SocialToolsTikTok · 5 min read · 26 September 2026
TikTok Hooks: How to Write the First 3 Seconds of a Video
On a For You feed nobody chose your video. The opening has one job: give a specific reason to keep watching. That reason comes from what is said, what is shown and what is written on screen, all at the same time.
Five hook types
- Question: ask what your viewer is already wondering — “Why does your bread come out flat?”
- Bold claim: state a clear position you then prove.
- Mistake: name an error your audience makes.
- Story: start in the middle of a moment, not at the beginning.
- List: promise a number of items and deliver them fast.
Say, show and write the same idea
Many people watch without sound, so put the hook as text on screen too. Show the result or the problem in the first frame instead of your face saying hello.
Keep the spoken hook under about ten words so it fits in the first seconds.
After the hook
- Setup: one sentence of context.
- Main points: one idea per shot.
- Proof: show the result, the before/after or the example.
- Call to action: one clear next step — follow, save or comment.
How to test hooks
Film the same video with two different openings on different days and compare the retention graph in TikTok analytics. Keep the one where fewer people leave in the first seconds.