100×+ usual@daisy891075.3M
“Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, but seven ways to charge your devices.”
Real videos · updated weekly
TikTok hooks that actually worked
The real opening lines of viral TikToks and Shorts, grouped by hook type — with how far each video beat the creator's usual views. Picked from 149 analysed videos.
8 examples in the library
Curiosity gap hooks
Promises a payoff the viewer wants, then makes them wait for it.
An open question is uncomfortable. People keep watching to close it — so the answer has to land late, not in the first three seconds.
100×+ usual
57× usual@bellybbw52080.7K
“You have to see this because it looks like witchcraft. This smart Zoom reading glass adjusts automatically to your vision from +1 0 to plus 4 0.”
34× usual@valeria_silva102321.6K
“I don't know what this girl does in her sleep, but every morning her hair looks like she literally fought somebody.”
33× usual@humphreytalks2.4M
“The scale of a billion dollars is really crazy. So let's say one grain of rice is equivalent to 100k and 10 grains of rice would be then a million.”
21× usual@thomaslee_fit25.2K
“It took me five years to figure out how to get really rich posting videos on the internet.”
@doom.lore217.2K
“This is what 40 days alone in the desert look like. This is Christ in the Desert, painted by Ivan Kramskoy.”
Templates to try
- →I tried [thing] for 30 days and the result wasn't what I expected.
- →Nobody talks about the real reason [common thing] happens.
- →This is the [tool/trick] I wish I'd found before [painful moment].
51 examples in the library
Bold claim hooks
Opens on a strong, specific statement the viewer may disagree with.
Disagreement is engagement. A precise claim invites people to stay and judge it — and to argue in the comments.
100×+ usual@kikisdeals38.9M
“Apparently washing your hands in my house is optional because my walls always look like this and they are kid height so I'm guessing they just use the walls as their personal paper towel.”
100×+ usual@abbyfridman13.9M
“Don't buy this. Unless you want to be getting your roots done every two weeks. I literally had to dye my hair two days ago because of how fast it's been growing.”
100×+ usual@camilla.finds13.3M
“Once you get a pair of undercover joggers to wear to work, you will never go back. These are actually the stretchiest things you're ever going to wear to work.”
100×+ usual@bahasbites3.2M
“Curls look fire for about 45 minutes and then turn into a mess. It's not your hair type. Look you put in before you left.”
100×+ usual@semicuratedlife164.7K
“I'm probably going to de-influence you from moving to Portugal with this video, but I'm so tired of people not sharing the truth about what it costs to live here.”
100×+ usual@allisonsayswhat116.5K
“Believe it or not, TikTok actually wants you to go viral. They tell you exactly how to go viral.”
Templates to try
- →[Popular advice] is the worst thing you can do for [goal].
- →You don't need [expensive thing] to [result]. You need this.
- →[Number]% of [audience] get [topic] wrong. Here's the fix.
27 examples in the library
Question hook hooks
Leads with a question the viewer already wants answered.
A good question makes the viewer answer it in their head — and then check whether they were right.
100×+ usual@siennavaleus1M
“But why did nobody tell us these existed sooner? They literally make sunglasses that go right over your regular glasses and I almost bought prescription sunglasses again.”
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you painted the world's brightest flashlight with the world's darkest paint?
@pieckle4M
Men protect women from who? From what? Please tell me. From rape, murder, torture, domestic violence?
@shedeservescare486.5K
100×+ usual@icrckf3mb0ys103.7K
“I keep asking myself the same question. Why am I only enough when it is convenient? I don't mean enough forever.”
40× usual@skylark_system445.4K
“Can you stop a drone without jamming it? Absolutely! Meet the R7 multi-rotor flight system.”
38× usual@tjr.clips0249.8K
“Yo! What college are you going to? I'm not going. What? You're seriously skipping college?”
Templates to try
- →Why does [everyday thing] always [annoying result]?
- →What's the difference between [A] and [B]?
- →Would you rather [option A] or [option B]?
8 examples in the library
Story open loop hooks
Starts in the middle of a story so the viewer needs the ending.
Stories are the oldest retention device there is. Starting at the turning point skips the slow setup that makes people scroll.
100×+ usual@pochavao8vn10.1M
“Jake, Lisa's a car. Marcus buys the same car. They both think they made the smarter choice.”
100×+ usual@noah_makes5M
“My son paid me $1,500 to detail his dad's work truck before he retires. His dad laid brick out of that truck for 30 years.”
100×+ usual@weemotd683.6K
“I shaved it down. My hair was so thin. Day 30, first new growth coming in. Day 90, filling in so much already.”
29× usual@wordswithruss715.2K
“I did love you. Once. I'm still trying to understand how we became strangers again. My phone battery lasts longer these days now that I don't text you.”
1.5× usual@drsquatch71.8K
“And done. Man, what the . Next up, Fan Art Challenge. Now I want you to film yourselves drawing a family member or a friend.”
@sumaiya445khan1M
“Will you marry me? Yes, I will. Why does everyone stay away from me? Is it because my face is not beautiful?”
Templates to try
- →So my [person] just [unexpected action] and I don't know what to do.
- →Three years ago I [mistake]. Here's what happened next.
- →They put a [consequence] on his [thing] — for [tiny reason].
14 examples in the library
Shock or contrast hooks
Opens on a surprising fact, number or sharp before/after contrast.
Contrast is what the eye notices first. A gap between what people expect and what they see stops the thumb.
100×+ usual@diaryoffrancine12.7M
“like an office trouser but they fit like a jogger.”
