Hook examples: six types of hooks for short video

A hook is the first two or three seconds of a video, the part that decides whether anyone sees the rest. Most hook examples online are written for essays. These are for short video, where the viewer's thumb is already moving.

Each type below comes with what it does, when to use it, and an example you can adapt. One rule sits over all six: a hook is a promise, and the body has to keep it.

1. The choice hook

Put two options on screen and let the viewer stay to find out which one wins.

Example: "Carousel or talking head: which one should you post first?"

It works on two audiences at once. People who already know the field stay because they have an opinion and want to see if you agree. Beginners stay because they learn that both options exist. Use it for decision content, where the payoff is a clear answer and a reason.

2. The then-vs-now hook

Show what people used to do, then what they do now, and judge which is right.

Example: "Five years ago you needed a studio to post video. Now you need a phone and a window."

The gap between the two pictures is the tension. It suits any topic where the method has changed, and it gives you a natural structure: old way, new way, verdict.

3. The contrast hook

Frame the idea against its opposite. Old versus new, or the people who know versus most people.

Example: "Most people film first and think later. The ones who grow decide the goal first."

Contrast is how people understand anything quickly. The pattern is overused because it works; the fix is to make the two sides specific, so it reads as a real comparison rather than a template.

4. The false-assumption hook

Tell the viewer they can stop doing, or paying for, something they assumed was required.

Example: "You don't need a content team to post every day."

This one is powerful and easy to abuse. The body has to show the assumption really is false for this viewer, with the method that replaces it. If it only holds in a narrow case, say the case in the hook.

5. The declare-then-question hook

State the received wisdom firmly, then undercut it.

Example: "Post every day to grow. Or should you?"

The firm opening sounds like agreement, and the question flips it. Treat this one as a hook in test: it is newer than the others, so watch your own numbers before you lean on it.

6. The podcast clip hook

For clips cut from a conversation, a working rule worth testing: get the question out in under two seconds, and get the second face on screen by the third. A long setup before the question is the most common way clips lose people.

Example: open on "What would you cut first if the money ran out?" and cut straight to the guest's face as they start to answer.

The timings are a rule of thumb, not a measured law. Use them as a starting point and check them against your own hook rate.

A note on adjacent hooks: the honest bridge

Sometimes the best hook is next to your topic rather than on it: a news item, a widely shared interest, a scenario. That is fair on one condition. The body pays the hook's promise early, and the bridge from hook to topic is said out loud, not hidden in a jump cut. If the switch feels abrupt, it reads as bait, and viewers learn not to trust your openings. Chasing whatever is trending without that bridge is its own trap, covered in shiny object syndrome.

If a scenario is hypothetical, say so. "Imagine you run a bakery" is honest. Implying it happened is not.

How to tell if a hook works

Measure it. Hook rate, the share of viewers still watching after the first few seconds, is the first number to read on any short video; shares come second. Treat any claim about how a platform weighs those numbers as a claim to test against your own data. More in hook rate.

The hook also has to fit the format it opens. A choice hook on a carousel post lives on the first slide; on a talking head it lives in the first sentence. See types of social media content for the formats, and storytelling stakes and the hero's journey for what the body owes once the hook has bought you the time. Delivery matters too: the same line lands differently with vocal variety.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main types of hooks for video? Six that cover most short video: choice, then-vs-now, contrast, false assumption, declare-then-question, and the podcast clip hook.

How long should a video hook be? As short as it can be while still making a clear promise. For clips, a working rule is the question inside two seconds.

Can a hook be about something other than the topic? Yes, if the body pays it off early and the bridge to the topic is explicit.

Pick one type, write three versions of your next opening with it, and post the one that makes the clearest promise your video keeps.