500+ high-performing hooks for short-form video
Sorted by pattern (contrarian, curiosity, listicle, story, before/after) and industry-tagged. Pick a hook, add one line of context, we generate the full post in your voice.
The single biggest reason solo creators and small businesses stop posting is blank-page paralysis. Staring at an empty caption field asking "what do I even say" is the churn point.
Our hook library kills that. 500+ hooks sorted by proven pattern (contrarian, curiosity, listicle, story, before/after, controversial-take) and industry-tagged (trades, real estate, e-commerce, coaching, restaurant, agency, general). Pick one, add one line of context, we generate the full post in your voice AI.
Included on every paid tier. Not a static list — we add ~20 new hooks per month based on which formats are working in the current algorithm cycle.
What it does
500+ hooks and growing
Curated library, updated ~20 hooks/month based on current algorithm performance.
6 pattern categories
Contrarian, curiosity gap, listicle, story, before/after, controversial-take.
Industry tags
Trades, real estate, e-commerce, coaching, restaurant, agency, general.
One-line completion
Pick hook + add one line of context → we generate the full post in your voice.
Save favorites
Star hooks that work for your brand. Filter to just your saves.
Weekly winners feed
Which of your hook picks drove the most views this week?
How it works
01
Browse the library
Filter by pattern (contrarian, curiosity, listicle, etc.) or industry (trades, real estate, e-commerce, coaching, restaurant, agency).
02
Pick a hook
Preview 4-6 examples per hook. Star favorites for future filtering.
03
Add one line of context
Type what specifically applies today: "just finished a bearcat rebuild" or "listing hits MLS Monday."
04
AI generates full post in your voice
Hook becomes opening line, your context drives the body, voice AI keeps it sounding like you.
05
Track winners
Weekly view shows which hook patterns drove the most views — refine your library over time.
The technical bit
The 6 hook patterns
Contrarian: "Everyone tells you [X]. Here's why they're wrong." Works because it disrupts scroll pattern.
Curiosity gap: "I did [X] for 30 days. Result surprised me." Works because the algorithm rewards long watch-time and curiosity holds people through the video.
Listicle: "3 things I wish I knew about [X]" or "5 reasons [X] fails." Works because numbered lists signal defined-length content.
Story: "Last week a customer called and said [X]. Here's what happened." Works because human brains lock onto stories.
Before/after: "[X] used to look like this. Now it looks like this." Works because visual transformation is naturally engaging.
Controversial-take: "[Common opinion] is wrong and here's the actual data." Works because it drives comments (agree/disagree drive engagement).
Industry tagging
Every hook is tagged with industries where it's tested well. Trades hooks lean toward before/after and listicle. Real estate leans toward story and curiosity. E-commerce leans toward before/after and controversial-take. Coaching leans toward listicle and controversial-take. Restaurant leans toward story and curiosity. Agency leans toward listicle and controversial-take.
Filter by industry to see hooks that have proven results in your category.
How we choose which hooks to add
We watch high-performing accounts (500K+ view videos) across TikTok, Reels, and Shorts and identify emerging hook patterns. Every ~2 weeks we add 8-12 new hooks that are trending in the current algorithm cycle.
We also remove hooks that stop performing. Nothing is worse than a stale hook that sounded fresh in 2024 and is now algorithm poison.
Full-post generation from hook + one line
The library is not just a copywriting reference. Pick a hook + add one line of context, and our voice AI generates the full caption body (opening = hook, middle = your context expanded, CTA = platform-appropriate) in your brand voice.
Generation takes ~3 seconds. You approve or regenerate. This is the workflow that gets our free-tier local businesses posting weekly.
Weekly winners feed
Analytics roll-up shows which hook patterns drove the most views for your brand this week. See "Contrarian: 3 wins, 12.4K views combined" and refine your future picks toward what's working.
Surprisingly common: what works for your brand's audience is different from general best practices. The winners feed makes this visible.
Who it's for
Solo creators
Kills blank-page paralysis. 500+ starting points for weekly content.
See how →Local businesses
Industry-tagged hooks tested in trades / restaurant / retail categories.
See how →Carpenters
Before/after and listicle patterns dominate for trades content.
See how →Coaches
Contrarian and controversial-take hooks drive the highest engagement for coaching accounts.
See how →Restaurants
Story hooks for chef narratives, curiosity gap for daily specials.
See how →Agencies
Curated per-client industry hook selection. Consistent quality across clients.
See how →FAQ
Are the hooks written or examples?+
Templates with [X] placeholders. You bring the specific noun ('just finished a bearcat rebuild'), we bring the pattern that's proven to hold attention.
Do the hooks generate the whole caption?+
Yes. Pick a hook + add one line of context, our voice AI expands it into a full caption in your brand voice.
How often is the library updated?+
~20 new hooks per month. Older hooks that stop performing get archived (not deleted — you can still find them under Archived filter).
Can I add my own custom hooks?+
Yes on Solo+. Save custom hooks to your personal library. They live alongside the curated library and filter the same way.
Is this just prompt templates I could find on Twitter?+
The pattern categories aren't proprietary — every content creator uses similar frameworks. What we add is (1) curation (500+ tested and pruned), (2) industry tagging, (3) integration with voice AI so hook + one line = full post in seconds, (4) weekly winners analytics.
Do you have hooks for specific platforms?+
Hooks are cross-platform (TikTok/Reels/Shorts all reward similar patterns for short-form). Platform-specific adjustments happen at the caption formatting layer — X gets a shorter version, TikTok gets inline hashtags, etc.
Is the hook library on the free tier?+
Free tier gets access to the top 50 hooks. Full 500+ library is on Solo and above.
Poster stays standalone
See whether Hook Library fits your workflow.
Review the current plan limits and platform readiness before connecting accounts or approving paid generation.