15, 2026:
  • ✅ Lauren Rearick / The Grey Estates — pitched July 15 (premiere pitch)
  • ✅ Mike Friedman / Skope — pitched July 15 (premiere pitch)
  • ✅ A&R Factory — submitted July 15 (premium $40 submission)
  • ✅ Twangville — pitched July 15 (premiere pitch to requests@twangville.com + todd@twangville.com)
  • ✅ Brownstone Cowboys — pitched July 15 (feature/interview pitch to howdy@brownstonecowboys.com)
  • ⏳ The Alternative — not yet sent
  • ⏳ American Songwriter — hold for album cycle
  • ⏳ AMNPLIFY — not yet sent
  • ⚠️ Premiere window closes July 17 — all premiere pitches are now sent
Yuusic Hook Templates — Adapted for KB / MCA
Yuusic Hook Templates — Fully Adapted for KB / MCA
🚫 Never Use These — The White Noise List
  • "Out now!" — invisible. Zero value.
  • "New music out everywhere." — data, not a hook.
  • "My new single just dropped." — sounds like a bot.
  • "Available on all platforms." — nobody cares.
  • "Go stream my song." — a demand, not an invitation.
  • "Listen now." — same problem.
  • "Check out the link in bio." — laziest CTA in music marketing.
  • "Support independent music." — guilt is not a hook.
⭐ Tier 1 — Strongest Adaptations for KB
  • "i'm 43 and i decided to bet on myself anyway." → use for any artist identity content, Nashville content, manifesto
  • "pov: you just found a 43-year-old woman who burned out, got diagnosed AuDHD, and wrote 26 songs about it." → perfect pre-release discovery hook
  • "if you wish you found an artist before they blew up… hi." → dark horse energy, debut launch content
  • "these two styles shouldn't work — but they do." → the Judds meets Led Zeppelin content, genre mutt angle
  • "adding instruments where they don't belong." → cowbell content for Shaped By My Sin specifically
  • "i felt too much — so i turned it into 26 songs." → manifesto, album story content
  • "ok but imagine driving through Maui and this comes on." → location-specific, highly shareable
  • "i was in burnout for three years… and this song came out." → Fireproof story content
  • "I learned something painful — then wrote an album about it." → album story angle
  • "pov: you lived the burnout, then you made the song." → Fireproof POV series
  • "trying to revive a sound that deserved better." → real musicians / anti-AI manifesto
  • "crazy how years of work can change from one person pressing play." → pre-save CTA content
Tier 2 — Strong with the Right Song or Moment
  • "some of the most honest lyrics I've ever written." → use before any lyric drop
  • "these words hit harder than I expected when I wrote them." → vulnerable lyric reveal content
  • "showing this to friends who miss that era of music." → classic rock DNA content, Ready to Lose
  • "if a season had a soundtrack, this would be on it." → mood-forward, works for multiple songs
  • "this genre isn't heard — it's felt." → MCA sonic identity content
  • "someone compared this to the Judds meets Led Zeppelin and now I can't unhear it." → bio line content
  • "wait… is this sound back?" → classic rock revival angle, Ready to Lose
  • "no one expected country and Led Zeppelin to work this well. here we are." → genre mutt content
  • "if you like Brandi Carlile but also love Chris Stapleton — this is for you." → audience targeting hook
  • "told myself I'd stop writing songs about burnout… I lied. here's another one." → humor angle, multiple songs
  • "I think this album is something people need right now." → manifesto content, album launch
  • "leaking unreleased ideas — one song at a time." → pre-release tease content
  • "someone streamed Fireproof an unhealthy number of times yesterday." → post-release social proof
  • "this is exactly what a three-year burnout feels like." → Fireproof, Shapeshifter
  • "for anyone who's been missing that sound." → classic rock audience targeting
  • "I wrote this about something that actually happened." → story reveal before any song
  • "pov: you're in the exact moment this song was written for." → POV series for any song
  • "if you're hearing this, your taste checks out." → compliments the listener, discovery content
  • "music from the 70s just hits different. so I made some." → classic rock DNA content
  • "old-school energy. modern truth. one double album." → album summary hook
  • "looks easy. absolutely isn't." → behind the scenes, real musicians content
  • "I think I got a song for the Judds / Led Zeppelin / Kacey Musgraves fans' playlist." → playlist targeting
  • "since they won't collab… I made a record that sounds like all of them." → genre mutt angle
  • "imagine hearing this at sunset on the water in Maui." → Maui location content
Tier 3 — Situational / Use When the Moment Fits
  • "quick look at what we just made in Nashville." → studio BTS content
