L258 · AI at work · 2 min

Hooks that keep viewers watching

The first two seconds of a short video decide whether people stay, and AI can help you write a dozen opening lines to test.

01 · The idea

On TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts, people swipe fast. If the first line is "Hi everyone, today I want to show you", most are gone. A hook gives them a reason to stay: a question, a surprise, a problem they have.

Give AI two or three hooks you liked from other videos as examples of the style, then describe your video. Ask for ten opening lines in that style. Examples steer it far better than a vague request for something catchy.

Good hooks for small shops are often simple: "This is how we pack 200 orders before 8 a.m.", "Three ways to tell real silk from fake", "Why our bánh mì costs 5,000 dong more". Show the thing in the first second, too.

The hook has to match the video. If you promise a secret and deliver an ad, viewers feel tricked and stop trusting you. Test a few honest hooks and keep the ones people watch longest.

02 · Do it now

03 · Quick check

Why give AI example hooks you already like?