Video hook tactics

When a creator video reaches 10-20K views with at least 3% engagement, tell the creator to double down: repost the exact same video a few more times, and/or reshoot it in the same kitchen with the same script, changing only the spoken hook and text hook. Keep going while the reposts clear 10K views. Rationale: comparable videos differ mostly by timing and volume (Marilyn's 6.9M-view video was no better than a sibling video from another creator).

Posts the same video with different hooks as Instagram Trial Reels, which show only to non-followers. Lets them run a few hours, then promotes the best-performing version to the main feed, and keeps the losing version up in trial reels because it keeps reaching non-followers. Hook drives watch-through. Winning hook opened a question ('Raise VC money. You can make $50 million and still be broke') while the loser answered it ('I teach people how to fundraise, but I wouldn't raise a single dollar today').

To recruit creators, SideShift's co-founder Nick posted his own non-talking video (April of the prior year): big on-screen text 'I have a master's degree / PhD and couldn't find a job' at the bottom, pointing at a screen with facial expressions (hook + demo), riding job-market anger. Once cracked, the format was given to all creators; variants like 'I graduated from Yale and can't even get an interview'. A year later a campaign manager turned it into a one-minute talking-head story ('denied from a cashier's job, I have a master's degree') ending with 'but I'm making money with SideShift'.

Faceless TikTok slideshow: girl without makeup -> girl with makeup with GlamUp branding -> app screenshot of the personalized routine. Hundreds to thousands of posts used the identical on-screen hook ('never saw myself with the / right makeup routine' + two crying-face emojis on a third line), identical caption ('I will be unstoppable' + exhausted emoji), same hashtags and one of ~10 proven audios. On-screen text kept small and off-center, 'Gen Z Insta-girly' style. Hook wording, line count and text size were tested; other audios did not go viral. Earlier formats that failed: Latina makeup slideshows, color theory, celebrities, makeup tutorials. Posted across ~20 UGC creators' accounts.

The top ad was an Arcads AI guy walking in a park with the hook 'If you love God but you're trying to work on your health, you need to see this', then explaining FaithFull. Hired a female UGC creator to copy it exactly: same park setting, same walk, same script and delivery. Generally makes multiple variations of any ad that scales.

Creator mispronounces a word that sounds like something else (often rude) in English, or is just bad at the language; Pingo roasts them instead of saying 'great job'; creator shows emotion, often crying via a Snapchat crying-filter hook. Variations: Pingo is mean without crying; creators add props or activities (knitting, writing, slime, cutting fruit). Run in Korean, German, French, Arabic, Japanese, Russian and more.

Only one format, no deviation: (1) an absurd AI-generated image as the hook with a prank caption (e.g. 'Pranking my dad, I cooked his koi fish'); (2) screen recording of generating it in the app, with a big loading screen showing the Halo AI name and logo for ~2 seconds as the only call to action; (3) a screen-recorded text conversation with the pranked person that builds up to a twist/payoff. Mostly pranks. A good format must be viral, repeatable and convert. Sounds matter; hashtags don't affect reach.

Brands paying a creator effectively fund format experiments. Gelato (print-on-demand) booked ~5 videos; the best got ~1M organic views (24K likes). A week later Casper reused the exact hook and structure for Payout, changing only the number: 'Watch me make up to $900 in just 30 seconds. First I go to Google and search class action... or an easier way could be using an app where you select a bunch of companies you've used... Here's up to $500 from T-Mobile, 250 from Mitsubishi, and 147 from Cash App... Just comment claim and I'll send you the app.'

When the pure how-to format dried up, Casper made a skit: 'Hey Temu, is it true that I can make $1,000 from your lawsuit?' / 'Yeah, and some people can make up to $5,000.' / 'How can I apply?' / 'Fine, but you didn't hear this from me.' The 'company' character then walks through the steps: 'First, you go to this app, find the Temu lawsuit... click claim... fill out a simple form... Just comment claim and I'll send you the app.' Skit is the first ~30-40%, the rest is how-to. Swap in any sued company.

Format: on-camera reaction (hand over mouth, OMG) with a text hook, then straight into the app on a phone on a table. Text hook adapted from another niche's 'I've been doing X for Y years and now I find out about this': 'I've been solo traveling for 2 years and now I find out about this [facepalm]'. Voiceover shows planning activities with nearby solo travellers and the chat. End with a specific personal detail ('Where was this when I had the most unsocial hostel in Thailand?') so it feels real and not like an ad. Creators run variants such as 'Imagine being scared of solo traveling when this literally exists', reacting while sipping a drink and winking.

The dishwashing video's paragraph text originally opened with 'Everybody needs a side hustle'. Switching the opening to 'Don't get a second job' made it go viral. Nic's reading: no one likes being told what to do, and 'you need a side hustle' makes assumptions about the viewer; the new line says the same thing with a different sentiment.

Aggregated data across thousands of videos to define what made winners. Briefs (slide decks) split concepts into lifestyle, trend, educational and testimonial; each specified the trending sound, hook type (curiosity, empathetic, reflective), captions, pace, length 10-15s with 25-27 cuts, the number of app shots, and that phone clips are POV looking down at the screen. Angles included morning routine, evening routine, wellness, mindset and vlogs (hook -> habits -> app crossing off habits). Paid someone to scroll TikTok and send a list of trending songs at the start of every week, and updated briefs regularly.