Short-form Hook Guide
한국어

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)

Quick hook templates

Click to apply to the scorer instantly.

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 Anti-patterns — 4 to Avoid

Spot these and your views will tank.

✕

"Hey guys, today we're going to…" intro opener

Why it fails

Zero info density in muted auto-play. The #1 cause of second-1 bounce.

Fix

Replace the first word with a question, number, or forbid opener.

✕

Context before the hook ("So last week I…")

Why it fails

Viewers decide relevance before they hear context.

Fix

Push the context into the body, after the hook.

✕

Vague hype hook ("This is insane")

Why it fails

Hype without specifics gives viewers nothing to latch onto.

Fix

Replace with a specific outcome: "in 3 min I got [concrete result]."

✕

5+ second intro (logo/intro animation)

Why it fails

Algorithm penalizes heavy early drop-off. Intro animation is instant death on short-form.

Fix

Cut the intro. Frame 1 = first line of the hook.

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.

Related content & SNS tools

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