  • "this song officially drops July 31st." → release date announcement (add pre-save link)
  • "what feeling does Fireproof give you." → comment bait post-release
  • "anyone else noticing music shifting back toward real instruments." → manifesto angle, timely
  • "this hits different with the right people around you." → live show content, fan community
  • "what song always gives you that feeling — for me it's this one." → audience engagement
  • "The best part of the song — easily." → use over the bridge of Fireproof specifically
  • "I've never written a song this fast before." → work tape reveal, origin story content
  • "should this drop sooner or later? asking for a friend." → pre-release engagement, tease
  • "someone said this sounds like the Judds and Led Zeppelin had a baby and now I can't unhear it." → bio line
  • "hey, I'm Kris Bradley and this is what I do." → introduction content for new audiences
  • "made this album… still clocking into real life every day." → relatable independent artist content
  • "a song made for people who've been through this." → emotional targeting, any burnout song
  • "can someone please send this to anyone who needs it." → share CTA, works for Fireproof bridge
  • "this is pure emotion. no notes." → lyric drop, minimal caption
  • "the playlist that gets it." → curator playlist strategy content
  • "curated for the late-night aftermath." → MCA playlist hook
  • "pov: you've been doomscrolling and finally found something real." → discovery content
Midlife Authenticity — A Recurring Content Pillar
Standalone — No Music Needed. Just True.
  • "I didn't choose to be authentic. I just ran out of energy to be fake." ⭐
  • "Maybe you didn't have to hit midlife to get here. Lucky you. I did." ⭐ — KB's exact words. Don't change them.
  • "You spend the first half of your life building a version of yourself everyone can tolerate. You spend the second half quietly taking it apart." ⭐
  • "Midlife doesn't break you. It just runs out of patience for the version of you that was never real."
  • "Midlife forces authenticity. Not because you get wise. Because you get tired."
  • "There comes a point where the mask gets too heavy to hold up. For some people that's midlife. For neurodivergent people it's usually a diagnosis. Either way — same moment."
  • "Midlife authenticity isn't a glow up. It's more like — I simply no longer have the bandwidth to pretend."
  • "I used to be a lot of things for a lot of people. Then I turned 40 and the budget ran out."
  • "40s hit different when you're neurodivergent. By then you've been masking for 40 years. The body sends an invoice."
  • "The midlife authenticity crisis and the AuDHD burnout are the same thing. The mask just got too heavy."
The Cowbell Series — For Shaped By My Sin + General Album Story Content
Cowbell Hooks — Humor / Real Musicians Angle
  • "Name one thing wrong with modern music. I'll go first. Not enough cowbell."
  • "I went to Nashville and put cowbell on a record in 2026. You're welcome."
  • "My co-producer said 'do you want cowbell on this?' I said yes immediately. No hesitation. Zero regret."
  • "We're bringing cowbell back. Nobody asked. We're doing it anyway."
  • "The problem with music today is nobody has the audacity to add cowbell anymore. I have audacity."
  • "Somewhere between the algorithm and the AI-generated music, we lost the cowbell. I found it. It's on my record." ← Best for Shaped By My Sin — ties humor to the real musicians manifesto
  • "I need you to know that there is real cowbell on this album. Played by a real human. In Nashville. In 2026."
  • "Why don't songs have more cowbell anymore? I asked myself this. Then I went to Nashville and fixed it."
  • "Hot take: every song is better with cowbell. I tested this theory. The data supports it." ← Best comment bait
  • "I didn't go to Nashville to be reasonable about cowbell." ← Most on-brand
Primary home: Shaped By My Sin song sheet. Also works as standalone manifesto content — connects the cowbell humor to the real musicians / authenticity angle. Note: cowbell is confirmed in the pre-pro book so this isn't just a bit. It's a real bit.
The "Nobody Wants to Hear" Series — Self-Deprecating Mirror Format (Template #004)
🔥 Fireproof — Priority Hooks
  • "Nobody wants to hear a 43-year-old woman sing about neurodivergent burnout."
  • "Nobody wants to hear a 43-year-old woman talk about burning out at the top of her game."
  • "Nobody asked a 43-year-old woman to make a concept album about burnout and spiritual transformation."
  • "Nobody wants to hear a 43-year-old woman say 'I finally figured out why I was so tired.' Here's the song."
🎸 Walking Contradiction — Priority Hooks
  • "Nobody wants to hear a 43-year-old woman say she spent decades making music for everyone except herself. Until now."
