You'll leave with 10 hook formulas, a buyer test that keeps out hooks that bring the wrong viewers, and a 10-point checklist to score every hook before you film it.
Most viewers decide in the first 1-3 seconds. A hook that brings the wrong people is almost as bad as one that loses everyone: you get views, but no buyers. A good hook passes two tests: it stops the scroll, and it stops the right person.
Step 1: Write 3 hooks from different formulas
Never write one hook. Write three from three different formulas below, then test them (Lesson 8).
#
Formula
Shape
1
Shocking number
"[Number] [result] in [time]"
2
Contrarian
"Stop doing [common advice]"
3
Confession
"I [did the wrong thing] for [time]"
4
Before and after
"From [bad state] to [good state]"
5
Industry death
"[Common practice] is dead"
6
Secret system
"The [named method] nobody talks about"
7
Time compression
"[Big task] in [short time]"
8
Cost of doing nothing
"Every week you skip [x], you lose [y]"
9
Insider leak
"What [insiders] won't tell you about [x]"
10
Story
"[Person] was about to [lose x] until..."
Step 2: Run the buyer test
Take the tool or trend name out of the hook. Would your buyer still care? "Claude just dropped a new feature" fails. "How I answer 50 customer emails in 10 minutes" passes, even if Claude does the work.
Step 3: Check the angle in one line
Every video should fit this sentence. If it doesn't, the hook has no idea behind it.
[Buyer] thinks [old belief]. Actually [new belief], because [proof]. So [result].
Step 4: Score it
Run the checklist below. Film only hooks that pass 8 or more.
The prompt
My buyer: [one sentence]. My video idea: [one line]. My proof: [a number I can back].
Write 3 spoken hooks, each from a different formula: shocking number, contrarian,
confession, before/after, industry death, secret system, time compression,
cost of doing nothing, insider leak, story.
Rules: 18 words or fewer, one breath, a number or clear result in the first 5 words,
no tool name the buyer wouldn't care about. Write it the way I talk: [3 captions].
For each hook, fill: "[Buyer] thinks [old belief]. Actually [new belief],
because [proof]. So [result]."
Checklist
A number or clear result in the first 5 words.
18 words or fewer.
Movement on screen at frame 0.
A 2-6 word text headline in the first second.
The first spoken word is on screen within 0.25 seconds.
It opens on the most exciting moment, not a build-up.
The thing is shown, not just described.
Something new appears by second 2.
The face shares the frame with something else (proof, screen, object).
The payoff word is on screen as you say it.
Example
In the Creator Reels data, Kallaway uses result hooks on 60% of his Reels, and Mino Lee's result hooks get a median of 116K plays against 66K for his other hooks. Leading with the result is the single most common pattern among top creators.
