Guide
A UGC hook can be big words, a sudden stop or a stronger first sentence
Updated
A hook is what makes someone stop scrolling in the first seconds. Here are three hooks you can see, all made from one clip, plus ten opening lines to copy.
In short
- A UGC hook can be big words on screen, a sudden stop in the music or a stronger first sentence. You can mix them in one video.
- TikTok's ad guide asks for your hook in the first 6 seconds, so the slow "Hey guys, so" start has to go.
- Cutroom's Magic Editor builds a hook into every edit, and you can ask Jacob, its AI editor, for a different one in plain words.
One hair dryer clip, three hooks: before and after Cutroom's Magic Editor
The first edit stops the music on 'Wait'. Two chat requests give the other two hooks.
Drawing of an example clip, not a customer video
Before · the clip as filmed
A 40-second phone video of a UGC creator in her bedroom, holding a hair dryer
“Hey guys, so I returned two hair dryers before I found this one. Wait. Um, This one dries my hair in ten minutes … (pause) and there's no frizz.”
struck through = what Jacob cuts
After · Jacob's first edit, Skit style
“I returned two hair dryers before I found this one. Wait. This one dries my hair in ten minutes and there's no frizz.”
- On “Wait”: the music stops dead on this word
- On “dryers”: your product photo dryer.jpg on a card that slides over your face
- On “frizz”: the word set big in your accent colour
- Under the whole video: punchy music under your voice, with short sound effects
window: dryer.jpg
Then you ask Jacob
- “Switch this to the Poster style”v2the same clip rebuilt in Poster, with big stacked words on the hook
- “Make the key words stand out more”v3a new version with bigger, brighter words on the hook
What does a UGC hook look like on screen?
A hook is the start of your video, the part that decides if people keep watching. TikTok's ad guide says to put it in the first 6 seconds, and suggests surprise or suspense to build it.
Here are three hooks you can make from the same clip: big words, a sudden stop and a stronger first sentence.
- Big words put one or two words huge on screen, so people read the point with the sound off.
- A sudden stop cuts the music out on one short line.
- A stronger first sentence means the slow warm-up is cut and the video opens on your real point.
Hook 1: big words on screen
Big text works even with the sound off. One short word or a number, set huge, says the point before you finish your sentence.
In Cutroom's Magic Editor, the Poster style does this. It fills the screen with big stacked words, a black-and-white moment and a bright neon number.
- If your video is in a different style, ask Jacob "Switch this to the Poster style". A new style costs 120 credits, and the old version stays.
- Pick the word that carries your point, like a number, a price, "returned" or "never".
- Keep it to one to three words, so it reads in a second.
- By hand in any phone editor, add a text layer with your big word over the first second or two.
- To push the words harder in any style, ask Jacob to "Make the key words stand out more".
How Cutroom's Magic Editor edits a video like this
Jacob is the AI editor inside Cutroom's Magic Editor: it edits your video for you, then changes it when you ask in a chat.
The 4 styles, as example edits
Steps
Three steps, four angles
Skit
Hook, hard stop, demo card
Verdict
The tester's verdict
Poster
Typography does the talking
Hover or tap an example to play it, without sound. These are example edits of each style; the presenters in them are generated with AI.
- Your take: one video of you talking, up to 3 minutes
- Your style: one of 4: Steps, Skit, Verdict or Poster
- Your files: screenshots, a screen recording or a logo, if you have them
- Your goal: what the video is for, in a few words, if you like
- Jacob makes it: normally 10 to 15 minutes, and you get an email
- Your edit: ask Jacob for changes in a chat, then export
Then you ask Jacob, for example
- “Make this about 10 seconds shorter”
- “Put a clip on the strongest sentence”
- “Change the music to something calmer”
Each change is a new version, and going back is free. First cut 250 credits, each change 40, questions free, export 30 credits per started minute.
Hook 2: a sudden stop
A sudden stop means the music plays and then cuts out. The quiet moment is a change people notice while they scroll.
In Cutroom's Magic Editor, the Skit style does this. The music builds under your first line. It stops dead when you break off with a short word, like "Wait". The example at the top of this page shows it on the hair dryer clip.
- After your first line, break off with a short word like "Wait." or "Hold on.", so the stop has a place to land.
- A sudden stop suits a strong claim or a surprise, like a product you almost gave up on.
- By hand in a phone editor, split the music track at your break word and delete the piece under that line.
Hook 3: start on a stronger sentence
Most phone clips start with a warm-up, like "Hey guys, so I wanted to share this." Nobody stops for that. Cut it, and the video opens on your first real line.
In Cutroom's Magic Editor, ask Jacob to "Cut the first sentence". Jacob can cut sentences but can't move a later sentence to the front, so say your best line early when you film.
- A strong first line can name a problem, like "I returned two hair dryers before this one."
- It can be a surprise, like "This cost less than my shampoo."
- It can say who it's for, like "If your hair frizzes the second you step outside, watch this."
- A chat change like this costs 40 credits. Every change Jacob makes is a new version. The earlier versions stay, and going back to one is free.
Hook lines you can copy
Here are ten opening lines by type. Swap in your own product, then say the line first when you film. A problem or a before-and-after line fits beauty and home products; a price line fits anything cheaper than people expect.
Ten UGC hook lines by type
| Type | Opening line |
|---|---|
| Problem | "I returned two hair dryers before I found this one." |
| Problem | "My skin was breaking out every week until I changed one thing." |
| Surprise | "This cost less than my shampoo, and it works better." |
| Surprise | "I didn't think a $20 pan could do this." |
| Who it's for | "If your hair frizzes the second you step outside, watch this." |
| Who it's for | "If you work from home and your back hurts, you need this chair." |
| Price | "I almost paid four times this for the same thing." |
| Price | "This is the cheapest thing in my morning routine." |
| Before and after | "This is my kitchen floor before, and this is ten minutes later." |
| Before and after | "Day one, my lashes looked like this. Week four, look." |
Type: Problem
- Opening line
- "I returned two hair dryers before I found this one."
Type: Problem
- Opening line
- "My skin was breaking out every week until I changed one thing."
Type: Surprise
- Opening line
- "This cost less than my shampoo, and it works better."
Type: Surprise
- Opening line
- "I didn't think a $20 pan could do this."
Type: Who it's for
- Opening line
- "If your hair frizzes the second you step outside, watch this."
Type: Who it's for
- Opening line
- "If you work from home and your back hurts, you need this chair."
Type: Price
- Opening line
- "I almost paid four times this for the same thing."
Type: Price
- Opening line
- "This is the cheapest thing in my morning routine."
Type: Before and after
- Opening line
- "This is my kitchen floor before, and this is ten minutes later."
Type: Before and after
- Opening line
- "Day one, my lashes looked like this. Week four, look."
Questions people ask
- What is a hook in a UGC video?
- The hook is the start of your video, the part that makes someone stop scrolling. It can be a line you say, words on screen or a sudden change in the sound.
- How long should a UGC hook be?
- A few seconds at most. TikTok's ad guide says to put your hook in the first 6 seconds, so get to the point in your first sentence.
- Can I make several hooks from one UGC clip?
- Yes. Cut the warm-up for one version, put big words on screen for another, and use a sudden stop for a third. In Cutroom each one is a new version of the same edit.
- Can Cutroom move my best line to the start?
- No. Jacob can cut sentences but can't move a sentence to another place. Say your strongest line near the start when you film, then ask Jacob to cut what comes before it.
Film one clip, and let Jacob give it a hook you can see. Your first video is free.