Ten hooks in one shape are one hook. Six formats give six real choices. Every format needs a contrast underneath it: what the viewer believes or does now, versus what this video shows.
Step 1: Find the contrast
Write it in one line before any hook: "Viewers think [A]. This video shows [B]."
- Explicit contrast says both sides ("Not more practice. Slower practice.").
- Implied contrast says only B, and the viewer supplies A ("The one setting that fixed my blurry photos").
- If you can't find a contrast the video can prove, the idea is weak. Say so instead of dressing it up.
Step 2: Build the core
A strong hook usually carries these jobs, not as fixed slots but as meanings: a subject (what or who), an action (what happened or what to do), an objective (the result the viewer wants), the contrast, and where the creator has them, proof (a number or a visible result) and time (how fast). Not every hook needs all six. The first four do most of the work.
Step 3: The six formats
| Format | What it does | Shape | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortune Teller | Says what is coming or what will change for the viewer | "Soon / next time you [situation], [what will be different]" | A real, supportable change. No invented future |
| Experimenter | Shows a test the creator ran and its result | "I tried [x] for [time]. [Surprising part]" | The creator actually did it, in the footage |
| Teacher | Gives a lesson with a clear outcome | "How to [result] without [the thing they hate]" | A real method shown in the video |
| Investigator | Uncovers why something happens | "Why your [thing] [problem], and it's not [the usual guess]" | A real cause the video explains |
| Contrarian | Challenges a common belief | "Stop [common habit]. [What works instead]" | The creator can show the alternative works. No straw man |
| Magician | A visual surprise that stops the thumb. A layer on top of another format, not a hook on its own | Open on the most striking frame, a reveal, a before and after | The frame exists in the footage |
For each format, write: the spoken line, the on-screen text, and the first shot. Drop a format if it needs proof the creator doesn't have, and say why in one line.
Step 4: Pick
Choose the top pick by: clearest topic, strongest true contrast, best match to the first shot, and the payoff closest to the start. Name the runner-up from a different format.
Rules
- No fake experiments, no invented numbers, no "scientists say". Proof is theirs or a [placeholder].
- Contrarian must be fair. Don't attack a belief nobody holds.
- Questions as hooks are fine only if the viewer can't answer "no" and swipe. "Do your photos look blurry?" invites a no. "Why your phone photos look blurry at night" doesn't.
See references/format-bank.md for one idea rewritten in all six formats.