Reels hooks: how to hold the first 3 seconds

6 min read ·

In the Reels feed, nobody decides to watch your video. People decide not to swipe to the next one, and that decision happens in the first few seconds. That's why the opening is the part that weighs most on retention: whoever leaves there never sees the rest, however good it is.

A hook is what you say or show in that opening so people stay. It isn't a trick: it's making it clear, right away, what they get by watching to the end.

The most common mistake: starting with context

Most Reels that lose people early open the way we talk in a conversation: a greeting, some context, and only then the subject. In the feed, that path is too long. Lines like these tend to show up right where the audience drops:

  • "Hey guys, how's it going? Today I'm going to talk about…"
  • "Before anything else, let me give you some quick context…"
  • "A lot of you have been asking me about this, so I decided to film it…"

None of them say what the viewer will get. The fix is almost always to cut that opening and start with the result, the promise or the most interesting part of the video.

Five types of hook that work

  1. Result first: show or say the ending before the journey. "I went 30 days without sugar and this is what changed."
  2. Specific promise: say exactly what the viewer will know by the end. "Three things on your résumé recruiters look at first."
  3. Common mistake: point out something the viewer probably does wrong. "If you wash rice like this, you're throwing out the good part."
  4. A question answered in the video: a doubt they already have, actually answered. "Is it worth paying more for running shoes?"
  5. An image that begs for an explanation: something on screen that makes no sense without the rest of the video. It works best when your voice comes in at the same time, without waiting.

How to test whether your hook is working

In each Reel's insights, Instagram shows a retention graph: how many people were still watching at every second. If the curve plunges right at the start, the problem is the hook, not the rest of the video.

The next step is to find out exactly what you were saying at that second. Watch the video, pause at the drop and write down the line. Most of the time it's one of the context openings from the list above.

A checklist for the first 3 seconds

  • Does your first line say what the viewer gets? If not, cut until the line that does.
  • Is there any silence before you start talking? Cut it. Half a second of nothing is already enough time to swipe.
  • Does the on-screen text repeat the promise? Lots of people watch with the sound off.
  • Does what's on screen match what you're saying?
Instead of "Hey guys! Today I'm going to show you how I organize my week", try "I plan my entire week in ten minutes on Sunday. Here's how."

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