25 proven hook templates and examples that drive retention and engagement on TikTok, Reels, and Shorts. Copy these formats and stop losing viewers in the first 2 seconds.
1/15/2025
The first 2 seconds of your video decide everything. If your hook doesn't grab attention immediately, viewers scroll past — and the algorithm buries your content. After analyzing thousands of top-performing short-form videos, here are 25 hook formats that consistently drive retention. The Curiosity Gap This hook creates an open loop the viewer needs to close. Examples: "Nobody talks about this, but..." or "I found out why most people fail at X." The key is promising information the viewer can't get without watching. The Bold Claim Make a statement so strong it demands attention. "This one change doubled my revenue in 30 days" or "Stop doing X — here's what actually works." Bold claims work because they challenge existing beliefs. The Story Opener Humans are wired for stories. Start with "So this happened to me yesterday..." or "A client came to me with a problem that seemed impossible." Stories create emotional investment within seconds. The Controversial Take Challenge conventional wisdom. "Everyone says you need to post daily. They're wrong." Controversy stops the scroll because people either agree strongly or disagree — both drive engagement. The Before/After Tease Show a glimpse of the transformation. "Watch this go from zero to 10K followers" or start with the result and say "Here's exactly how I did it." Transformation content triggers curiosity. The Direct Question Ask something your ideal viewer is thinking. "Why aren't your videos getting views?" or "Are you making this mistake with your content?" Direct questions feel personal and demand an answer. The Relatable Struggle Start with a pain point your audience shares. "If you're tired of spending hours editing videos..." or "I used to spend 4 hours on one TikTok." Relatability builds instant connection. The Number List "5 things I wish I knew before..." or "3 mistakes killing your engagement." Numbers set expectations and promise structured value. Odd numbers tend to perform slightly better. The Time-Sensitive Hook Create urgency. "This strategy won't work for long" or "The algorithm just changed — here's what to do." Urgency makes viewers feel they'll miss out if they don't watch now. The Social Proof Opener Lead with results. "This is how I got 1M views on one video" or "My client went from 0 to 50K in 3 months." Social proof builds credibility and makes the viewer want to learn your method. How to Test Your Hooks Don't guess which hooks work — test them. Create multiple variations of the same video with different hooks. Post them across your accounts and compare retention rates in the first 3 seconds. ShortFast generates these variations automatically, so you can A/B test hooks at scale without re-editing. The goal isn't to trick viewers into watching. It's to communicate value so quickly that scrolling past feels like a loss. Master your hooks, and the algorithm rewards you with reach.