What is a video hook?
Last updated 2026-10-20
A video hook is the first few seconds of a video, the part that gives a viewer a reason to keep watching instead of scrolling. It can be a spoken line, an image or text on screen that promises a result, raises a question or shows the payoff early. A good hook is clear at once and matches what the rest of the video delivers.
What counts as a hook
A hook is the opening of a video, and its job is narrow: earn the next few seconds. It is not a title card, a logo or a greeting. The viewer decides while the video plays, so the hook has to work on the first frame and the first line.
TikTok's ad guidance gives two timings. Introduce your content proposition in the first 3 seconds, and prioritize your hook in the first 6. That is ad advice, not a rule for every post, but it shows where the opening should land. A hook also makes a promise, so the rest of the video has to keep it.
Types of video hooks, with an example line
People search for viral hooks as if they were a fixed list. They are a handful of moves, sorted by what the opening does. The names are shorthand.
| Type | What the opening does | Example first line |
|---|---|---|
| Result first | Shows the end result before the steps | This is the same kitchen, three hours later. |
| Question | Asks something the viewer wants answered | Why does coffee taste burnt at home? |
| Problem | Names a pain the viewer already has | If your videos lose people at second one, here is why. |
| Bold claim | States a firm or opposing view | Stop filming Reels in landscape. |
| Open loop | Holds back the answer until later | I used the cheapest option for a month, and day 30 changed my mind. |
| Action first | Starts mid-motion with no introduction | Pour the water. Now watch the lid. |
How editing makes or breaks a hook
The same line can land or flop depending on what the edit does around it.
- The first frame. Start on the subject or the action. A fade up from black, a logo or a slow establishing shot spends seconds you cannot spare. Cut a breath at the start.
- Text on screen. Put the hook line on screen in the first second, so a viewer with the sound off still gets it. TikTok's ad guidance recommends captions or on-screen text for context, at 5 to 10 words per second.
- Cut on motion. Make the first cut when something moves, such as a hand, a turn or a step. The motion carries the eye across the cut.
- Captions from frame one. Have captions running on the first spoken word, not after an intro. A caption that arrives late hides the hook.
- Branded posts on Meta. Meta's branded content policy says not to put a title card in the first three seconds of a video. For a paid partnership, open on footage.
How to tell if a hook worked
Use the numbers each platform publishes. Hook rate and hold rate are not names in Meta's list of video ad metrics, and TikTok's creative best-practices page does not use them. A figure called hook rate depends on the formula behind it, so compare only numbers worked out the same way.
| Metric | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Meta, 3-second video plays | Times it played for at least 3 seconds, or nearly its full length if shorter, excluding replays |
| Meta, ThruPlays | Times it played to completion, or for at least 15 seconds |
| YouTube Shorts, how many chose to view | The percentage of times viewers viewed your Short versus swiped away |
Testing hook variants
Change only the opening. TikTok suggests 3 to 5 different creatives per ad group and says creatives with big differences work better when testing, so make the openings clearly different.
Study and test hooks in Woven
Paste the link of a reel, short or TikTok in chat and Woven's AI agent downloads it, reads frames and a word-timed transcript, names the song if it can, and reports on the opening, pacing, shots and sound. It judges from stills and text, not motion or tone. Long videos get a breakdown of the first 90 seconds only, some downloads fail behind a login or a geo-block, and image carousels are not supported. Transcription uses credits. Woven does not post videos or score hooks, so compare versions in each platform's own metrics.
Ask in chat
- Break down the hook in this reel: [link]
- Cut the dead air so the video opens on my first word
- Make another version that opens with the result instead of the intro
Or do it by hand
- 1Start on the action. Drag the recording from Finder onto the timeline, then drag the front edge of the clip in to the first word or movement. If that leaves empty space, drag the clip back to the start.
- 2Caption from the first word. Choose "Add" › "Generate captions", then pick a look under "Caption style" on the Style tab. Captions follow the speech timings.
- 3Put the line on screen. "Add" › "Text" drops a text box at the playhead for 3 seconds. Double-click it on the canvas to type the hook, then pick an In animation such as "Pop" on the Animation tab.
- 4Make a second version. Right-click the opening clip, choose "Reference in chat", and ask for another version with a different first line.
Common questions
The opening seconds of a video that give a viewer a reason to keep watching: a spoken line, an image or text on screen.
A line or two. TikTok's ad guidance says to introduce your content proposition in the first 3 seconds and to prioritize the hook in the first 6.
One that shows the result, asks a question or names a problem in the first line and matches what the video delivers. TikTok's ad guidance also suggests suspense, surprise or other emotion.
Not a metric Meta or TikTok defines. Meta's video ad metrics list and TikTok's creative best-practices page do not name it, so any hook rate figure depends on the formula behind it.
The idea is the same for TikTok hooks, a Reels hook or a Shorts opening: lead with the point. Metrics differ by platform, so compare versions within one platform.
Sources
- Creative best practices for performance ads - TikTok Ads Help, checked October 19, 2026
- About video ad metrics on Facebook and Instagram - Meta Business Help Centre, checked October 19, 2026
- 3-second video plays - Meta Business Help Centre, checked October 19, 2026
- Branded Content Policies - Instagram Help Center, checked October 19, 2026
- Content tab analytics tips for Shorts - YouTube Help, checked October 19, 2026
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