Writing Hooks That Stop the Scroll: 12 Frameworks That Convert

On Meta and TikTok the first three seconds decide whether an ad gets watched or buried. A great hook does one of three things: it creates curiosity, it makes a contrarian claim, or it speaks directly to the viewer's pain. Here are 12 hook frameworks our team uses every week.

Curiosity hooks

• "I tried [thing] for 30 days and this is what happened."
• "Nobody is talking about [surprising fact]."
• "The reason your [problem] keeps coming back is not what you think."
• "Three things I wish I knew before I bought [category]."

Contrarian hooks

• "Stop buying [popular thing]. Here is why."
• "Your [expert] is lying to you about [topic]."
• "[Trend] is the most overrated thing in [niche]."
• "I used to recommend [X]. I do not anymore."

Pain-point hooks

• "If you struggle with [specific pain], watch this."
• "This is for anyone who has tried everything for [problem]."
• "POV: you have spent thousands on [category] and nothing worked."
• "The reason [problem] is getting worse is hiding in plain sight."

How to know a hook is working

Look at 3-second video view rate and hook-through rate (people who watch past the first scene). Anything above 35% hook-through is scaling material.

Final note

The hook is the ad. The rest of the video just delivers what the hook promised. If you fix nothing else this quarter, fix your hooks.