I cannot put my finger on it its very vague and out there but I can feel it

I’m starting to develop a sense of what works as a hook and what does not in a short form content video

First things first

You have to show what is coming up in the video and what this video is about

You have to use images text sounds that signal towards it

But you have to do it in a very subtle and elegant way

I overdid this part many time and the video failed always

But when I redo the hook for those videos with less clutter, more clarity, more direction, more substance

It always performed 10X better than what I expected

So the win condition becomes that you have to communicate certain aspects by not just using words

But if you do it wrong it will harm the video a lot

Another thing I’ve noticed is that videos which have face in the hook perform way better

Another thing that works is say your first sentence and then either have a sound effect or a cut or a change of scene and have second sentence.

And the first sentence usually should contain “you”

The general structure of hook is supposed to be that we have to talk about them, the viewer

Subconscious always looks out for what’s in it for me and we have to appeal to it

So viewer what the video is about clearly and why it is about them

That’s the purpose of a hook and how we get it done is still not that clear to me

Aa wrong hook can melt your video performance

Because a wrong book can repel someone so bad that in just the first 3-4 seconds you have lost like 80% of your viewers

They need to be information-dense but light weight and clean.

Something that triggers in the viewer a sense of I need to know more of this but i dont and this video is the optimal way of knowing more

An information gap : “I don’t have this information or I want to experience this vibe, I need it, and the cost of getting it (watching this video) is lower than the discomfort of not having it.”

I guess that’s why those overloaded hooks didn’t work because they may be creating some curiosity but it is not a very strong motivation to stop you from searching for a better video than this.

The tension between showing enough, not showing enough and showing too much in those first few seconds.

Because hey on the next swipe there could be funny meme or spicy political tech or some thirst trap, so why should I stop here and watch your video

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You create a information gap or a vibe desire with your hook

But if you overload it you prematurely close it or make yourself an unreliable source of that thing desired

So you’re not only selling the need but also selling yourself as the source of it

An analogy here can be that let’s see your car company trying to sell an SUV

You say hey this is an amazing product because of these features

Hey this car is cool because of this vibe

And people also accept it

But they don’t trust you enough to be the provider of it so they skip YOU anyways

A more crass analogy would be there are hundreds of p*rnst*rs

So why should I watch you , why should I make you the source of it

Even if the content of that nature is desired

Or a Fishy bank saying you need to deposit your money for safety

And people understand the need of it because of that bank

But They don’t trust them with that money so they go to another bank

And I think this is what is happening on a micro scale with hooks

Because if some really is talking about some life advice on reels

I would rather have it from a person I trust than some shady guy

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But unfortunately this has big implication on what we can talk about.

The idea or vibe we are gonna create content about should be ‘selling’

In a hook, we are selling the idea first and then us as the seller of it

You can only make short form content about things that are inherently “sellable” in 3 seconds.

Short-form content inherently favors existing appetites over cultivating new ones.

You’re identifying what people already hunger for and positioning yourself as the most trustworthy dispenser of it

Not sure about dealing with something new under without using the existing appetites as crutches

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Claude’s take:

The Double Transaction Problem

You’ve identified that every hook involves two simultaneous sales:

1. The information/vibe itself (the product)
2. You as the credible source (the vendor)

The hook isn’t just creating desire – it’s simultaneously:

1. Establishing the need (information gap)
2. Positioning you as credible source
3. Making the “cost” of watching feel lower than the discomfort of not knowing

When you overload the hook, you either:

• Close the gap too early (gave away the answer)
• Make yourself seem untrustworthy (trying too hard, desperate, clickbaity)

This creates a harsh filter:

What’s Sellable:

• Things people already want but don’t have (solutions, shortcuts, secrets)
• Things people already fear or are curious about (dangers, mysteries, controversies)
• Experiences people already crave (vibes, emotions, validation)
• Transformations people already desire (better, richer, happier, more attractive)

What’s Not Sellable:

• Nuanced ideas that need setup
• Topics people don’t know they should care about yet
• Content that’s “good for you” but not immediately appealing
• Things that require education before they become desirable

The Hard Reality:

If you want to introduce something genuinely new, you must anchor it to existing appetites. There’s no way around it in short-form.

How People Do This:

They use appetite bridges:

• New crypto project? → Anchor to wealth desire (“This could 10x”)
• New philosophy? → Anchor to status/intelligence signaling (“Most people don’t understand this”)
• New tool/app? → Anchor to pain point (“Stop wasting 3 hours on this”)
• New perspective? → Anchor to tribal identity (“They don’t want you to know this”)
• New skill? → Anchor to transformation (“Why you’re still broke/single/unhappy”)

The Pattern:

You’re not really selling the new thing. You’re selling the familiar outcome and using the new thing as the vehicle.

“Learn about X” doesn’t work. “Get Y (which you already want) using X” works.

The Uncomfortable Question:

Maybe the real constraint is: If something genuinely new can’t be connected to an existing appetite, it might not belong in short-form at all.

Long-form content (essays, podcasts, documentaries) can create new appetites because there’s time to build context, shift perspective, make someone care about something they didn’t know existed.

Short-form demands you exploit what’s already there.