You can produce a brilliant video, but if the first line doesn't earn attention, nobody sees the rest. A hook has one job: buy the next two seconds. Here are ten formulas that reliably do that, with examples you can adapt today.
1. The bold claim
State something strong and specific: "This one habit doubled my savings in a year." Specificity signals substance.
2. The open loop
Promise a payoff you only deliver at the end: "Wait until you see what happens at step three."
3. The mistake callout
"You're brushing your teeth wrong — here's why." People can't resist checking whether they're the one making the mistake.
4. The contrarian take
Challenge conventional wisdom: "Stop drinking coffee first thing in the morning." Disagreement creates attention.
5. The number promise
"Three tools that replaced my entire editing workflow." Numbers set a clear, finite expectation.
6. The relatable frustration
Name a pain your audience feels: "Tired of posting every day and getting 200 views?"
7. The before-and-after
Tease a transformation: "From zero to 100k followers in 90 days — here's the exact plan."
8. The curiosity gap
"Nobody talks about this one setting, and it changes everything." Withhold just enough to compel a watch.
9. The direct question
"What if you could make a week of content in one afternoon?" A good question makes the viewer answer in their head.
10. The urgent warning
"Delete this app setting before it drains your battery." Stakes create attention.
How to use them
Keep a running swipe file of hooks that stop you mid-scroll. When you script a video — or prompt an AI to write one — start from a formula above and fill in your topic. Test two or three hooks for the same idea and let the analytics tell you which earns the most watch time.