Give before you ask, online. Jab, jab, jab. Then the right hook.

I've been reading Gary Vaynerchuk's Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook. It came out in 2013. The apps have changed a lot since then. The core idea hasn't moved an inch.

Here's how I'd explain it. Give before you ask. Then give some more.

It's a boxing match, not a vending machine

Gary borrows his picture from boxing. A fighter doesn't open with the big punch. He throws small jabs first. Jab, jab, jab. They set things up. Then, when the opening comes, he lands the right hook.

Your jabs are the posts that help, teach or entertain your people. They build the relationship. Your right hook is the ask. Buy now. Book a call. Visit the shop.

Most businesses online do the opposite. Hook, hook, hook. Every post is an offer. Every reel ends with "DM for price".

Let's be real. Would you keep watching a channel that only ever sells to you?

The kirana uncle already knows this

Here's the thing. You've seen this work your whole life.

Think of the kirana uncle who drops a toffee into your kid's hand every time you shop. Free. He doesn't make a speech about it. Bas, he just does it.

Guess which shop your kid drags you to next week? Straight up, his. Those toffees were jabs. Your next purchase is the right hook landing on its own.

That's my picture, not Gary's. But it's the same idea. Small gifts, given often, make the ask feel natural.

Earn the right to ask. Don't rent it with discounts.

Same post everywhere? Chalta hai won't cut it

The second big idea in the book is about fitting in. Gary wants your content to feel like it belongs on each app. He calls it "native" content. In plain words, a post that looks and feels like what people already enjoy on that app.

A long, thoughtful post might do well on one app and die on another. A quick, funny video might fly on Instagram and look odd on LinkedIn. Copy-paste the same thing everywhere and you'll feel it.

Gary has a line he's known for: "Content is king, but context is God." The words matter. Where and how people see them matters even more.

When do you throw the hook?

Gary's point isn't "never sell". He wants you to sell. Without a right hook, you're just a nice guy with a lot of followers.

But a good hook is simple. It's clear what to do next. It works on a phone. No ten-step forms. No walls of small print.

And how many jabs before a hook? Gary doesn't give a magic number, and I won't make one up. The idea is simple. Give a lot more than you ask. If your feed feels like a pamphlet, that's the deal-breaker.

Try this week

Open your business's last 12 posts. Mark each one: J for jab (it gave something) or H for hook (it asked for something).

Count them. If the H's are winning, plan your next 12 posts with at least three jabs before every hook. Make each one fit the app it's going on. Then watch how your next ask lands.