Library / Writing
Hook bank (10 hooks)
Choose among ten opening structures, then connect the selected promise to a real demonstration and payoff instead of using curiosity the episode cannot satisfy.
hook · viral · write · cold-open · tiktok · shorts
Optional demo graph stamp
One set lock times ten hooks. Batch monthly. Real-footage claims only.
UGC batch (10 cutdowns) template · Applies to the shared Mojave demo, not a private project. Worksheet notes are not imported.
Viral Series / Working resource / v1
Make the decision. Keep the record.
Choose among ten opening structures, then connect the selected promise to a real demonstration and payoff instead of using curiosity the episode cannot satisfy.
Download worksheet (.md) ↓Includes instructions, a worked example and a blank worksheet. Edit in any text or Markdown editor. Save your copy with your project files; it does not sync to the shared demo.
How to use it
- Pick the episode's proof before writing its hook. The ten examples below are alternative openings for a fictional desk-lamp episode, not ten lines to cram into one video.
- Replace bracketed terms in a structure with your actual subject. Record the opening visual as well as the spoken line; remove any superlative or number you cannot support.
- Read the hook beside the final payoff. If the episode answers a smaller question, narrow the hook. Test alternatives with your own audience without treating these examples as proven winners.
Review before publishing
- The opening visual and spoken promise describe the same episode.
- The payoff delivers the promised answer without invented results or fake urgency.
- Selected hooks are hypotheses to test, not claims of guaranteed reach.
Fictional worked example
One Small Fix
An original teaching example, not a customer result. Reference filenames are illustrative; no source media is included.
- 01 — Direct comparison
- Same face, same camera, two lamp positions. Which frame makes the eyes easier to see? Opening visual: labeled matched frames.
- 02 — Visible problem
- See that hard shadow across the notebook? Let's move just the lamp. Opening visual: hold on the shadow before touching anything.
- 03 — Constraint
- One desk, one lamp, no new gear. Can we make this face easier to read? Opening visual: show the entire available setup.
- 04 — Reveal the process
- Before you change cameras, check where this lamp is pointing. Opening visual: widen out from the frame to reveal the setup; do not promise it fixes every problem.
- 05 — Prediction
- What happens to this shadow when the lamp moves sideways? Opening visual: mark the two positions, then let the viewer predict before the comparison.
- 06 — Specific question
- Why is half this face disappearing in our frame? Opening visual: the uncorrected sample, followed by the room view.
- 07 — Behind the frame
- Here is the lamp position behind this frame. Opening visual: finished sample followed by a wider setup shot; use only after that sample actually exists.
- 08 — Remove a variable
- Exposure and chair position stayed fixed. Only the lamp moved. Opening visual: labels identify the controls alongside the two samples.
- 09 — Mini challenge
- Can you spot what moved between these frames? Opening visual: alternate A and B, then reveal the lamp position without withholding the answer until another episode.
- 10 — Useful checklist
- Before you record, check the eyes, the background and the lamp in the frame. Opening visual: show each check on this setup; the episode must demonstrate all three.
Preview the blank worksheet
The download includes these prompts plus project, version and approval fields. Duplicate rows when you need more coverage or episodes.
- 01 — Direct comparison
- Same [subject], different [one variable]. Which version makes [desired detail] clearer?
- 02 — Visible problem
- See [specific distraction]? Here is the change we will test.
- 03 — Constraint
- We have [real constraint]. Can [one adjustment] solve [specific problem]?
- 04 — Reveal the process
- Before you change [expensive or complex thing], check [simple controllable variable].
- 05 — Prediction
- What do you expect will happen when we change [one variable]?
- 06 — Specific question
- Why does [observable detail] look this way in this setup?
- 07 — Behind the frame
- Here is the setup behind [specific visible result].
- 08 — Remove a variable
- We kept [controls] fixed and changed only [variable].
- 09 — Mini challenge
- Try identifying [specific difference] before I reveal what changed.
- 10 — Useful checklist
- Before recording [task], check [small set of visible conditions].