Feature
Video hook generator: 8 opening lines from your topic
Type what your video is about and get 8 opening lines, one for each hook type below. It is free, runs in your browser and needs no account.
In short
- This free video hook generator turns your topic into 8 opening lines, one for each type of hook.
- Each line is one or two short sentences you can say in one breath, with your topic in it.
- The generator writes the wording. Add your own number or result, like '31 homes sold last month', and the line gets stronger.
- The generator runs in your browser with no account, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
- This tool writes the line you say. Cutroom also drafts a headline shown on screen, from the words in your video.
Hook generator · runs on this page
Try the eight patterns on your own topic
Say what the video is about and you get one speakable opening line per pattern, drafted in your browser. No account needed, nothing is uploaded, and shuffling is instant.
- Opening lines for every topic you type
- 8
- Free, with no account
- $0
- Things you type: your topic and, if you like, who it is for
- 2
What is a video hook?
A hook is the first line of your video. It decides whether people keep watching or scroll on.
- A hook is one or two short sentences, said in the first seconds of the video.
- A good hook says in a few words who the video is for and what they will get from it.
- Hooks work best with something concrete in them, like a number, a result or a named audience.
- Many people watch with the sound off, so put your hook on screen as text too.
How to use the hook generator
Type your topic and, if you like, who the video is for. The tool fills your words into fixed, hand-written templates, one line for each hook type.
- Pick the line that matches what your video actually shows, and film that one first.
- If you are not sure, start with the callout, because it only says who the video is for.
- If a line does not name your audience or does not fit your video, press again or rewrite it.
- Change any word you would not say out loud, and put in your own number or result.
- Film two or three of the lines on the same topic, and post them as separate versions to compare.
From topic to opening line
Type your topic
For example, the spring housing market
Add who it is for
Optional, for example first-time buyers
Get 8 lines
One for each hook type
Shuffle
Press again and every line changes
Copy one and film it
Say it in your own words
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
The 8 hook types, with examples
Each hook type does a different job. Pick the one that fits what your video really delivers.
8 hook types, with lines the generator wrote
Lines for the topic 'the spring housing market' and the audience 'first-time buyers', from the first press. The callout is from the third press, because the first two did not name the audience. If the callout says everyone, press again until it names yours.
| Hook type | What it does | What the generator wrote |
|---|---|---|
| Callout | Names who the video is for | This one's for first-time buyers who are tired of guessing about the spring housing market. |
| Bold claim | Makes a strong claim about your topic | I can explain the spring housing market in under a minute, and I'm about to. |
| Open loop | Asks a question the video answers later | Why do some first-time buyers sail through the spring housing market while everyone else struggles? |
| Pattern interrupt | Says something unexpected to stop the scroll | Nobody else was going to say this about the spring housing market, so I will. |
| Villain tease | Blames a problem the viewer already dislikes | The real reason the spring housing market feels rigged isn't what you think. |
| Proof first | Promises a real example before the explanation | Show, then tell. Here's what the spring housing market looks like for real first-time buyers. |
| Damaging admission | Admits a limit or a mistake first | This won't solve everything about the spring housing market, but it fixes the expensive part. |
| Takeaway | Says the video is not for everyone, so the right viewers feel it was made for them | This isn't for everyone. Just first-time buyers done winging the spring housing market. |
Hook type: Callout
- What it does
- Names who the video is for
- What the generator wrote
- This one's for first-time buyers who are tired of guessing about the spring housing market.
Hook type: Bold claim
- What it does
- Makes a strong claim about your topic
- What the generator wrote
- I can explain the spring housing market in under a minute, and I'm about to.
Hook type: Open loop
- What it does
- Asks a question the video answers later
- What the generator wrote
- Why do some first-time buyers sail through the spring housing market while everyone else struggles?
Hook type: Pattern interrupt
- What it does
- Says something unexpected to stop the scroll
- What the generator wrote
- Nobody else was going to say this about the spring housing market, so I will.
Hook type: Villain tease
- What it does
- Blames a problem the viewer already dislikes
- What the generator wrote
- The real reason the spring housing market feels rigged isn't what you think.
Hook type: Proof first
- What it does
- Promises a real example before the explanation
- What the generator wrote
- Show, then tell. Here's what the spring housing market looks like for real first-time buyers.
Hook type: Damaging admission
- What it does
- Admits a limit or a mistake first
- What the generator wrote
- This won't solve everything about the spring housing market, but it fixes the expensive part.
Hook type: Takeaway
- What it does
- Says the video is not for everyone, so the right viewers feel it was made for them
- What the generator wrote
- This isn't for everyone. Just first-time buyers done winging the spring housing market.
