The Video Hooks You Need To Be Using (With Examples)
Research suggests consumers decide whether to engage with content in just 1.7 seconds on social media platforms. Crazy right?! This means that creators and brands have a minimal window of time to capture the attention of viewers and entice them to continue watching - which is why you need killer hooks in all (yes all,) of your videos! Keep reading to find out the types of hooks you need to be using, as well as some extra tips.
What Is A Hook?
Starting with the basics, a social media hook is anything that grabs a social media user’s attention. A hook is always one of the very first things presented to the user—for example, the first few seconds of a TikTok or the first photo posted in an Instagram carousel. For Instagram and TikTok, the purpose of a hook is essentially to get the user to stop scrolling, and to engage with the content in its entirety: good hooks create intrigue, capture attention, and most importantly hold it.
We like to break it down into 3 types of hooks, being…
Text Hooks
Speech Hooks
Action/ Subliminal Hooks
Let’s get into each one, with examples.
Text Hooks
Text hooks are simply text written over the video that grabs users’ attention. Here are some of the most popular examples…
Declare Your Expertise - ‘I’m a social media manager and here are 5 hooks you need to be using in your video content’ (get it) There’s no shortage of people trying to give advice on TikTok and Instagram, so if you’re an expert in a particular field, tell your audience right away.
If you’re not following @therapyjeff, wyd? Here he combines two great hooks, ‘5 things’ whilst also declaring his expertise as a ‘LPC’ (licensed professional counsellor).
He uses text to do this, but most commonly this is done through a voiceover.
‘Reply as video’ - answering a question at the beginning of your TikTok will encourage viewers to keep watching for the answer. This is also an awesome strategy for increasing engagement: when you post videos replying to comments, people are more likely to comment on your videos.
Simplicity at it’s finest, a whopping 5.2 million people viewed this video. People want their questions answered, and The Bread Guy answered it in a simple video. If you’re wondering, yes, he does literally cut bread. It’s great content and you can’t look away!
Temp them with the ending - the oldest trick in the book, but equally as effective: “Wait for it“. Temp your audience to stop their scroll with the allure of great content at the end.
Who remembers the hilarious sprite challenge? Creator @alice_bottomley used this simple hook to let viewers know the real gem of the video is coming, and it’s worth it. And it worked, with 8.5 million people watching the video in its entirety. This hook specifically works great for funny videos.
Speech Hooks
Speech-based hooks are often used in conjunction with Text Hooks and hook the user’s attention with your voice, or a sound. Here are some of the most popular examples…
Be fast and loud - kicking off your video with some good old-fashioned aggression will definitely snap a viewer out of their mindless scroll. It sounds obvious and ridiculous, but this strategy can actually be incorporated into lots of different niches.
Brutally honest food reviewer Brandiece @foodguidelondon uses her signature hook of a bold, loud voiceover.
In this video, 264,000 people stopped to watch.
Use a lil’ controversy - are we the drama? Jokes aside - users love to hear unpopular opinions (in moderation). Stating that you have an “unpopular” or controversial opinion makes people want to find out what it is! The great thing about this- it can be adapted to any niche.
@giaaldisert is “ur bestfriend who gives you advice’” specifically about friendships and relationships.
This video featuring her controversial takes in her relationship has 1.2 million people likes and over 120,000 saves.
Action/ Subliminal Hooks
We used to call these “Action” hooks, but lately, they’re being branded as “Subliminal”, which we love, because these hooks are less obvious and feel so much more organic. You’ve probably been caught by subliminal hooks and not even noticed it. Subliminal hooks typically use satisfying sounds and/or imagery that subconsciously keep you hooked. Sounds weird right, but it’s so much more popular than you’d think. Here are some ways to hook viewers without even saying anything.
Perhaps the most prevalent example of subliminal is creator @emilymariko. With over 12.7 million followers to date, her formula is no speaking, and purely cooking ASMR- cracking eggs, opening packets, pressing buttons etc.
Satisfying, to say the least.
Another very popular example, that you’ve probably seen all your favourite influencers do, is the classic “putting on your lipgloss/ makeup /skincare ” subliminal hook, just like @latishaclarkk started her video with some dewy SPF pouring down her face!
The key is to do some kind of action when starting the video.
SUMMARY
As our attention spans continue to be in demand for every piece of content we come across, it is crucial for creators and brands to employ effective video hooks within the first few seconds of their content to engage Gen Z audiences. And guess what, you can use ALL three of these types of hooks in all of your videos to ensure you are maximising your reach.
By utilising engaging hooks, along with captivating storytelling, visual aesthetics, short-form ‘snackable’ content, interactive elements, and trend-jacking techniques creators and brands can increase the likelihood of retaining viewer attention and driving engagement.
It’s a full-time job.. but you can always hire us and we’ll take care of it for you 😉
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