People decide whether to keep watching almost immediately. On a feed where the next video is one swipe away, the first couple of seconds are the whole pitch. If the point hasn't started by then, most viewers are already gone.
The usual reasons a hook fails
- A slow start. A logo sting, a greeting or a long lead-in spends the seconds you needed.
- Context before the point. Explaining the background first, when the payoff is the thing people came for.
- Visuals and words that don't match. The picture says one thing, the voice says another, and the viewer can't tell what the video is about.
- Dead air. A pause at the start reads as nothing happening.
How we write a hook
Start on the most interesting moment, not the beginning. If the video is about a result, show the result first and explain how you got there afterwards. If it's a tip, say the tip in the first line.
Say one clear thing. A hook that tries to explain the whole video usually explains none of it. Pick the single claim, question or visual that makes someone want the next ten seconds.
How we cut it
- Trim every frame before the point. Cut the breath, the "so" and the "hey guys".
- Put the key phrase on screen as text, so it works with the sound off.
- Keep the first shot moving or changing. A static opening shot gives people a reason to swipe.
- Make the first line and the first image say the same thing.
How we test it
A hook is a guess until people watch it. Make two or three versions of the first few seconds with the same body, post them, and compare where viewers drop off. Keep what holds attention, drop what doesn't, and use the winner as the starting point for the next video.
Platforms show how long people stay, so you don't need to guess. The drop-off in the first seconds tells you more about your hook than any opinion will.
The short version
Start at the payoff, say one clear thing, cut everything that comes before it and test more than one opening. Most hooks get better quickly once you treat the first two seconds as the real video.