  • "Nobody wants to hear a 43-year-old woman talk about her ADHD diagnosis like it explained her entire life. Anyway."
  • "Nobody told a 43-year-old woman the window for a debut album had closed."
  • "Nobody told a 43-year-old woman she could start over. She did it anyway."
😂 Making God Laugh — Priority Hooks
  • "Nobody asked a 43-year-old woman to be this honest. She was anyway."
  • "Nobody greenlit a 43-year-old woman going to Nashville to record the record of her life. She went anyway."
  • "Nobody in the music industry asked a 43-year-old woman what she had to say. Here it is."
  • "Nobody told a 43-year-old woman that hyperfocusing for two years and writing 26 songs was unusual behavior."
🎯 General / Double Album Story
  • "Nobody asked a 43-year-old woman to make a 26-song double album. She did it anyway."
  • "Nobody stopped a 43-year-old woman from making a double album. That's on all of you."
  • "Nobody warned Nashville a 43-year-old woman from Maui was coming. Sorry Nashville."
  • "Nobody wants to hear a 43-year-old woman cover Led Zeppelin in a country song."
  • "Nobody wants to hear a 43-year-old woman sing classic rock country."
  • "Nobody told a 43-year-old woman with a heating pad and a bowl of supplements to make a record. Here we are."
Marketing Expert Notes — How to Use This Library
  • Rotate hooks on the same content. Take one piece of content — say, the Fireproof bridge lyric — and post it three times with three different hooks opening it. Same lyric, different entry point. Track which hook drives more watch time and saves. That data tells you what your audience responds to without you having to guess.
  • Physical + verbal together. The strongest hooks combine both — a physical action that creates the visual pause, then a verbal line that creates the curiosity. Example: slow sip of coffee, set it down, look at camera, "I wrote this at the bottom of a burnout." Two seconds. Total attention.
  • Never open with "so" or "hey guys" or "okay so I wanted to share." These are scroll killers. Start in the middle of the moment or start with the hook. No warm-up.
  • The humor hooks are not separate from the brand. Self-aware humor about making a double album, being neurodivergent, going to Nashville — that's completely aligned. It shows confidence. It shows you don't take yourself too seriously even when the music is serious. Use it.
  • Log what works. When a hook outperforms, note it in the song sheet for that release. Over time you'll build a personal data set of what your specific audience responds to — that's more valuable than any general best practice.
  • The "already-in-it" format is your secret weapon. It's the hardest to fake and the easiest to do authentically if you just let the camera roll while you're already working. It requires zero performance and delivers maximum authenticity — which is exactly your brand.
The Curator Playlist Strategy — Organic + Paid Two-Step
Build a Playlist → Go Viral on TikTok → Run Ads to It
  • Step 1 — Build the playlist: Create a Spotify playlist for each single AND one for the full album. Feature similar artists at the top — Brandi Carlile, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, Bonnie Raitt, Brandy Clark — with KB's song(s) woven in. Name it something evocative that lives in the MCA world. Not "Kris Bradley playlist." Something like "late night aftermath" or "the belligerent truth playlist" or "music for people who feel too much."
  • Step 2 — Make the TikTok first: Before running any ads, make a viral TikTok about the playlist. Format options: "I made a playlist for people who [specific feeling] — no skips" or "pov: you found the only playlist you'll need this [season]" or "I curated this so you don't have to." The goal is organic discovery first — let TikTok do the work before spending money.
  • Step 3 — Run Meta Ads to the playlist: Once the playlist has organic traction, run a low-budget Facebook/Instagram ad to it. Cold audience discovers KB's music while streaming artists they already love. Feels like discovery, not promotion. Jeff manages the ad side.
  • Playlist per single: Build a specific playlist for each major single release — Fireproof, Making God Laugh, Walking Contradiction. Each playlist has its own TikTok moment tied to that song's themes. The Fireproof playlist leans burnout/late night. The Walking Contradiction playlist leans AuDHD identity. Etc.
  • Album playlist: The full MCA playlist — all 26 songs plus the artists that inspired them. This is the long-term discovery engine for the whole record.
  • Bonus: Submit the playlists to Submithub or Groover as a curator to earn money from reviewing other artists' submissions — fund the ad spend with the playlist itself.
  • Timing: Build the Fireproof playlist now. TikTok goes up pre-release. Ads start drop week.
Kris Bradley / Boomfox Productions Midnight Church Aftermath — Confidential Marketing SOP