How to write a hook for TikTok and Reels

On short-form platforms, viewers decide whether to keep watching almost instantly. Your hook, the first one to three seconds, decides whether the rest of your video gets seen at all.

The 3 parts of a strong hook

1. Visual: something worth looking at in the first frame (the result, motion, a face).
2. Verbal or text: a line that creates curiosity or promises value.
3. Promise: a reason to stay until the end.

7 hook formulas (with examples)

1. Show the payoff first. Open on the finished dish, the clean room or the final look. "This took 3 hours…"
2. Bold claim. "This is the only pasta recipe you need."
3. Curiosity gap. "Nobody tells you this about Lisbon…"
4. Direct callout. "If you film on your phone, stop doing this."
5. Mistake or warning. "I wasted a year doing my skincare wrong."
6. Number list. "3 moves that fixed my squat."
7. Before/after tease. "Wait for the reveal."

Edit so the hook comes first

The best hook is often something you filmed last: the reveal, the tasting, the result. Most raw footage is in chronological order, so the payoff is buried at the end.

That's why we built Hook First in cutzio. It finds the most engaging moment in your clips and opens with it. Then it tells the rest of the story so the video still makes sense. You can also steer it with a note like "start with the first bite".

Common hook mistakes

• Slow intros: "Hey guys, so today…" Cut straight to it.
• A promise you don't keep: viewers leave and the algorithm notices.
• Text that's too small or too long: keep on-screen hooks under about 8 words.

Checklist

• Something visually interesting in frame 1
• A clear promise in under 3 seconds
• The payoff delivered before the end
• No dead air at the start