August 9th, 2024

Katja Orel

What are Video Hooks? 10 Best Hooks in 2024 With Examples

If you want your UGC ads to stop the scroll and capture the attention of your target audience right away, you only need one thing:

A great video hook that pulls them in instantly.

Discover what are video hooks, what makes a great hook, and the best UGC hook examples that drive sales and boost engagement.

What are video hooks?

A hook (creative start) is the first 1-3 seconds of a UGC video ad. A hook grabs the attention of the viewer, it hooks them into the video and makes them want to keep watching. A good hook can transform casual viewers into loyal customers.

A hook can make or break your video performance. It can decide whether the viewers will continue watching your UGC video or scroll away.

Three types of hooks:

Auditory hook:

  • trending songs
  • unexpected sound effects
  • voiceover

Content hook:

  • Bold statements
  • thought-provoking statements
  • Negative statements
  • questions

Visual hook:

  • Dynamic transitions
  • Emojis and graphics
  • Visual Short

The best-performing video ads combine all three types of hooks.

People are exposed to a ton of ads every day, and you’re trying to make them scroll-stopping.

The only way to capture the attention, to wake them up is to create content (UGC Ads) that will pop on their screen and hook them in.

Why are Video Hooks Important?

The purpose of a video intro is simple: to make people interested in your product or service!

Hooks are about grabbing the viewer's attention and making them so curious about what you are doing that they want more information from you.

You want them to be interested enough in what you have to say or show that they want to learn more about it (and buy from you). That's why hooks are so important; they set the tone for everything that follows.

By testing which hooks best capture the attention of your target audience, you can maximize the impact of your valuable ad creative. Ensure they have the best chance to be seen.

“65% of people that watch the first three seconds of your video will watch it for at least 10 more seconds.” - Meta

What makes a good hook?

  • A good hook is creative and unexpected
  • It’s 1-3 seconds long
  • Invoke emotions or thoughts
  • It gives the viewers a reason to watch the entire video

How to make a hook for an ad?

Coming up with a tight, engaging hook that will perform just as you want, is not easy. In fact, most people get it wrong.

That’s why it’s important to try multiple hooks and test your ad creatives to see which ones resonate with your target audience best.

If you don’t know how to write hooks for UGC campaigns for your e-com or creating content that converts, try our Magic Script generator, which recreates the best-performing video ads in your industry, 100% tailored for your brand.

You can also test yourself and learn how to write the perfect UGC script yourself.

Best UGC Hook Examples 2024

Let’s have a look at what are hooks in video - pay attention to the first few seconds of each video to get a real idea of what they are and how they work in the video.

What is an example of a content hook?

Headlines, stories, images, questions, or anything else that sparks curiosity, emotion, or interest

Offer simple Solution, Benefit, or Result of using your product.

Offer the result in a form of a testimonial.

Offer a cliffhanger or a challenge.

10 Best UGC Hooks 2024

Have a look at some examples of high-performing UGC hooks that you can use in your videos.

Make sure to A/B test different hooks to see what works best for your e-com marketing strategy because the most popular hooks change regularly.

  • Imagine if you could (WANTED RESULT)

Imagine if you could (grow your social media following by 10k in a month)

  • Ever ask yourself why (PAIN POINT)

Ever ask yourself why (your skin still breaks out despite using expensive products)?

  • X steps to (DESIRED RESULT)

5 steps to (saving $500 on your monthly expenses)

  • Mistakes I made when (TARGET AUDIENCE)

Mistakes I made when (starting my online business)

  • Struggling with (PAIN POINT)? Here’s a secret tip I wish I knew earlier

Struggling with (losing weight despite trying every diet)?

  • Here’s how we (WANTED RESULT)

Here’s how we (increased our website traffic by 200% in three months)

  • This is why your (ACTION) isn’t working

This is why your (workout routine) isn’t working

  • Why 99% of (PAIN POINT) don’t (RELATED TO NICHE)

Why 99% of (new entrepreneurs) don’t (achieve profitability in the first year)

  • I tried every (HACK/TRICK), so you don’t have to

I tried every (productivity hack), so you don’t have to

  • Stop doing (RELATED TO NICHE) if you want to do (DESIRED RESULT)

Stop doing (common dieting mistakes) if you want to (lose weight effectively)


Other examples of video hooks

  • tiktok made me buy it (#tiktokmademebuyit)
  • My top XY find I can't live without
  • Favorite finds
  • 3 Reasons You Need x For x
  • Don’t buy that, buy this instead
  • The number one thing I’ve learned from
  • Three simple steps to…
  • Here is how to become a…
  • The secret to using your
  • My exact steps to…
  • How to get more …
  • You won’t believe this
  • X reasons why
  • Something you didn’t know
  • Simple important tip
  • 10 (insert tip) I wish I knew earlier
  • How I got x in 24 hours
  • I don’t know who needs to hear this but
  • Here are x tiny tips that can help you do
  • This is why your x isn’t working
  • Why is nobody talking about
  • The #1 reason you’re not
  • X reasons why you should
  • Life Hack I wish I knew sooner