# Reel hook generator

Type what your video is about, pick one or more of the 8 hook styles, and copy on-screen text hooks for the first 1 to 3 seconds of a Reel, TikTok or Short. The hooks are made in your browser from fixed formulas, with no AI model, no account and no sign-up. The tool does not store or send what you type.

Generate hooks at https://usepostify.com/tools/reel-hook-generator.

## The hook styles

Each style is a fixed formula; {topic} and {audience} are filled from what you type.

- **Curiosity**: Names something the viewer does not know yet, so they stay to find out. Example: "The part of {topic} nobody talks about"
- **Contrarian**: Takes a position some viewers will want to argue with, which holds attention. Example: "My unpopular opinion about {topic}"
- **Mistake**: Warns about an error the viewer might be making, so they stay to check. Example: "The biggest mistake people make with {topic}"
- **List**: Promises a set number of things, which tells the viewer how much to watch. Example: "3 {topic} tips I wish I knew sooner"
- **POV**: Puts the viewer inside a moment, so the video feels like it is about them. Example: "POV: you finally figured out {topic}"
- **Before and after**: Sets a starting point against an outcome, so the viewer waits for the change. Example: "{topic}: before vs after"
- **Question**: Asks what the viewer is already wondering, so they stay for the answer. Example: "Why is everyone suddenly talking about {topic}?"
- **Result first**: Shows the payoff before the process, so the viewer stays for how. Example: "This is {topic} done right"

## An on-screen hook is not a caption

An on-screen hook is the text you put over the first 1 to 3 seconds of the video itself. It is read before anyone has decided to watch, and its only job is to make the viewer stay for the next few seconds.

A caption sits under the post. It is read after someone has already stopped, so it can carry the detail: context, keywords, a link or a question for the comments. A good caption cannot rescue a video whose first seconds lost the viewer, and a good hook does not replace the caption.

Write the hook as the shortest version of the promise the video keeps. If the video does not deliver what the hook sets up, viewers leave at the point they notice. Keep it to a line you can read at a glance, about a dozen words or fewer, and keep the caption for everything else.

## How to A/B test hooks with Instagram trial reels

Trial reels is Instagram's own feature: a trial reel is shown to people who do not follow you before your followers see it, which makes it a fair way to compare versions of the same video. You set it up in the Instagram app.

1. Pick one video and write two to four hooks for it, taking one from each of a few styles above. Change only the on-screen text in the first seconds; keep the footage, audio and caption identical, so the hook is the only difference.
2. Post each version as its own trial reel to non-followers, within the same day or two, so each gets a comparable chance. Note which hook is on which version before you post.
3. When the results are in, compare views and reach for each version. Treat a small difference between two versions as a tie rather than a result.
4. Keep the winner: share that version to your followers, and use its hook style again for the next video. Then test the next idea against it, one change at a time.

## Questions

### What is a reel hook?

A reel hook is the line, usually on-screen text, that opens a short video and makes the viewer stay past the first second or two. It is the part of a Reel, TikTok or Short that is read before anyone decides to keep watching.

### Does the reel hook generator use AI?

No. Each hook is a fixed formula with your topic filled in, in your browser. The same topic, audience and styles always give the same hooks, and the tool does not call an AI model.

### Is it free, and do I need an account?

It is free and needs no sign-up, key or email. The tool does not store or send what you type, so your topic is gone when you close the page.

### How long should an on-screen hook be?

Short enough to read at a glance in the first second or two: about a dozen words or fewer is a good ceiling. The generator shows the word count of each hook so you can trim one that runs long.

### Which hook style should I use?

There is no single best style, which is why the generator gives several. Curiosity and question hooks suit explainers, mistake and list hooks suit tips, and before and after and result first suit anything with a visible outcome. Try two or three on the same video and keep the one that holds viewers.

### Do these hooks work for TikTok and YouTube Shorts as well as Reels?

Yes. They are plain on-screen text built from formulas that do not depend on one app, so they work for any short vertical video. Check the safe area of the app you post to so the text is not covered by its buttons and captions.

### How do I test which hook works best?

Post two to four versions of the same video that differ only in the first seconds of on-screen text, and compare views and reach. On Instagram, trial reels let you do that with people who do not follow you yet. The steps are above.