How to write a TikTok hook that does not get skipped.
A TikTok hook is the first two seconds: spoken line, on-screen text, and opening shot, all at once. Skip the greeting. Lead with the problem, the payoff, or the contradiction. “Stop filming talking-head intros” is a hook. “Hey guys, so today I wanted to talk about…” is a skip. Write the line a stranger would screenshot, put it on screen right away, and match the first shot to that line. Clout’s Hook Generator writes openings from a topic and a tone. After you film one, upload the draft and check the Hook score.
Get first lines from a topic and tone, then score the one you film.
Hook Generator · Updated 2026-09-14
The three pieces of a hook
A hook is not just a caption. On TikTok and Reels it is three things at once.
- Spoken opening: the first sentence out of your mouth
- On-screen text: the line a muted viewer can read in one glance
- Opening shot: the first frame, not a logo, not a bedroom pan
Shapes that keep working
You do not need a new personality. You need a sentence that makes someone stay. These keep showing up because they work.
- Problem: “Your videos die in the first two seconds and it is not the algorithm.”
- Payoff: “This is the hook rewrite that doubled my average watch time.”
- Contradiction: “I stopped using trending sounds. Views went up.”
- Specific number: “I posted 40 videos. 3 of them did 80% of the reach.”
Rewrite the greeting
If the draft starts with “hey,” “so,” or a wave at the camera, cut to the first useful sentence. Put that sentence on screen. Start on the face or the thing you are talking about, not a walk-up.
Then film two more openings for the same video. The cheapest test is swapping the first two seconds, not reshooting the whole thing.
Hook Generator
Get first lines from a topic and tone, then score the one you film.
Download on the App Store