Type your topic and get dozens of first lines that make people stop scrolling: questions, bold claims, stories, numbers and more.
Free
No sign-up
Runs in your browser
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Say it in the first two seconds, and put it on screen.
Tap a hook to see it on a phone
Questions
Mistakes
What nobody tells you
Numbers
Bold claims
Hot takes
Stories
Before and after
Curiosity
How to use it
1Type your topicOne to three words work best, like “podcasting” or “saving money”.
2Pick a shapeQuestions, mistakes, numbers, stories and more, or all of them at once.
3Copy it, say itUse it as your first line, and put it on screen too.
Add who the short is for (“beginners”, “new parents”) and you’ll get hooks that speak to them first. Tap the star to keep the ones you like; they stay
saved in this browser. Hit Shuffle for a fresh set.
What makes a hook work
A hook is the first sentence of your short. It has one job: give people a reason to stay for the next sentence. The best hooks open a small gap (a
question, a surprise, a promise) that only the rest of the short can close.
QuestionWhy does nobody talk about this?
MistakeStop doing this right now.
What nobody tells youNobody tells you this part.
Number3 things I wish I knew sooner.
Bold claimThis is easier than you think.
Hot takeUnpopular opinion: it’s overrated.
StoryI almost quit. Then this happened.
Before and afterA year ago I knew nothing.
CuriosityWait for the last part.
Nine shapes a hook can take. The generator writes all nine for your topic.
Mix them. If every short opens with “Nobody tells you…”, your channel starts to sound like a template. Change the shape from one short to the next, and
keep the ones your viewers stay for. There’s more on this, with examples, in our guide to hooks that stop the scroll.
Say it, and show it
Many people scroll with the sound off: in one survey, 69% said they watch videos without sound in public. A hook that’s only spoken can slip past them.
Say it in the first two seconds, and put the same words, or a shorter version, on screen.
Under 12 words
Said in the first 2 seconds
On screen too, near the top
True to what the short delivers
Your best hook is already in your video
If you make long videos, you rarely need to invent a hook. The strongest line of a moment (the surprising number, the strong opinion, the punchline) can
go first. Then a few words of context. Then the point.
That’s how good editors cut podcasts and talks into shorts: they find the moment, then move its best line to the front.
It’s the first line of your short, said and usually shown on screen. In the first two seconds it decides whether people keep watching or swipe away.
How long should a hook be?
Short enough to say in about two seconds: usually under 12 words. Put the same words, or fewer, on screen as text.
Is this hook generator free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no sign-up and no limits, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Does it use AI?
No. It sets your topic into hand-written hook patterns that work for talking videos, so results are instant and private. distillfy’s AI writes a hook for each short it cuts from your own video.
Do these hooks work on TikTok and Instagram Reels?
Yes. The first seconds decide on every short-video app, so the same hooks work on YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Reels.
Got a long video? Turn it into shorts today.
Drop a podcast, lecture or interview. Our AI finds its best moments and makes them vertical shorts with captions. Free to start, no watermark.