How to write hooks that don't sound like every other Short
A teardown of 60 hooks that worked, and the structural pattern they share.
Hooks are the single most studied element of short-form video. Most templates produced by AI tools are recycled. Here is a structural framework that produces hooks that perform.
The 3-second contract
A hook makes a contract with the viewer in 3 seconds: stay 47 more seconds and you will know X. If X is vague, the contract breaks. If X is specific, the viewer stays.
Numbers in the first second
"-12%" or "$4.2B" in the first second outperforms general framing. The number does not need to be impressive. It needs to be specific.
Names in the first second
Named entities outperform abstract framing. "Zomato" outperforms "this Indian unicorn." The reader's brain attaches to the name.
Verbs that imply movement
Verbs like dropped, jumped, broke, killed, flipped outperform passive constructions. Energy in the verb carries through the hook.