In a feed, your video competes with the next one from its very first frame. The hook is not the start of your video; it is the reason anyone sees the rest.
Cut the warm-up
Most takes begin with a run-up: "Hey everyone, so today I wanted to talk about…". Find the first sentence that says something, and start there. The warm-up can almost always go.
Say the payoff, not the topic
"Let's talk about lighting" is a topic. "This $10 lamp fixed my videos" is a payoff. A hook promises what the viewer gets for staying.
A few patterns that work:
- The result first: show or state the outcome, then explain how.
- The mistake: "You're cutting your pauses wrong."
- The number: "Three edits that doubled my watch time" — only if the video really delivers three.
- The question the viewer already has: "Why does my reel feel slow?"
Put it on screen
Many viewers start on mute. Put the hook as a large title on the first frame, in a few words, and keep it there for under three seconds. The spoken hook and the written one can differ: the title is the headline, the voice is the first line.
Move in the first second
A static first frame looks like a still image. A slight zoom, a cut, or a caption that pops in tells the viewer this is a video and it has already started.
Keep the promise
A hook that the video does not pay off trains your audience to scroll. Write the hook last, from what the video actually delivers.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a hook be?
One sentence spoken, and a title of a few words on screen for under three seconds.
Should the hook be spoken or written?
Both. The written title catches viewers on mute; the spoken line carries it for everyone else.
Can I reuse the same hook format every time?
Patterns can repeat; promises should not. Vary the payoff so the audience keeps believing the first line.