Short-form Hook Guide

Patterns That Win the First 3 Seconds on Shorts, Reels, TikTok

30 hook patterns filtered by platform, length, and category — plus a 1~10 hook score for your own script with concrete fixes.

30s (Standard)

Hook Script Scorer

Type the 1–2 lines you'll say in the first 3 seconds. Auto-detects KO/EN.

0 chars · ~0s spoken · detected Korean

Hook Timing Timeline

30s total
0–2s
0s5s10s15s20s25s30s

Pink band: pattern timing · Light pink: max hook window for this length (2s).

Hook cap by length

  • 15s (Micro)0–1.5s
  • 30s (Standard)0–2s
  • 60s (Long Short)0–3s
  • 90s (Full Reel)0–3s

Longer videos allow up to 3s hook. 15s videos live or die inside 1.5s.

Hook Pattern Library (30 patterns)

30 shown
Question

Direct Question

0–1.5s

Ask a personal question in 1.5s so the viewer feels this is about them.

🎬 All
  • Did you know [topic] is actually wrong?
  • Have you ever struggled with [problem]?
  • What if I told you [belief] is a myth?
Question

Myth Flip

0–2s

"Everyone says X, but actually..." flips the expected answer to spike curiosity.

🎬 All
  • People think X is right — it isn't.
  • Why is this "common sense" completely wrong?
  • You've been told X. Let me show you why it's backwards.
Question

Empathy Question

0–2s

Empathy question ("Ever felt this?") bonds the viewer fast.

🎬 All
  • Raise your hand if you've felt [feeling].
  • Please tell me it's not just me.
  • Is this just me or…?
Shock

Number Shock

0–1s

"In just N minutes, [result]." Putting the number on-screen in frame 1 cuts drop-off.

🎬 All
  • In just 3 minutes, here's how.
  • $0 to $10K in 30 days — real numbers.
  • 7 days of [habit] did this to me.
Shock

Before vs After

0–2s

Show Before in 0~1s, tease After within 3s. Strong visual payoff.

🎬 All
  • This was me [time] ago. (Before shot)
  • Watch what happened in 30 days.
  • Before vs after — you won't guess.
Shock

Stop Doing This

0–1.5s

"Never do this" imperative. Triggers the risk-avoidance reflex.

🎬 All
  • Stop doing [habit] right now.
  • If you [situation], never do this.
  • Do this and you'll regret it.
Twist

Expectation Flip

0–2s

"Everyone says X, but I found the opposite." Expectation flip.

🎬 All
  • People say X. I tested the opposite and it worked.
  • I broke the rule and got the result anyway.
  • The "right answer" is actually the trap.
Twist

Confession

0–2.5s

"I got it wrong at first." Builds trust and sets up the reveal.

🎬 All
  • I was wrong about this for years.
  • Honest confession: I used to do this the dumb way.
  • I only learned this last month.
Twist

Industry Secret

0–2s

"No one tells you this" / "What insiders hide" — expose frame.

🎬 All
  • What [industry] pros never tell you.
  • The thing no one mentions about [topic].
  • Not knowing this costs you [consequence].
Urgency

Deadline

0–1.5s

State a time limit in second 1 — gives a reason to watch now.

🎬 All
  • Watch this before the end of the day.
  • Only works until [date].
  • Miss this and you wait a full year.
Urgency

Conditional Target

0–2s

"Only watch if you…" — filters audience, boosts completion rate.

🎬 All
  • If you're [audience], this is for you.
  • Only watch if you're [situation].
  • This is specifically for [target group].
Urgency

Countdown

0–3s

Countdown ("in 3 seconds…") forces viewers to stay.

🎵 TikTok📸 Reels▶️ Shorts
  • In 3 seconds I'll show you [result].
  • Wait for it — you won't believe it.
  • Give me 5 seconds. That's all.
Curiosity

Cliffhanger Tease

0–3s

"The ending will surprise you" — hint at payoff, defer reveal to build retention.

🎬 All
  • The ending is why I made this.
  • Stick around — the last 10 seconds matter.
  • The reveal is at the end. Trust me.
Curiosity

Hidden Info

0–2s

"You can't Google this" / "Hidden fact" — sells information scarcity.

