---
name: social-video-hooks
description: Write short-form video hooks and beat sheets for Reels, TikTok, Shorts, and similar feeds. Use when planning an opening, improving retention, or giving a creator precise shooting instructions.
---

# Social video hooks

Make the opening understandable in one second: show a meaningful action or result, say why it matters, and use on-screen text only when it adds clarity. The visual, spoken line, and title should support the same idea without repeating the same words.

## Choose the hook

- **Result first:** show the finished outcome before the process.
- **Visible test:** start a comparison or challenge the viewer can follow.
- **Specific problem:** show a familiar frustration in its real setting.
- **Surprising action:** begin with behavior that creates a question the rest of the clip answers.
- **Direct question:** ask something the intended viewer can answer from experience.

Choose one primary hook. Add a second visual or text cue only when it clarifies the premise. Do not promise a result the video cannot show.

## Write a timed beat sheet

For each beat, give the exact spoken words, the camera or screen action, and what new information the viewer gets. Example:

| Time | Say | Show | New information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | “Can this finish before my coffee?” | Start the task and timer | The test begins |

Place the proof before a long explanation. Change framing or introduce new evidence when the current image has finished making its point. A cut, caption, or zoom is useful only if it advances understanding. Finish with one call to action that follows from the video.

## Check the script

- The opening makes sense with sound off and with sound on.
- Every spoken line can be performed naturally.
- The visuals prove the main claim.
- No beat is held past the point where the viewer has understood it.
- The call to action is clear and proportionate to what was shown.

Deliver the beat sheet and a short shot list. If a promised result requires data or footage that is missing, flag it before treating the script as shoot-ready.