Hook
The opening seconds that decide whether anyone watches the rest.
The hook is whatever makes a viewer not leave. On a vertical feed that is frequently the first frame rather than the first sentence, because the decision happens before you have finished a word.
The most common mistake is treating the hook as a promise of value later. It works better as a delivery of value now — the surprising thing said immediately, with the explanation earning its place afterwards.
Formats where this matters most
- Vertical Shorts SerialSub-sixty-second vertical video built as a repeating series around one hook formula.
- Storytime / Personal NarrativeA bounded first-person story from your past, told straight to camera with a real ending.
- Listicle / RankingA set number of enumerated items, each an originally scripted beat, usually counted down.