Hook Score
You have about two seconds. Paste the first line of your short-form video. Get a 0 to 100 score, the reason behind every point, and 5 better versions. Transparent rules, not a black box.
- Length (12 words) why?25/25
On-screen text has to be read in the first second or two, before the thumb moves. 4 to 12 words fits at normal reading speed; longer lines get skipped, very short ones rarely give a reason to stay.
- No proven pattern why?0/20
Familiar openers (POV, I tried, Stop doing, a question, a numbered list) are fast to read because viewers already know the shape. This line doesn't use one.
- Speaks to a person why?10/15
Feeds reward lines that sound like one person talking to another. "You" pulls the viewer in; "I" signals a real experience. Neither reads like an ad.
- Specific detail (number, time, price) why?0/15
A concrete number (30 days, $7, 3 mistakes) makes the promise believable and tells the viewer exactly what they get for staying.
- Curiosity or emotion why?0/15
An open loop (a mistake, a secret, a surprising result) or a real feeling gives people a reason to watch the next three seconds.
- Clean, not salesy why?10/10
No sales phrases, hashtag stacks or ALL CAPS in the hook. Save the offer for the end of the video.
Built from proven formulas around your subject, then scored. Starting points: edit them to sound like you.
- 88I tried this store for 30 days. Here's what changedI tried
- 853 mistakes you're making with your storeMistakes listicle
- 78POV: you finally found a store that actually worksPOV
- 78Nobody tells you this about your storeNobody tells you
- 73Here's how I actually use this store every dayHere's how
Needs work. Fix the opener (use a proven pattern) first.
- → Try a proven opener: "POV:", "I tried...", "Stop doing...", or a question.
- → Add one concrete number (days, dollars, steps) - specifics beat adjectives.
- → Open a loop: hint at a mistake, a secret, or a surprising result.
Heuristic guidance based on common short-form patterns: length, proven openers, voice, specificity, curiosity, and salesy penalties. It doesn't predict views. Rewrites are generated by fixed rules (no AI), so the same hook always gets the same suggestions. Also on the API: POST /api/v1/hook-score.
The full guide plus a short email series on hooks, disclosure and testing at volume. Five emails, then we stop.
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