Goal
Given a video topic or script, pick the right hook type by scenario, then draft the first 1-3 sentences using that type's template. This skill answers "which hook to use"; dbs-hook answers "is this hook good?". The two work together: first use this skill to set the type, then use dbs-hook to diagnose and polish.
Meta-principles (before all types)
- Hooks determine immersion, not life or death. The biggest role of the opening is to let viewers quickly immerse themselves; what truly affects traffic is the quality of the content itself.
- A sensationalist hook is essentially deceiving the viewer. Suspense can be kept, but promises must be delivered.
- Every type has prerequisites; when the prerequisites are not met, that type is directly invalid—switch types, don't force it.
Scenario classification: three major categories by hook pivot
| Category | Pivot | Type | Typical scenario |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hangs on the content | The content itself is strong enough | ① Content preview ② Value packaging | Practical tutorials, scarce experiences, hands-on demonstrations |
| Hangs on the viewer | The viewer's own state | ③ Phenomenon first ④ Directly hit the pain point ⑤ Call out to the viewer | Resonant daily life, niche/e-commerce, interactive challenges |
| Hangs on an event | A specific event | ⑥ Event opening ⑦ Topic opening | Storytelling, opinion discussion |
Decision process
Ask one question:What is the hardest thing in this video? Eliminate in order:
- The content itself is scarce/contrasting (rare experience, special identity, counterintuitive combination) → ① Content preview
- Can say in one sentence what the viewer gets after watching → ② Value packaging
- The viewer has a common predicament of "I'm like this too" → ③ Phenomenon first
- The viewer has a clear, self-aware pain they want to solve → ④ Directly hit the pain point
- Need the viewer to immediately act/think and participate → ⑤ Call out to the viewer
- Have a real event with conflict in hand → ⑥ Event opening
- Have a question that can provoke conflict/discussion → ⑦ Topic opening
None satisfied? Go back and improve the content first, not the opening.
Combination rule: a hook selects only one main type, and at most stacks one auxiliary (common: pain point + value packaging, event + topic). Three or more will inevitably dilute it.
Detailed explanation of the seven hook types
① Content preview
- Summarize the biggest highlight of this video in one sentence.
- Prerequisite: the content itself has scarcity. When there is no scarcity, put the most exciting clip/conclusion of the whole video first to achieve the same effect.
- Template: "(scarce identity/contrast combination) + (thing to do)" or "(most exciting conclusion placed first), this video tells you how it was done"
- Example: "A day of a 47-year-old woman going to an internet cafe with her little nephew" "What is it like when your college classmate is a 54-year-old auntie"
- Common mistake: The content is mediocre but you force a teaser; after watching the main video, viewers feel deceived → completion rate drops.
② Value packaging
- Give a full sense of value right at the beginning to counter impatient viewers in the infinite scroll.
- Prerequisite: The benefit must be explainable in one sentence and delivered in the main video.
- Template: "After watching this video, you will be able to (specific benefit)" / "In order to (common goal), we transformed (common thing) into (unexpected form)"
- Example: "After watching this video, you will be able to painlessly quit salt" "To get everyone to drink more water, we transformed the break room into an arcade"
- Common mistake: The value promise is vague ("You'll gain a lot after watching") = no promise.
③ Phenomenon first
- Put a common phenomenon at the beginning to increase relatability and lower the cost for viewers to enter the video.
- Prerequisite: The phenomenon must be common enough, ideally at the level of "real life."
- Template: "I wonder if everyone is like me, (details of a shared predicament)"
- Example: "Every time I go on a business trip or go home for vacation, my suitcase just lies in the room and I don't want to unpack it at all" "When I wake up I scroll short videos, and one scroll lasts two hours"
- Common mistake: The phenomenon is not common enough, and it becomes talking to yourself.
④ Hit the pain point directly
- Viewers have the strongest desire to watch pain points, making them one of the best types of openings, especially for vertical accounts (they can directly stimulate consumption demand).
- Prerequisite: The pain point is real, specific, and known to the viewer.
- Template: "Why do you (work hard) but (get no results)" / "(A specific awkward moment in a pain point scenario)"
- Example: "Why does your friend earn more than you even though their ability is not as strong as yours" "Cats shed hair, and you can't lose weight on a diet—these are pain points"
- Common mistake: The pain point is what the creator thinks, not what the audience acknowledges.
⑤ Call out to the audience
- 99% of people do not actively think when scrolling short videos; the opening should actively initiate interaction, which both sparks curiosity and builds fan loyalty.
- Prerequisite: The instruction is specific, the action cost is low, and it can be done within 3 seconds.
- Template: "If you are (identity/status) this year, (action instruction)" / "Give you 3 seconds to think about (specific question), 3, 2, 1"
- Example: "Give you 3 seconds to think about how to sell chicken on Douyin" "Accept the fan challenge"
- Common mistake: The instruction is vague ("Tell me your thoughts in the comments"), and viewers feel nothing.
⑥ Event opening
- State directly at the beginning that something happened.
- Prerequisite: The event must contain conflict. A plainly narrated event = a bland account.
- Template: "That day I (sudden event)"
- Example: "That day I got into a car accident" "That day I stole someone else's things and got caught red-handed"
- Common mistake: The event has no conflict, and viewers swipe away before any tension arrives.
⑦ Topic opening
- Throw out a topic at the beginning that lets more netizens participate and express themselves. The vast majority of videos turn into bland accounts because they are essentially talking to themselves and give viewers no room to participate.
- Prerequisite: Everyone has a stance on the topic and something to say.
- Template: "How can (an ordinary person/a certain type of person) (controversial goal)" / "Have you ever (some hidden psychology)"
- Example: "How can an ordinary person go from zero to earning 300,000 a year" "Have you ever been jealous of your friends"
- Common mistake: the topic has a standard answer, leaving zero room for discussion.
Connection with existing workflows
- When rewriting (ra-rewriting): first select the main opening type for the rewritten draft according to the decision process, then proceed to dbs-hook to diagnose the first 5 seconds.
- When deepening the topic: you can mark candidate hook types on the topic card as a reference for format judgment at project initiation (strong pain-point topics are more suitable for vertical short videos, while strong discussion topics are more suitable for opinion-based talking-head videos).
- This account's main track (AI hands-on tutorials): by default, prioritize ② Value Packaging and ④ Directly Hitting Pain Points; for pure opinion talking-head videos, prioritize ⑦ Topic Opening and ③ Phenomenon First.