# Hook

> Develops hook variants for the first two seconds of a Reel or TikTok. Use when a video opener, an opening line, a hook, or several hook options for an idea are needed – also as a first step before writing a script.

- Skill: `bendemartin97/hook` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add bendemartin97/hook`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/bendemartin97/hook/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: bendemartin97 (https://skillmd.com/u/bendemartin97)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/bendemartin97/hook

---


# Hooks for the first two seconds

The hook decides whether the video gets watched at all. It always consists of
**two tracks at once**: what's said and what's seen. A hook that's only a sentence
isn't a hook.

## Process

0. **If `FORMATS.md` defines a check formula, it applies — not the pattern list
   below.** The patterns here are a toolbox for accounts without a proven formula
   of their own. Where one exists, it's data-based and beats any general
   heuristic. Then check every variant against the formula and discard whatever
   doesn't meet it.
1. Read `BRAND.md` and `FORMATS.md` from the project knowledge. Target audience and
   tone determine which patterns even come into question.
2. Clarify the video's **promise** in one sentence: what does the viewer know or
   can do afterward that they couldn't before? All hooks must hint at exactly this
   promise.
3. Generate **ten variants** across at least six different patterns. Not the same
   pattern ten times in different words.
4. Give a recommendation and justify it in one sentence.

## Patterns

| Pattern | Principle | Example form |
|---|---|---|
| Counter-thesis | Overturn a widespread assumption | "Everyone says you should do X. That's exactly what ruins Y." |
| Mistake | Viewer probably makes it themselves | "Your X becomes Y? Then you're probably doing this." |
| Number | Concrete quantity creates expectation | "Three reasons why X doesn't work." |
| Result first | Anticipate the end state | "This is what X looks like when you do Y right." |
| Insider | Knowledge that only comes from practice | "What nobody in the shop tells you:" |
| Direct address | Address the target audience directly | "If you do X and want Y – listen up for a second." |
| Cost | State a loss or price | "That cost me four hundred euros." |
| Open loop | Delay the answer, but announce it | "The difference comes down to a single move." |
| In medias res | Start in the middle of the action | Begins right in the motion, no preamble |
| Insider question | Question only the target audience understands | Technical term as a recognition signal |

## Rules

- **Twelve words maximum**, spoken. Longer doesn't fit in two seconds.
- **Concrete beats abstract.** "Four hundred euros" beats "a lot of money,"
  "fourteen hours" beats "too long."
- **No preamble.** Don't announce what's coming – start directly.
- **The image has to pull its weight.** Every hook comes with a visual idea that
  grabs attention on its own: movement, contrast, an unusual object, a face
  reacting.
- **No unfulfilled promise.** A hook that implies more than the video delivers
  costs reach on the next video.

## Banned phrases

These are so worn out that they read as a signal for generic content:

"Attention!" · "Stop scrolling" · "This will change your life" · "Nobody talks
about this" · "I wish I'd known this sooner" · "You won't believe what …" · "The
ultimate guide" · any address to "guys" or "you all" as the first word

If a phrase from this list seems unavoidable in substance, it's usually the topic
that's too unspecific, not the phrasing.

**If `BRAND.md` contains its own banned list, that applies as well** – it's always
more specific than this one. For regulated or specialist topics (health, finance,
law), content limits are added: no hook that promises a result, no number without
a source, no sharpened claim the video doesn't back up afterward.

## Output format

First a table with all ten variants:

| # | Pattern | Spoken | Visual | Why it holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|

After that:

**Recommendation:** number X, because …
**Weakest candidate:** number Y – keep only if …

If a variant overstretches the video's promise, flag it explicitly as risky
instead of silently leaving it out.