Weak hook vs strong hook
A strong hook names who the video is for and promises one thing the video really shows. The generator gives you the wording, and you add the number or result.
- A strong hook names a real group of people, like first-time buyers, not everyone.
- A hook gets stronger with one thing a stranger could check, like a number or a before-and-after result.
- A strong hook only promises what the video actually shows.
The same opening line, weak and strong
The weak lines are made up. The strong lines come from the generator, and the number in the bold claim is an example, so put in your own.
Callout
- Weak
- Attention all home buyers
- Strong
- This one's for first-time buyers who are tired of guessing about the spring housing market.
Bold claim
- Weak
- The market is crazy right now
- Strong
- 31 homes sold here last month, and most of what you've heard about the spring housing market is already out of date.
Open loop
- Weak
- You won't believe this
- Strong
- Why do some first-time buyers sail through the spring housing market while everyone else struggles?
Takeaway
- Weak
- Perfect for everyone
- Strong
- This isn't for everyone. Just first-time buyers done winging the spring housing market.
| Weak | Strong | |
|---|---|---|
| Callout | Attention all home buyers | This one's for first-time buyers who are tired of guessing about the spring housing market. |
| Bold claim | The market is crazy right now | 31 homes sold here last month, and most of what you've heard about the spring housing market is already out of date. |
| Open loop | You won't believe this | Why do some first-time buyers sail through the spring housing market while everyone else struggles? |
| Takeaway | Perfect for everyone | This isn't for everyone. Just first-time buyers done winging the spring housing market. |
Why a hook can still lose viewers
A first line can make people stop scrolling and still lose them later. These are the usual reasons.
- The video does not show what the first line promised, so viewers leave once they notice.
- The hook speaks to everyone, so nobody feels it is for them.
- If what you sell is not a good enough deal, a better first line will not change that.
How Cutroom handles the hook
This tool writes the line you say. In a Cutroom video, the hook is a headline shown on screen at the start.
- Cutroom drafts headline options from the words you say in your video.
- You pick one of the drafts or type your own.
- In the first 2.5 seconds, the captions show at most 4 words at a time, so the opening reads fast with the sound off.
- In most edit styles, your face is on screen for the first line, so viewers see who is talking.
- You can pick one of 15 hook themes, change its height, or keep it on screen for the whole video.
The opening headline, in eight of the 15 hook themes
Pick another drafted line, another theme or another height, or keep it on screen for the whole video.
Slab
Punch
Spotlight
Alert
Capsule
Ticker
Quote
Ribbon
What it costs to test hooks in Cutroom
You pay for the edit once. Each new on-screen headline on the same video only costs another export.
Testing more than one opening makes sense, because you cannot tell in advance which one works. Motion, an ad analytics company, found only 5 to 8% of the 550,000+ Meta ads it studied became top performers.
Testing five headlines on one video
| Step | Cost |
|---|---|
| Edit one video, with drafted headlines | 100 credits |
| Rewrite the headline | Free |
| Export one 30-second version | 10 credits |
| Five versions with a different on-screen headline, all in | About 150 credits |
| Your first video | Free within 7 days of signing up, no card, with a Cutroom mark |
| Lite plan | $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits |
Step: Edit one video, with drafted headlines
- Cost
- 100 credits
Step: Rewrite the headline
- Cost
- Free
Step: Export one 30-second version
- Cost
- 10 credits
Step: Five versions with a different on-screen headline, all in
- Cost
- About 150 credits
Step: Your first video
- Cost
- Free within 7 days of signing up, no card, with a Cutroom mark
Step: Lite plan
- Cost
- $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits
Questions people ask
- Is this video hook generator free?
- Yes. It runs in your browser with no account. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or saved.
- How does the hook generator work?
- It fills your topic, and who the video is for if you add it, into hand-written templates. You get one line per hook type. Press the button again to shuffle every line.
- Which of the 8 lines should I film first?
- The one that matches what your video actually shows. If you are not sure, start with the callout, because it only says who the video is for and promises nothing else.
- Which hook type works best?
- No single type works best for every video. Start with the one that fits what your video delivers, and try a second type on the same topic to compare.
- How long should a video hook be?
- One or two short sentences you can say in one breath. Every line this tool writes is that length.
- Can Cutroom write the hook from my video?
- Yes, as a headline shown on screen. Cutroom reads the transcript of your video and drafts headline options from your own words. Pick one or write your own.
- Why do my hooks sound generic?
- Because the lines come from fixed templates, with only your topic and audience filled in. Add one thing a stranger could check, like a number or a result, and the line becomes yours.
Type your topic above, pick the line you would really say, and film it. Your first video is free.