🎬 All
  • What nobody talks about [topic].
  • Even Google won't tell you this.
  • Almost nobody shares this.
Curiosity

Mystery Loop

0–2.5s

Open a loop, delay the answer — increases watch-through.

🎬 All
  • Why does [X] keep outselling everything? Here's why.
  • Something is off in this photo.
  • Finish this sentence and your view shifts.
Emotion

Comfort

0–2.5s

Opens with a soothing line for viewers who are struggling.

🎬 All
  • If you're tired of [situation], watch this.
  • I made this for one reason.
  • If you're struggling, take 60 seconds.
Emotion

Dream Trigger

0–1.5s

"This is how I hit [goal]" — lead with the success frame.

🎬 All
  • From $0 to [result] in [N] months.
  • Average me → this. Here's the path.
  • This is the method that got me [goal].
Emotion

Relatable Moment

0–2.5s

Hyper-specific daily scene that makes viewers nod: "that's me."

🎬 All
  • Monday morning look, anyone?
  • Is it just me or does this phrase trigger you at work?
  • This is literally me every morning.
List

List Tease

0–1s

"N things you should know" — flash the number in second 1.

🎬 All
  • [N] quick tips on [topic].
  • Just remember these 3 things.
  • Top 5 mistakes people make with [topic].
List

Ranking

0–2s

"Top [N] most X" ranking — viewers stay for #1.

🎬 All
  • Top 3 biggest mistakes in [topic].
  • #1 might shock you.
  • 5 things you should never pick in [topic].
List

Checklist

0–2s

"If any of these apply to you..." — personalized checklist feel.

🎬 All
  • If any of these sound like you, keep watching.
  • 2 out of 3 and you're probably [situation].
  • Check yourself against this list.
Contrast

Expectation vs Reality

0–2s

Split screen (left/right or top/bottom) contrast within the first second.

🎬 All
  • Expectation vs reality — can you tell?
  • What people think [topic] is vs what it actually is.
  • Seeing this side by side changes everything.
Contrast

Price Contrast

0–2s

"$10 vs $1000" — visualize the price gap for value or luxury framing.

🎬 All
  • $10 vs $1000 — here's what you actually get.
  • Cheap vs premium: real side-by-side test.
  • The price gap matters more than you think.
Contrast

Then vs Now

0–2.5s

Timeline contrast — nostalgia + change + rediscovery in one hit.

🎬 All
  • [Topic] 10 years ago vs today.
  • Back then vs now — the shift is wild.
  • Here's where the generation gap shows up.
Challenge

Challenge

0–2s

"I tried X for [N] days" — stacks process curiosity with outcome curiosity.

🎬 All
  • I did [habit] for 30 days — here's what happened.
  • [N]-day challenge: real results.
  • After 30 days of [behavior], this is what changed.
Challenge

Versus

0–2s

"A vs B — who wins?" Strong binary framing.

🎬 All
  • [A] vs [B]: who actually wins?
  • Expert vs beginner — side-by-side.
  • We ran the real test.
Challenge

Recreate

0–2s

"I recreated X" — borrows trend familiarity.

🎵 TikTok📸 Reels▶️ Shorts
  • I copied [celeb]'s routine.
  • I tried the [trend] myself.
  • Tested the viral [topic] — here's how it went.
Reaction

Duet / React

0–2s

"@[creator] is this true?" Reaction hook, native to TikTok / Reels.

🎵 TikTok📸 Reels
  • So many of you asked, so I tested it.
  • @[creator] — is this real? I checked.
  • I saw this and had to respond.
Reaction

Text Wall

0–0.5s

Full-screen bold text in 0.5s to stop the scroll. TikTok-native.

🎵 TikTok
  • Big bold text: [core line]
  • Okay, everyone stop scrolling.
  • Read this before you scroll.
Reaction

Voiceover Hook

0–2s

Strong voiceover line in second 1 — cushions muted auto-scrolls.

🎬 All
  • Just hear this one line.
  • I've never shared this before.
  • This one sentence changed my life.

Learn the 3-second hook principles in the guide and FAQ.