How to write hooks for short videos: 7 formulas and 14 examples

Why the hook matters so much

On TikTok, Reels and Shorts people decide in a couple of seconds whether to stay or scroll, and the platforms push a video further when the audience watches it longer. A good hook doesn't save a bad video, but a bad hook buries a good one.

The rule of thumb: what is said, what is read on screen and what is seen in the first shot should all tell the same thing.

7 formulas that work

• The common mistake: «The mistake that makes your bread hard»
• The concrete number: «3 things to check before signing a lease»
• The painful question: «Why do your stories get views and nobody buys?»
• Before and after: «This is what this room looked like a week ago»
• The surprising fact: «Most students study wrong the night before an exam»
• The contradiction: «Posting less brought me more clients»
• This is for you if…: «If you run a restaurant and don't know what to post, watch this»

Examples by industry

• Restaurant: «Nobody orders this dish until they try it»
• Online store: «Don't buy headphones without watching this»
• Clinic: «This 30-second habit protects your teeth»
• Real estate: «Renting isn't always throwing money away: let's do the math»
• Gym: «3 squat mistakes holding you back»
• Academy: «Learn any skill in 20 hours»
• Professional services: «This tax mistake can cost you a lot»

Mistakes that make people scroll

• Starting with a greeting or introducing yourself
• Promising something vague («amazing tips»)
• A hook the video doesn't deliver: it holds 2 seconds and loses the rest
• Long on-screen text, or text hidden by the network's buttons
• Waiting until second 5 to show the topic

How CreaVideosConIA does it

Every script opens with a hook and also shows it on screen, inside each network's safe zones. You can change it before producing, and with your accounts connected the system measures which kinds of hook retain best and takes that into account in your next videos.