What a hook has to do
A hook has one job: make someone want to see the next few seconds. It doesn't have to explain everything. It has to open a loop the viewer wants closed.
Hook types that keep working
- Start with the result. Show the finished thing first, then how you got there.
- A clear opinion. Say something people will agree or disagree with, and mean it.
- A specific question. "Why do your Reels die after the first second?" beats "Want more views?"
- A visual break. Movement, a cut, an object in frame. Something that looks different from the last video in the feed.
- The middle of the story. Skip the setup and drop people right into it.
Where editing comes in
A lot of hooks are fixed in the edit, not on camera. Moving the strongest line to the front, cutting the breath before it, adding on-screen text that backs up what's said, a punch-in on the key word. Small changes, but they're often the difference between a skip and a watch.
Test more than one
If a video matters, make two or three openings for the same body and see which one people stay for. That's standard for ads, and it works for organic content too. More on that in our ad creative editing guide.
Next: short form editing, our work, or get started.