Writing hooks that stop the scroll

On a video without voiceover, one line of text carries everything. A good hook creates a question the viewer wants answered in the next few seconds.

What strong hooks have in common

• Short. Most land under eight words.
• Specific. Numbers and concrete details beat vague claims.
• A gap. They hint at something without explaining it.
• Spoken language. They sound like a person, not a brochure.

Formats that work

• POV lines — put the viewer inside the moment.
• "How I…" flexes — a result that makes people ask how.
• Comparisons with >>> — this beats that.
• Mysterious one-liners — a statement that begs a follow-up.

Example prompts

When writing hooks with AI, give it the format, the audience and a constraint:

Write 10 on-screen hooks for a video of a wall of phones posting content.
Audience: people who want to grow many accounts without filming.
Mix POV lines and "How I…" flexes. Max 8 words. No hashtags, no brand name.

Why it works: the model knows what's on screen, who it's for, which formats to use and the hard limits.

Rewrite this hook so it creates more curiosity, keep it under 8 words:
"we post on a lot of accounts every day"

Why it works: a single clear goal and a length limit — rewrites get sharper when you ask for one thing.

Common mistakes

• Asking for "viral hooks" without saying what's on screen.
• Hooks that explain everything — nothing is left to watch for.
• Business jargon like "leverage" or "scale" that nobody says out loud.