Lesson 2: the hook

A hook has three layers

Freeze the reel at about two seconds and write down three things:

1. What is said. The first spoken line, word for word.
2. What is shown. The first picture: a face close to the camera, a product in hand, a messy room, a text card.
3. What is written. The words on screen, if any.

Strong hooks often use all three at once.

Common hook types

Most hooks fall into a handful of types. Naming the type is what lets you reuse it with your own words.

• The question. "Why does nobody talk about this part of moving house?"
• The mistake. "You're probably storing your knives wrong."
• The list promise. "Three things I'd never buy again for my kitchen."
• The POV. "POV: you finally found a cleaner who shows up on time."
• The reveal. The picture opens on the "before" and the words promise the "after."
• The confession. "I almost closed my shop last spring. Here's what changed."
• The pattern break. Something unexpected on screen in the first frame: a product dropped, a door flung open, a strange angle.

These are shapes, not scripts. Your version keeps the shape and changes every word.

The transfer test

For each reel you kept from lesson 1, write the hook type, then write your own opening line in that type. Then ask three questions:

• Is it true for my business? A mistake hook only works if the mistake is real for your customers.
• Can I back it up? Leave out claims you can't prove: results, rankings, health effects, money. "Everyone's favorite bakery" is a claim. "The loaf we sell out of first" is a fact you can check.
• Does it make sense in two seconds? If you need a long setup, the hook is too slow.

If your line fails any of these, try a different hook type, not a cleverer sentence.

Check your line

Paste your line into the free hook checker, with one line about what the viewer sees. It scores the hook, explains the score and suggests rewrites in other hook styles. Use the rewrites as ideas, check them against the transfer test, and keep the line that is clearest when read aloud.

To see how a viral reel's hook is built, paste its link into the viral reel analyzer. It writes out the opening words, the hook type and the first shot, so you aren't relying on memory.

For more ready examples by niche, browse the hook library.

Don't copy the words

It's tempting to keep the original line and swap one noun. Don't. The words belong to the creator, and a near-copy usually sounds wrong in your voice anyway. When Clone Viral Videos writes a script, it follows the beats of the reference but writes new words from your product facts. It also flags any run of five or more words that match the original.

Common mistakes

• Hooking on something you don't deliver. If the hook promises three tips, give three tips.
• Putting the brand name first. Lead with the viewer's problem or question; the brand can come later.
• A slow first picture. A logo card or a wide empty shot gives people nothing to stop for.
• Hooks that need sound. Add the key words on screen for people watching muted.

Exercise

For each reel you kept, fill in this line: "Hook type: ___. Their shape: ___. My line: ___." Run your strongest line through the hook checker. Keep the reels where your line passes the transfer test.

You can also find more reels with strong hooks in the template library.

Next: Lesson 3: shots and pacing. Back to the course overview.