Identify the target audience for your essay. This will determine how you create an engaging hook. Not all groups of people will find the same hooks interesting. For example, a group of young female college students may be interested in statistics about the success rate of female graduates. However, they probably won't be as interested in an anecdote about a famous football player. Knowing your audience will help you write a more engaging hook for your essay.
Decide what type of hook you want to use in your essay. This will likely depend on your knowledge and the type of essay you're writing. Some common types of hooks include a humorous or inspirational anecdote, an interesting quote, compelling statistics, a startling question or a fascinating example.
Incorporate the tone of your essay with the type of hook you choose. For example, an essay on the possible dangers of teen alcohol addiction should not have a hook that includes a humorous anecdote. By setting the right tone early, you can make sure that you reader is in the right state of mind for the content yet to come.
Add your hook to your introductory paragraph. A concise hook may be best served leading off the first paragraph, while a hook that may take a few sentences to develop may be best served at the end of the first paragraph. Either way, the hook should serve as a transition between the first paragraph and the body of the essay. It's what persuades the reader to continue to read your essay.
Ask someone that fits as closely as possible to your target audience to look over your introduction. For example, if your target audience is male high-school students, don't ask your mother to be your proofreader. Instead, ask your fifteen-year-old brother. Don't tell your proofreader to pay attention to your hook before reading the introduction. Wait until he finishes, and then ask if he wants to keep reading and why or why not. If he was engaged by your hook, he will let you know that it interested him. If he wasn't engaged by your hook, ask how you could improve it.