Free video hook generator
Viewers decide in the first two or three seconds. Type what your video is about, pick your niche, and get opening lines built on 20 proven hook formulas. Then check the hook you wrote.
Step by step: write a hook in seconds
- Say what the video is about. In the script editor, open Hooks, type your topic and pick your niche. Everything runs on your device: no AI service, no account.
- Pick from proven formulas. You get hooks built from 20 formulas that work on short video: a bold claim, a mistake, a question, a result first. Tap More ideas for another round.
- It becomes your first line, with a score. The hook replaces your opening line. ClippCut scores the first line out of 100 and tells you what would make it stronger, like getting to the point in under three seconds.
How to use a hook
- Pick a line that fits what you’ll actually say, then make it yours: swap in your own number, result or mistake.
- Say it in the first second. No greeting first; say hello later, or not at all.
- Keep it under three seconds. If it runs longer, cut words or split it in two.
- Pay it off quickly. A hook is a promise: the next lines should deliver it.
In the ClippCut recorder, the same generator is in the script editor under Hooks: tap a line and it becomes your opening, right under the lens.
The 20 hook formulas
| Formula | Example | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| mistake | Stop skipping your warm-up if you want a stronger squat. | Naming a mistake makes viewers check whether they’re making it. |
| question | Want more energy without sore knees? | A question they want answered keeps them watching for the answer. |
| numbered list | 5 ways to run your first 5K, ranked. | A number promises a clear, finite payoff, so people stay to the end. |
| experiment | I tried home workouts for two weeks. Here’s what happened. | A personal test creates suspense: what happened? |
| hot take | Unpopular opinion: stretching is overrated. | Disagreeing with common advice makes people stay to argue, or to agree. |
| insider secret | The home workouts trick the experts use. | Everyone wants what insiders know and others don’t. |
| before and after | This took me from sore knees to a stronger squat. | A clear before and after shows the payoff in one line. |
| call-out | Every runner needs to hear this. | Naming who it’s for makes the right viewers stop scrolling. |
| shortcut | One home workouts hack that saves me hours. | Saving time or effort is an instant reason to keep watching. |
| warning | Don’t start home workouts until you watch this. | A warning triggers fear of missing something important. |
| story | I almost quit home workouts. Then this happened. | A story opens a loop the viewer wants closed. |
| comparison | Protein shakes or home workouts? Here’s what actually works. | Two options side by side invite the viewer to pick a side. |
| curiosity gap | Nobody noticed this about home workouts. | Hinting at something without saying it makes people stay to find out. |
| proof | You keep asking how I got more energy. Here it is. | Leading with a real result makes the method worth hearing. |
| relatable moment | If home workouts feels impossible, start here. | When viewers see themselves in the first line, they stay. |
| promise | Here’s exactly how to build muscle at home. | A clear promise tells viewers exactly what they’ll get. |
| myth buster | Stop believing this home workouts myth. | Busting a belief people hold makes them want the truth. |
| one thing | The one habit behind a stronger squat. | One simple action feels doable, so people stay to hear it. |
| ranking | The best home workouts tip I’ve ever heard. | Best and worst lists promise a verdict viewers want to compare. |
| never again | 7 things I’d never do as a beginner lifter. | A strong “never” signals hard-won experience. |
Fifteen niches
Fitness, food and cooking, business, money, tech, beauty and skincare, fashion, sports, study and learning, travel, gaming, real estate, parenting, self-improvement, and products and UGC. Each niche fills the formulas with its own audiences, results and common mistakes; your topic goes in wherever it fits.
Questions
Is this AI?
No. It’s a hand-written set of hook formulas that work across short-video platforms, filled with your topic. Nothing is sent anywhere; it runs in your browser.
How long should a hook be?
One short sentence: about 5 to 14 words, under three seconds to say. The score checks both.
Does it work for TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts?
Yes. The opening seconds work the same way on all three: the line has to give viewers a reason to stay.
Is it free?
Yes, with no sign-up. The hook generator in the ClippCut recorder is free too.
Last updated .