Liamrjohnston/hook-master-skill

# Four Failures Check

A hook that loses people almost always does one of four things. Check all four, in order, and point at the exact words or frame. Never give a verdict without a quote.

## The four failures

| Failure | What it looks like | The test | The fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Delay** | The topic arrives late. Greetings, names, "welcome back", "so", "before we get into it", a slow walk in | Count the words (or seconds) before a stranger knows what the video is about | Cut to the first word that carries the subject. Move the payoff frame to second zero |
| **Confusion** | More than one possible meaning, insider words, a pronoun with nothing behind it, a clever line that needs a second listen | Read it as a complete outsider, not as the expert who wrote it. Could a tired stranger say back what the video is about after one listen? | One meaning. Plain active verbs. Name the thing. Enough words to be clear, not as few as possible |
| **Irrelevance** | It's about the creator, not the viewer. "My journey", "a bit about me", a logo, a title card with the brand | Would the viewer think "this is for me" in the first sentence? | Put the viewer's problem, want or belief first. The creator's story can come later as proof |
| **Disinterest** | Clear and relevant but obvious. Nothing to wonder about. "Gardening tips!!", "Here's how our product works" | Is there a gap between what the viewer believes now and what this video shows? | Add contrast: what they expect versus what's true, the old way versus this way, the fail versus the fix |

Two things that are not failures:

# Hook Formats

Ten hooks in one shape are one hook. Six formats give six real choices. Every format needs a contrast underneath it: what the viewer believes or does now, versus what this video shows.

## Step 1: Find the contrast

Write it in one line before any hook: "Viewers think [A]. This video shows [B]."
- Explicit contrast says both sides ("Not more practice. Slower practice.").
- Implied contrast says only B, and the viewer supplies A ("The one setting that fixed my blurry photos").
- If you can't find a contrast the video can prove, the idea is weak. Say so instead of dressing it up.

## Step 2: Build the core

A strong hook usually carries these jobs, not as fixed slots but as meanings: a **subject** (what or who), an **action** (what happened or what to do), an **objective** (the result the viewer wants), the **contrast**, and where the creator has them, **proof** (a number or a visible result) and **time** (how fast). Not every hook needs all six. The first four do most of the work.

# Hook Master

Use this when someone wants a better hook, opening line, first three seconds, scroll stopper or intro for a Reel, TikTok, Short or short ad, or says people swipe away early. It runs the whole job and calls eight smaller skills by name.

Your job: make this video's opening clearer and more wanted for the people it is for, using only what the footage and the creator can back up. Then hand back exact words to say, exact on-screen text, the first shot, and the next few seconds. You are not promising views.

## The suite

| Stage | Skill | What it settles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | `four-failures-check` | Which of the four failures (delay, confusion, irrelevance, disinterest) the current opening commits, pointing at the exact words and shot |
| 2 | `viewer-panel` | Six viewers watch the first 3 seconds. Each says swipe or stay, and why |
| 3 | `the-council` | The panel's verdicts turned into the top 3 changes, ranked |
| 4 | `hook-formats` | The idea rewritten in six formats, each built on a real contrast |

# Lock-in

The hook makes a promise. The next 1 to 3 sentences decide whether the viewer believes it. If they get a detour, a backstory or a slow setup, the curiosity turns into "this was bait" and they leave.

## Step 1: Find the gap

Write what the hook promised, then what actually comes next in the video, with the time. Flag any stretch that doesn't serve the promise: an intro, a story about the creator, "before we start", a long setup. Say exactly what to cut or move.

## Step 2: Pick one lock-in move

| Move | When | Example shape |
|---|---|---|
| **Proof right away** | The hook made a claim | Show the result, the number (theirs), the screen |
| **Picture the result** | The viewer wants a change | "By the end you'll [see / have] [result]" said over the result |

# Niche Tuner

A hook that could fit any niche fits none. Tune it to the exact viewer.

## Step 1: Name the viewer in one line

"[Who], who [situation], and wants [result] / fears [problem]."
Example: "New runners in Bristol who want to finish a 5k but think their knees can't take it."

## Step 2: Steal their words, not your words

Look for the viewer's own phrases in what the creator gave you: comments, DMs, questions they get asked, what people say before they book. Those words go in the hook. Only words that appear in the brief count as theirs. A phrase you think they would use is your guess: you may use it, but never put it in quotes or say commenters say it.

| Creator word | Viewer word |

# The Council

Notes pile up. The Council decides. It takes the panel's verdicts and the failures found, and returns three changes, ranked, each with the exact before and after.

## How to rank

Score each possible change on three things, then rank:

1. **Who it keeps.** How many of the viewers who matter for this video it turns from swipe to stay. The two "who matter most" viewers count double.
2. **Can the footage pay it off.** A change that needs footage or proof the creator doesn't have drops to the bottom or out.
3. **Cost.** Reorder or cut existing footage is cheapest. New text is cheap. A reshoot is dearer. Say which it is.

Fix in this order when it's a tie: delay, then confusion, then irrelevance, then disinterest. A clear, viewer-first opening with weak curiosity still beats a curious one nobody understands.

# Viewer Panel

A hook is judged by strangers in a few seconds. Simulate six of them. Each one watches only what is actually in the first 3 seconds: the first shot, the on-screen text and the spoken words. They know nothing else.

This is a thinking tool, not data. Never present the panel as a survey, a prediction or a percentage of real viewers.

## The six viewers

| Viewer | Who they are | What makes them stay | What makes them swipe |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Doom-scroller** | Thumb moving, half watching, sound maybe off | A clear picture of something surprising or wanted, readable text | Talking head with nothing happening, a greeting, a logo |
| **Sceptic** | Has seen a thousand hooks, smells clickbait | A specific, checkable claim with proof on screen | "Nobody tells you", "secret", round stats with no source, hype |
| **Beginner** | New to the topic, doesn't know the words | Their own problem in their own words | Jargon, insider terms, assumes knowledge |
| **Niche expert** | Knows the topic well | A real detail or a claim that's new to them | The obvious advice they already know |

# Viral Scout

People ask "what's going viral this week?" The honest answer depends on what you can actually see.

## First, say what you can see

- **No web or platform access (the usual case):** say so in one plain line. "I can't see this week's feeds, so I won't guess what's trending." Then offer the useful route below. Never list "trending hooks" from memory as if they were current.
- **Web access:** you can search, but view counts on a page are a snapshot and creators' own numbers are self-reported. Say where each example came from and when.

## The honest route

Ask for 3 to 5 examples, pasted or linked:
- The first line spoken, the on-screen text, what's in the first shot.
- Rough views, and that creator's usual views if they know them. A video that beats its own creator's normal is more useful than a big account's ordinary post.

# Visual Match

Most people decide with their eyes before they hear a word, and many watch with the sound off. If the picture says "man on a sofa" and the words say "this garden took one weekend", the picture wins and they swipe.

## Three channels, one message

| Channel | Job | Common miss |
|---|---|---|
| Visual (0 to 1 s) | Show the subject, ideally the most surprising or wanted frame | Talking head at a desk, logo, black screen, slow walk in |
| On-screen text | Make the topic clear with sound off, 3 to 7 words, adds to the speech | Repeats the speech word for word, or a vague label ("Tips!!") |
| Spoken | The hook line | Starts with a greeting or a name |

They must point at the same subject. If they don't, change the cheapest one.