The Hook Vault.
Eight openings that earn the next three seconds. Each one comes with a template you can copy and a real before and after, so you are never staring at a blank first line again.
Pick what you are making. Open a pattern for the template and a real before and after.
The template
This is [the finished result]. Here is how it started.Before
Hey everyone, so today I want to show you a little project I have been working on for a while now.
After
This sold out in four hours. It started as a sketch on a napkin.
Why it holds. Leading with the payoff instead of the wind-up roughly doubled the three-second hold in our own work. Show the destination first; people stay to see the road.
Once you have a hook
Pressure-test it against the eight things every strong opening does, then let us hold that standard on every video you ship.
Patterns drawn from 1,000+ videos. Templates to start from, not scripts to copy.
A pattern is a doorway, not a script.
The fastest way to ruin a good hook is to paste it word for word. These patterns work because they match how attention actually moves on a feed, so use the template to find the shape, then fill it with the one true, specific thing your video pays off.
Once you have a line, score it in the Hook Checklist, see the full data behind all of this in what 1,000+ videos taught us about the first 3 seconds, and hold that standard on every reel with our video editing.
Common questions.
Straight answers on writing an opening that holds.
What is the best hook for a short-form video?
There is no single best hook, but the most reliable one is the cold open: start on the result or the most compelling moment, then rewind to how you got there. In our work, opening on the payoff instead of the setup roughly doubled how many viewers stayed past the first three seconds. The Vault above gives eight patterns with templates so you can pick the one that fits your video.
How do you write a hook that stops the scroll?
Open inside the moment, not the introduction. Cut the greeting, lead with the payoff, make a specific promise or open a loop, and make sure the first caption works on mute. Pick a pattern above, use the template as a starting point, and compare your line against the before-and-after examples.
Are these hook templates free to use?
Yes. Copy any template, adapt it to your own video, and use it whether or not we ever work together. They are starting points, not scripts to paste word for word, so they work best when you fit them to the specific moment your video pays off.
How do I know if my hook is actually strong?
Run it through the free Hook Checklist. It scores your opening against the eight things the best hooks do and shows the exact fixes for whatever is missing, so you can pressure-test a line from the Vault before you post.
Let us cut your next opening.
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