On short-form platforms, the first two seconds decide everything. If you don't earn attention immediately, the viewer swipes — and the algorithm stops showing your video to new people. The good news: hooks follow patterns you can learn.
Lead with the payoff, not the setup
Don't warm up. Open with the most surprising or useful part. "This one setting doubled my battery life" works; "Hey guys, today I want to talk about phone settings" does not.
Create an open loop
Promise something the viewer has to keep watching to get. "Wait for number three" or "the last one shocked me" keeps people in the video — which is exactly what retention rewards.
Use specificity
Numbers and concrete details feel credible. "I saved $400 in a week" beats "I saved a lot of money." Specifics signal that there's real substance behind the claim.
When you generate a video in CASTMINT, the AI already writes a hook-first script — but knowing what makes a hook land lets you tweak it into something even sharper before you publish.