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Hook Formula
Extracted from best-performing videos — compiled by Abhi Chand
AL
Adam Leipzig
The contrarian hook template
Extracted from 5 best performers
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Step 1
Name what everyone already sees
Name the event, person, or moment the audience already has a take on. Specific beats general — the faster the recognition, the faster the hook lands.
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Step 2
Directly contradict the common read
Don't soften it. Declare the common interpretation wrong in one sentence. "That's not what it was." "That misses the point." "He didn't bomb."
Step 3
Reframe as a systems-level truth
Elevate the reframe beyond the specific event. This is a bigger insight about how power, culture, or attention actually works — and it's what the whole video builds toward.
Every top-performing video opens with all three moves, in this order, within the first 3 sentences. The payoff is always a systems-level insight — and it arrives before the algorithm decides whether to push the video.
The formula in action — 5 best performers
| Video | Common belief | Contradiction | Actual hook line from script |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad Bunny #1Best Performer | The NFL made a booking decision | It's an institutional signal — certification that cultural gravity has already shifted | "Bad Bunny Halftime Show is not a booking decision. It is an institutional signal." |
| Bad Bunny #2Best Performer | The halftime show was a celebration | It was an act of positioning — expanding the frame of who America is | "Most people watched Bad Bunny's halftime show and thought they saw a celebration. That's not what it was." |
| AvatarBest Performer | The opening weekend numbers tell the story | Avatar has never been about the opening weekend — it's engineered to compound across seasons | "All the talk about Avatar's opening weekend misses the point, because Avatar has never been about the opening weekend." |
| Netflix / ClimbingBest Performer | This is a streaming stunt about danger | Streaming is quietly becoming old-school television — shared attention beats infinite choice | "Netflix live-streaming Alex Honnold's free climbing tells you something important about something bigger than the stunt itself." |
| Bieber / CoachellaBest Performer | He bombed — low energy, lazy, no spectacle | He changed what a concert is — from performance to presence | "Justin Bieber didn't bomb Coachella. He changed what a concert is." |
Generate a contrarian hook for any script
How to use — copy prompt → paste into Claude → paste your script at the bottom
Hit "Copy prompt," paste it into Claude, then paste your full video script at the very end where indicated. Claude will return 3 hook options built to the exact formula above.
Prompt to copy
Write 3 contrarian hook options for the video script at the bottom of this message. Each hook must follow this exact three-step structure in order:
Step 1 — Name the specific event, person, or idea the audience already has a take on. Be concrete, not general.
Step 2 — Directly contradict the common interpretation in one sentence. Don't soften it — declare it wrong. Use blunt language: "That's not what it was." / "That misses the point." / "[Subject] didn't [common verdict]."
Step 3 — Reframe it as a systems-level truth about how power, culture, or attention actually works. This is the bigger insight the whole video builds toward.
Rules: each hook is 2–4 sentences maximum. All three steps must land before the end of the third sentence. Do not open with "In this video" or "Today I want to talk about." Start with the contradiction. Do not explain the hooks — just write them.
Here are 5 examples of strong hooks that follow this formula exactly:
Example 1: "Bad Bunny Halftime Show is not a booking decision. It is an institutional signal. It tells you who the NFL believes already holds cultural significance, not who it hopes to attract someday."
Example 2: "Most people watched Bad Bunny's halftime show and thought they saw a celebration. That's not what it was. It was an act of positioning."
Example 3: "All the talk about Avatar's opening weekend misses the point, because Avatar has never been about the opening weekend."
Example 4: "Netflix live-streaming Alex Honnold's free climbing up the Taipei 101 skyscraper tells you something important about something bigger than the stunt itself. Streaming is quietly becoming old-school television again because shared attention still wins."
Example 5: "Justin Bieber didn't bomb Coachella. He changed what a concert is — and that's why people are reacting so strongly."
Now write 3 hooks in this same style for the script below. Match the voice, directness, and structure of the examples above. After the 3 hooks, add a one-sentence recommendation for which hook is strongest and why.
Here is the script:
[paste your script here]
Step 1 — Name the specific event, person, or idea the audience already has a take on. Be concrete, not general.
Step 2 — Directly contradict the common interpretation in one sentence. Don't soften it — declare it wrong. Use blunt language: "That's not what it was." / "That misses the point." / "[Subject] didn't [common verdict]."
Step 3 — Reframe it as a systems-level truth about how power, culture, or attention actually works. This is the bigger insight the whole video builds toward.
Rules: each hook is 2–4 sentences maximum. All three steps must land before the end of the third sentence. Do not open with "In this video" or "Today I want to talk about." Start with the contradiction. Do not explain the hooks — just write them.
Here are 5 examples of strong hooks that follow this formula exactly:
Example 1: "Bad Bunny Halftime Show is not a booking decision. It is an institutional signal. It tells you who the NFL believes already holds cultural significance, not who it hopes to attract someday."
Example 2: "Most people watched Bad Bunny's halftime show and thought they saw a celebration. That's not what it was. It was an act of positioning."
Example 3: "All the talk about Avatar's opening weekend misses the point, because Avatar has never been about the opening weekend."
Example 4: "Netflix live-streaming Alex Honnold's free climbing up the Taipei 101 skyscraper tells you something important about something bigger than the stunt itself. Streaming is quietly becoming old-school television again because shared attention still wins."
Example 5: "Justin Bieber didn't bomb Coachella. He changed what a concert is — and that's why people are reacting so strongly."
Now write 3 hooks in this same style for the script below. Match the voice, directness, and structure of the examples above. After the 3 hooks, add a one-sentence recommendation for which hook is strongest and why.
Here is the script:
[paste your script here]