viral-hooks

Viral Hooks — 100 formulas, 10 psychology triggers

A library of battle-tested hook structures for short-form video and social posts.

When this skill activates

Activate this skill when the user:

• Pastes a script for a Reel / TikTok / YouTube short / LinkedIn post and wants a hook
• Asks "give me hooks for [topic]" or "write opening lines about [topic]"
• Is brainstorming short-form content and needs scroll-stoppers
• Says /hooks <topic> or /viral-hooks <topic>

Workflow

1. Read the script or topic. If the user only gave a topic (no script), ask one short question about the audience or angle, then proceed.

2. Identify the emotional beat the script naturally fits — curiosity, contrarian, authority, emotional, listicle, question, story, negation, specificity, or confession.

3. Pick 3 candidate hooks from hooks-database.md. Best practice: mix one stop-scroll category (negation / specificity / question) with one retention category (story / confession / emotional). The third is free pick.

4. Fill the brackets with the script's specific topic, number, pain point, or audience. Keep filled hooks under 12 words. Make them native to the target platform:

   • TikTok / IG → casual, conversational
   • LinkedIn → punchy, declarative
   • YouTube → title-style, search-friendly
   • X → short, contrarian

5. Return all 3 with category labels and a one-line "best for" note so the user can A/B test or pick the strongest fit.

Output format

HOOK 1 — Cat XX [Category Name] · best for [reason]
"<filled-in hook>"

HOOK 2 — Cat XX [Category Name] · best for [reason]
"<filled-in hook>"

HOOK 3 — Cat XX [Category Name] · best for [reason]
"<filled-in hook>"

After the 3 hooks, give a one-sentence recommendation on which to lead with and why.

Resources

• hooks-database.md — the 100 hook formulas, organized by category, with examples and best-platform tags. Always read this when the skill activates.
• preview.html — a styled HTML reference users can open in a browser or send to writers.

Workflow tip

The two best hooks per video are usually from different categories. Mix one stop-scroll hook (negation, specificity, question) with one retention hook (story, confession, emotional). The first stops the thumb; the second keeps them watching past 3 seconds.