You have three seconds
On TikTok, Reels, and Shorts, viewers decide almost instantly whether to keep watching. Your hook is what's said and what's shown in those first seconds, and both have to work.
Hook formats that work on video
- Result first — Spoken line: "This took my close from 9 days to 3." · What's on screen: The "after" state
- Mistake — Spoken line: "Stop doing this in your invoices." · What's on screen: The mistake, circled
- Contrarian — Spoken line: "Posting every day is killing your reach." · What's on screen: You, direct to camera
- Question with stakes — Spoken line: "Is your retainer losing you money?" · What's on screen: A number that's wrong
- Pattern interrupt — Spoken line: (no words) · What's on screen: Something unexpected or moving
- Story drop-in — Spoken line: "So the client called at 11pm…" · What's on screen: Mid-action, no intro
The rules
- No intro. Never start with "Hi, I'm…" or "In this video…". Start at the most interesting moment.
- Say and show. The first frame should make sense with the sound off, because many people watch muted.
- Promise something the video delivers. A hook that overpromises gets watched, then scrolled past angrily, and that hurts reach.
Try it
Watch five short videos in your niche that did well. For each, write down the first spoken line and what was on screen. Which formats from the table did they use?