On a reel, you have about 3 seconds to earn the next 3 seconds. Every second after that, you earn the next. The hook is the only line that has to do all the work alone.
What a hook actually has to do
- Stop the scroll.
- Promise a payoff worth waiting for.
- Make the viewer feel this is about them, not about you.
Five hook patterns that work
- Contrarian. "Everyone tells you to post more. That's the wrong advice."
- Cost. "I lost 3 years of my business to one mistake. Here it is."
- Direct address. "If you're a coach with under 1,000 followers, stop doing this."
- Curiosity gap. "The reason your reels don't reach strangers has nothing to do with the algorithm."
- Specific number. "I tested 47 hooks last month. 3 worked."
Rule of thumb. If your hook could be the title of a self-help book, it's too generic. Be specific, be small, be true.