100×+ usual@gustejanus1.7M
“We use pussy to describe someone who's weak, but we use balls to describe someone who's brave.”
Everyone wants to create AI videos, start faceless channels, and make thousands of dollars.
@thehustler_m1l141.1K
100×+ usual@sn0w.ae396.1K
“This Japanese idol, Aikawa Honoka, had only one guy show up to shake her hand. Normally, for a group connected to something as big as SKE48, you'd expect a crowd, right?”
100×+ usual@twentysomething_podcast145.3K
“Literally planned out my Suicide, taking my life. That was a Thursday. I'll never forget, I thought.”
20× usual@ahmad.yasin32970.4K
“$1, $1, $1. That's literally what I make on each of these. Last week it was $29, then it dropped $19.”
Templates to try
- →$1 [thing] vs $1,000 [thing] — can you tell the difference?
- →This [ordinary object] is worth more than my car.
- →I made [result] with [surprisingly small input].
35 examples in the library
Direct address hooks
Speaks straight to one kind of viewer in the first line.
Calling out the viewer ("if you're a…") makes the right people feel the video was made for them, so they stay.
100×+ usual@elizabeth_ralph22.6M
“going to be okay. No. Listen to me. You're going to be okay. I know your mind is loud, I know your chest feels tight, and I know your thoughts won't sit still, but this moment won't break you.”
100×+ usual@motivational__speech421.6M
“Goodbye, my favorite stranger. I guess we're strangers again, but this time with memories.”
100×+ usual@authenticallythrive979.9K
“actually gonna have to disagree with you on this one. I recently just had him at the vet and the first thing they said to me was his teeth look absolutely amazing and I do not brush them.”
100×+ usual@cakedfinds22.9M
“Yes, you get this entire box of 300 worth of products on a huge discount today. There's not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, but seven full-size products.”
100×+ usual@carlyowenxx605.4K
“Imagine someone looking at you and saying, Can we fix this? Because I can't lose you. Imagine hearing, I'd rather fight for you than live without you.”
100×+ usual@jordauebq6m454.7K
“Hey, buddy. It's late. About 2.30 for me. I know we ought to be sleeping. But we're not. You're sitting here scrolling and, well, you found me.”
Templates to try
- →If you're a [audience] and you still [habit], watch this.
- →You're [doing thing] wrong — and it's costing you [result].
- →This is your sign to [action].
2 examples in the library
Pattern interrupt hooks
Opens with something unexpected that breaks the scrolling rhythm.
The feed trains people to expect the same openings. Anything visually or verbally off-pattern buys you a second look.
11× usual@cakedfinds214.4K
“Don't buy this, don't buy this, don't buy this, don't buy this. Because if you buy all of these viral Dr.”
3.2× usual@liquiddeath3.3M
“Imagine coming home after a long day and relaxing in this gorgeous bath filled with cherry cola.”
Templates to try
- →Stop scrolling — [unexpected instruction].
- →[Odd action] in the first frame, then: "Let me explain."
- →Starting with the ending: [result]. Now here's how.
Questions
- What is a hook on TikTok?
- The hook is the first one to three seconds of a video — the opening line, visual or on-screen text that decides whether someone keeps watching or scrolls. On short-form video most viewers decide in that window, so the hook matters more than anything that comes after it.
- Where do these hook examples come from?
- Every example is the real opening line of a public TikTok or YouTube Short with at least 5,000 views, taken from TransClipper's library of analysed videos. Each video was transcribed and its hook type labelled by our analyzer. We only show English videos with a clear spoken hook.
- What does "× their usual views" mean?
- It compares the video's views with the median views of the creator's 30 most recent posts. A video at 8× did eight times better than that creator normally does — a sign the hook and idea worked, not just the size of the account.
- Which TikTok hook type works best?
- No single type wins everywhere. Curiosity gaps and bold claims are the most common in our library, but the right hook depends on the promise of the video: a story needs an open loop, a comparison needs contrast, advice needs a bold claim or a direct call-out. Pick the type that matches what the rest of the video delivers.
- Can I copy these hooks?
- Copy the pattern, not the words. Use the templates under each hook type with your own topic, or paste your idea into the TikTok hook generator to get hooks written in these patterns for your niche.
- How often is this page updated?
- The library grows every day as people analyse videos with TransClipper, and this page refreshes from it automatically. Breakout scores are re-measured monthly.
Your next hook
Found a hook you like? See how the whole video works.
Paste any TikTok, Reel or Short. Get the full transcript free, then the hook, structure and viral score behind it.
No account needed · 3 free transcripts/day · Videos up to 60s
or write hooks for your niche3 free a day · no card
4 examples in the library
Social proof hooks
Leads with results, numbers, fame or other people's reactions.
Proof up front answers "why should I listen to you?" before the viewer asks it.
“to work at meta where i learned exactly how some of the biggest brands in the world advertise and then i left to build two eight-figure businesses and today the best ad copy that i write actually comes from reddit let…”
“In my last 30 tick tocks, I've had 14 to have a 10K views in the 60 videos before that. I only had one.”
“Everyone I tell about Claude says the exact same thing. We're back with Claude Wins My Life, and I'm gonna teach you how to create an email agent.”
“Place over 3,000 people in a single line to form the base. Then stack another slightly smaller layer on top.”
Templates to try
- →This is how I got [number] [result] in [time].
- →[Famous person] does this every morning.
- →[Number] people asked me how I [result], so here it is.
Write social proof hooks for your niche