What a hook is
A hook is the opening of a video ad, roughly the first one to three seconds, built to stop a scrolling viewer and earn the next few seconds. It can be a spoken line, a striking visual, on-screen text or a sound, and the strongest combine two. In UGC ads it usually sets up the problem the video then solves.
The hook is the creative element; hook rate is the metric that measures how well it worked. It is also different from the ad angle, the argument the ad makes. One angle can be opened with many hooks, which is why hook variations are the cheapest thing to test in a creator video.
How hooks work in creator videos
Common hook types include a bold claim, a relatable problem said out loud, a question, a surprising visual such as a mess being cleaned, and a reply to a comment. On-screen text matters because many people watch without sound, so the text and the spoken line should support each other rather than repeat word for word.
Ask creators to record several openings for the same video. It costs them minutes on the shoot day and gives the editor three or four ads from one body. The hook generator is a quick way to draft options to put in the brief.
Worked example
A brand selling a lint remover briefs one creator to film four openings: holding up a fuzzy sweater and saying they nearly threw it away; a close-up of the device shaving a cushion; text saying it cost less than lunch; and a question about pilling on leggings.
All four lead into the same 20-second demo. In testing, the cushion close-up keeps the most viewers, because the result is visible before a word is spoken. The next brief asks every creator for a visual-first opening as one of their options.
Common mistakes
Saving the product or the payoff for the end is the most common error. A slow brand intro or a long greeting gives the viewer nothing to stay for. Get to the problem or the result immediately.
Clickbait is the opposite failure. A hook that promises something the video does not deliver may stop the scroll, but viewers leave as soon as they notice, which hurts hold rate and wastes the spend. The opening should be the most compelling true thing about the product.
How it's used
"Can you film three different hooks for the same video? Same body, just swap the first line."
"The visual hook beat the question hook; lead with the result on screen next time."