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Hook Library for Reels, TikTok and Shorts
A hook is the opening of a short video: the first words viewers hear and read before they decide whether to keep watching. This library holds more than 120 opening-line templates written by EditorOP, in six opening types and eight niches. Type your topic and every template fills in as you type. Search or filter, then copy the line you want.
All 133 hooks
Claim
This is the easiest way to start [topic].
Fitness example: This is the easiest way to start strength training.
8 words · about 3 s · Fitness, Education
Question
Why does nobody talk about [topic]?
Fitness example: Why does nobody talk about protein timing?
6 words · about 2 s · Fitness, Food
Number or list
3 [topic] mistakes I made so you don’t have to.
Business example: 3 budgeting mistakes I made so you don’t have to.
10 words · about 4 s · Business, Lifestyle
Story start
I tried [topic] for 30 days. Here is what happened.
Lifestyle example: I tried cold showers for 30 days. Here is what happened.
10 words · about 4 s · Lifestyle, Fitness
Contrarian
Stop doing [topic] the way you were taught.
Fitness example: Stop doing cardio the way you were taught.
8 words · about 3 s · Fitness
Demonstration
Watch me fix [topic] in under a minute.
Tech and AI example: Watch me fix a slow laptop in under a minute.
8 words · about 3 s · Tech and AI
Claim
[topic] is simpler than you think.
Business example: Spreadsheets is simpler than you think.
6 words · about 2 s · Business, Education
Question
What would you do if [topic] stopped working tomorrow?
Creator growth example: What would you do if Instagram stopped working tomorrow?
9 words · about 4 s · Creator growth, Business
Number or list
5 [topic] tips I wish I knew sooner.
Fitness example: 5 running tips I wish I knew sooner.
8 words · about 3 s · Fitness
Story start
Last year I knew nothing about [topic].
Business example: Last year I knew nothing about investing.
7 words · about 3 s · Business, Education
Contrarian
[topic] is overrated, and here is why.
Lifestyle example: The 5 a.m. routine is overrated, and here is why.
7 words · about 3 s · Lifestyle, Business
Demonstration
Here is [topic] before and after.
Lifestyle example: Here is my kitchen before and after.
6 words · about 2 s · Lifestyle, Food
Claim
Here is everything I know about [topic] in one minute.
Business example: Here is everything I know about cold email in one minute.
10 words · about 4 s · Business, Creator growth
Question
Is [topic] actually worth it?
Lifestyle example: Is a standing desk actually worth it?
5 words · about 2 s · Lifestyle, Tech and AI
Number or list
3 signs your [topic] needs a change.
Beauty example: 3 signs your skincare routine needs a change.
7 words · about 3 s · Beauty
Story start
POV: you finally understand [topic].
Business example: POV: you finally understand taxes.
5 words · about 2 s · Business, Education
Contrarian
Unpopular opinion: you don’t need [topic].
Creator growth example: Unpopular opinion: you don’t need a niche.
6 words · about 2 s · Creator growth, Business
Demonstration
Let me show you [topic] in real time.
Beauty example: Let me show you a 5-minute makeup look in real time.
8 words · about 3 s · Beauty
Claim
[topic] changed how I spend my mornings.
Food example: Meal prep changed how I spend my mornings.
7 words · about 3 s · Food, Lifestyle
Question
Have you ever wondered how [topic] really works?
Education example: Have you ever wondered how airline pricing really works?
8 words · about 3 s · Education, Business
Number or list
Ranking every [topic] I have tried.
Fitness example: Ranking every protein powder I have tried.
6 words · about 2 s · Fitness, Food
Story start
Quitting [topic] was the best decision I made this year.
Food example: Quitting sugar was the best decision I made this year.
10 words · about 4 s · Food, Fitness, Lifestyle
Contrarian
Everything you know about [topic] is a little wrong.
Food example: Everything you know about meal prep is a little wrong.
9 words · about 4 s · Food, Fitness
Demonstration
Watch what happens when I add [topic].
Food example: Watch what happens when I add butter at the end.
7 words · about 3 s · Food
How to use it
How to use the hook library
- 1Type your topic, such as “meal prep” or “cold email”. Every template fills in as you type.
- 2Pick an opening type and a niche, or search for a word.
- 3Copy a line, make it sound like you, and say it in your first three seconds.
What the platforms say about the first seconds
Instagram and YouTube both say the opening matters, and neither gives a formula for it. Instagram’s creator FAQ says: “Make sure the first 3 seconds of your reel are engaging, so that people don’t move on.” The same page asks for “something interesting to draw users in” early in the video.
YouTube measures the opening in its analytics. For Shorts, the Stayed to watch figure is the share of times viewers stayed past the initial seconds of a Short. For longer videos, the Intro key moment shows how many viewers were still watching after 30 seconds. It appears for videos at least 60 seconds long with at least 100 views.
So the platforms tell you to earn the first seconds and show you whether you did. What to say there is up to you. For TikTok, our guide to going viral on TikTok covers what TikTok’s own pages say about the opening.
How October’s breakout reels opened
Our October 2026 outlier report sorted 234 Instagram Reels and TikToks by their first line. Every post beat its creator’s usual views by at least three times. The first lines were short and mostly plain statements.
