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50 Hooks That Stop the Scroll

A free guide by Kamran Imam — Instagram · TikTok · YouTube

The hook is the first sentence out of your mouth — and the winners put the payload in it, not a greeting. Here are 50 templates across the 10 types I found studying top performers. Fill the [blanks] with your topic, and keep every hook under ~15 words when spoken.

Direct promise

  1. “Here’s how to [outcome] in [surprisingly short time].”
  2. “These [N] [things] save me [specific amount] every single week.”
  3. “You can [impressive thing] with [tool] — and it takes [tiny effort].”
  4. “The fastest way I’ve found to [outcome], start to finish.”
  5. “[N] [things] I’d learn first if I were starting [topic] today.”

Deadline & urgency

  1. “You have until [date] to [action] before [loss].”
  2. “[Thing] changes on [date] — here’s what to do before it does.”
  3. “If you haven’t [action] yet, this week actually matters. Here’s why.”
  4. “This [price/feature/loophole] won’t last — three things to do right now.”
  5. “Everyone will be talking about [thing] next month. Get there first.”

Warning & mistake

  1. “Stop [common action] — it’s quietly costing you [specific cost].”
  2. “Before you [common action], there’s a [tiny time] check that saves [big pain].”
  3. “The [N] mistakes everyone makes with [tool] — number [X] is why you’re stuck.”
  4. “[Habit] is going to [cost you] way faster than you think.”
  5. “I [made mistake] so you don’t have to. Here’s what it cost me.”

Curiosity gap

  1. “What happens when you ask [AI/tool] to [extreme thing]? I tried it.”
  2. “There’s a [feature/setting] inside [tool] almost nobody opens. It’s the best part.”
  3. “I can spot [thing] in two seconds — [N] things give it away.”
  4. “The weirdest [tool] trick I know — and it works every time.”
  5. “Nobody talks about the level past [known thing]. It’s called [name].”

Contrarian & myth-flip

  1. “[Common advice] is wrong — here’s what the data actually shows.”
  2. “The people winning at [thing] aren’t better at [assumed skill]. They’re better at [real lever].”
  3. “Everyone’s obsessed with [hyped thing]. The boring [alternative] beats it.”
  4. “Unpopular opinion: [tool/tactic] is overrated, and here’s the receipts.”
  5. “I stopped [popular habit] for 30 days. My [metric] went up.”

Confession & story

  1. “I’ve been cheating on [tool A] with [tool B]. Let me explain.”
  2. “I was today years old when I learned [tool] can [capability].”
  3. “Six months ago I couldn’t [skill]. Yesterday I [proof]. Here’s the bridge.”
  4. “I got this completely wrong for [time period] — the fix took ten minutes.”
  5. “My [background] forced me to figure out [topic]. Steal what I learned.”

Result-flex (receipts required)

  1. “[Tool] just [dramatic verb — killed/replaced/rebuilt] my [thing]. [Number] in [timeframe].”
  2. “This took [tiny time] and [big result]. I’ll show you exactly how.”
  3. “[Number] [outcome] in [timeframe] — from one [simple input].”
  4. “I asked [tool] to [task]. It found [specific surprising result].”
  5. “Same [task], two ways: [old way] took [time]. This took [tiny time].”

Secret list

  1. “[N] secret [codes/settings/phrases] for [tool]. Number one is [NAME].”
  2. “The [N] [tools/prompts] I actually use — not the ones influencers push.”
  3. “[N] things you didn’t know [tool] could do — part [N].”
  4. “My [N] most-used [prompts/shortcuts], ranked. Number [X] runs my life.”
  5. “[N] [things] so useful they feel like cheating.”

Direct callout

  1. “If you [describe situation], this is specifically for you.”
  2. “You’re paying for [tool] and using 10% of it. Here’s the other 90.”
  3. “POV: you finally set up [thing] and [painful task] takes five minutes now.”
  4. “If [tool] feels dumb to you, you’re using it like it’s [old year].”
  5. “This is your sign to finally [action you’ve been avoiding].”

Trend-jack & participation

  1. “[Trend] is everywhere right now — here’s how to do it in [your niche].”
  2. “Everyone’s trying [viral thing]. Here’s the version that’s actually useful.”
  3. “[Tool] can now [strange new ability] and it’s breaking the internet.”
  4. “I scored [X] on the [trend test]. Comment yours after you try it.”
  5. “For [task], this is bad. This is decent. THIS is great.” (rapid tier-list — the visuals carry it)

Three rules for using these

  1. The hook is a check the video must cash — overpromise and the comments will collect.
  2. Say it in the first 2 seconds; put a rewritten version on the cover, not the same words.
  3. Write 3 hooks per video from different families, then pick — your first instinct is usually the most generic.

Related: /r/reels · /r/viral

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