How to find engaging hooks that will captivate your audience?

A hook is critically important in a space like short-form video where there is an abundance of content to scroll through. You only have a few seconds to entice the viewer to stick around, so it’s important to make it count.

A good hook can take many forms. Here are several types of hooks that we’ve seen work best for podcasts clips:

#1 Thought provoking insights that challenge popular opinion

‍Sharing a new light or opinion on a common topic

First 5 seconds: “Something you may not know about Rolex is that they make over a million Rolex a year. The reason they hide this number is to keep a sense of scarcity.”

First 5 seconds: "They never really knew that Mailchimp was that successful. They just knew I was helpful to my customers. It was their classmates, one day one of them brought a magazine with my face on the cover.”

‍

#2 Personal stories which are easy to identify with

‍These include: how-to, growth, investments, fundraising, selling

First 5 seconds: What's the craziest thing you've done to get a girl to like you. I had convinced this chick I was dying. I was like in 9th grade and convinced 4-5 people I had cancer. All her friends. It took me two years to accomplish.”

First 5 seconds: “I'm in prison. I'm the third ranking gang member in the state. I wake up in my cell and I'm hungry. As a prison boss you get benefits. I get up and walk up out of my cell. Give the guard a nod and he opens the gate. Head to the kitchen.”