- median opening line, posts with a recorded line
- 7 words
- opening lines of 10 words or fewer
- 157 of 212
- topic-search posts that opened on a claim or statement
- 53 of 94
Questions were rare: 8 of the 94 topic-search posts with a known opening asked one. Eight more opened on pictures alone, such as a recipe or makeup going on. Text on screen was close to universal, in 219 of the 232 posts with a recorded value.
- Claim or statement56% · 53
- Number or list promise14% · 13
- Story or scene start13% · 12
- Question9% · 8
- Visual only (no text, no speech)9% · 8
Source: EditorOP, Outlier Reels, October 2026, from vidIQ outlier searches run 25 October 2026. Winners only: it describes what breakouts did, not what causes views.
The report used five groups. Our contrarian lines would count as claims there, and our demonstrations as claims or visual only, depending on whether the opening had words.
The six opening types in this library
- templates
- 133
- opening types
- 6
- niches
- 8
Each template belongs to one opening type and fits one or more niches. The table gives the first template of each type, and when the type tends to fit. That second column is our judgment, not a platform rule.
| Type | Use it when (our judgment) | Template | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claim | You have one clear point and can say it in a sentence. | This is the easiest way to start [topic]. | This is the easiest way to start strength training. |
| Question | The video answers a question your viewers already ask. | Why does nobody talk about [topic]? | Why does nobody talk about protein timing? |
| Number or list | The video really has that many items, and each one is quick. | 3 [topic] mistakes I made so you don’t have to. | 3 budgeting mistakes I made so you don’t have to. |
| Story start | Something happened to you, and how it turned out is the point. | I tried [topic] for 30 days. Here is what happened. | I tried cold showers for 30 days. Here is what happened. |
| Contrarian | You can back up the pushback within the next few seconds. | Stop doing [topic] the way you were taught. | Stop doing cardio the way you were taught. |
| Demonstration | The result is visible, so the picture can carry the opening. | Watch me fix [topic] in under a minute. | Watch me fix a slow laptop in under a minute. |
Turn a template into your first line
A template is a starting point. These steps are our advice for making it yours.
- Start from the payoff. Pick the type that matches what the video delivers. A list opening needs a list; a demonstration needs something to show.
- Use your viewer’s words for the topic. Type the phrase they would search, such as “cold email”, rather than your trade’s term for it.
- Cut it to about three seconds. Each card shows its words and seconds at 150 words a minute. The script timer checks your whole script at your own pace and shows what fits the first three seconds.
- Say it and show it. Put the same words on screen as you say them, inside the area the app’s buttons leave clear. The safe zone checker shows that area.
- Pay it off quickly. Give viewers what the line promised soon after it. Our Shorts retention guide shows how to read where viewers leave.
Reading the line to camera? The teleprompter scrolls your script under the lens.
How we wrote these templates
EditorOP wrote every template in October 2026. Each is a general sentence pattern with a slot for your topic, and none copies a creator’s caption. The examples are made up to show the slot filled for one niche.
We have not tested which templates get more views, and no list of lines can promise that. Use them to get past a blank page, then judge your own results in each app’s analytics.
Sources
Checked on 25 October 2026. Advice marked as ours is EditorOP’s judgment, not a platform rule or a promise of views.
- Instagram for Creators: Frequently asked questions
Official advice to make the first 3 seconds of a reel engaging and to put something interesting early in the video. Page read on 25 October 2026.
- YouTube Help: Understand your YouTube content performance
Defines the Shorts “Stayed to watch” figure as the share of times viewers stayed past the initial seconds of a Short. Page read on 25 October 2026.
- YouTube Help: Measure key moments for audience retention
Defines the Intro moment as the share of viewers still watching after the first 30 seconds, for videos at least 60 seconds long with at least 100 views. Page read on 25 October 2026.
- EditorOP: Outlier Reels, October 2026
Our analysis of 234 Instagram Reels and TikToks from vidIQ outlier searches run on 25 October 2026, posted 25 September to 22 October 2026 with at least 100,000 views. Source of the opening-line numbers on this page. A sample of winners, not a random sample.
FAQ
Questions
What is a hook in a video?
The hook is the opening of a short video: the first line you say, the text on screen and what viewers see in the first seconds. Instagram’s creator FAQ advises making the first 3 seconds of a reel engaging so people don’t move on.
How long should a hook be?
Short enough to say in about three seconds. In EditorOP’s October 2026 outlier report, the median opening line was 7 words across 212 breakout posts with a recorded line. That describes posts that did well; it does not show that shorter lines cause views.
What are the main types of hooks?
This library uses six: a claim, a question, a number or list promise, a story start, a contrarian take and a demonstration. In our October report, 53 of the 94 topic-search posts with a known opening started on a claim or statement, and 8 on a question.
Do these hooks work for TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts?
They are written for any vertical short video. Instagram asks for an engaging first 3 seconds, and YouTube’s Shorts analytics report how often viewers stayed to watch past the first seconds.
Can I use these hooks in my own videos?
Yes. EditorOP wrote every template as a general pattern, not a copy of anyone’s caption. Fill in your topic and change the words until the line sounds like you.
Do you save what I type?
No. The library runs in your browser, and the topic you type never leaves your device.
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Wrote your first line?
Record it. EditorOP edits the reel.
Say your opening and the rest of your script to camera, as many takes as you need. EditorOP keeps your best take and puts your words on screen as captions, so your first line reads even with the sound off.
See how EditorOP worksEditing by hand? How to edit a talking-head video from raw takes.