Nov 11, 2024

7 Killer Ad Hooks To Use For Your Video Ads (With Examples)

If you are a brand or business using Video Ads, it is very important to keep your audience watching your ad for as long as it is.

If your ad pitch comes in 9 seconds into the ad and you’ve already lost your viewer before the fourth second, then you’re pretty much tossing your ad budget into the fire!

This means that you have to be able to pique your viewers’ interest for as long as possible, and this is decided at the beginning of your ad.

And yes, we totally understand that coming up with an intro, starter, or whatever you might want to call it can be dreadful.

Especially when deciding what could hook your viewers’ in within the first 5 seconds of watching.

Yes, the first 5 seconds of your video ad decide whether or not your viewer scrolls away from your ad or continues watching.

This is because the average individual has an attention span of 8 seconds! So we want to be just below that, don’t we?

That’s why in this blog, we will show you the best way to start your video ads to ensure that you pique the interest of your viewer as early as possible,

And show you 7 of the killer hooks for video ads that get the job done.

Let’s look at the first one…

#1: The “Ooh, didn’t know that” Hook

This hook is usually giving your viewer an interesting fact they probably didn’t know before. It could be something like:

“Did you know that honey NEVER spoils?” or “In the next 30 seconds, you’ll find out how a simple seed is changing lives”

This hook thrives off the curious nature of people, and luckily we can also thrive off this nature by using this hook.

It’s important to note that this hook should be able to link back to the product or service that you sell.

You don’t want to be telling them about how honey never spoils and suddenly transition to talking about clothing items.

There should be a natural, almost expected flow into your intent, except you’re using pattern disrupt methods, which should be used with caution!

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#2: The “Surprising” Hook

This hook keeps your viewers’ thumbs hooked in place by doing or showing them something completely unexpected and intriguing.

Remember it’s a video ad, so some visual elements contribute to this hook being the most effective.

An example of this kind of hook is:

“Think you’ve seen it all? Wait till you see how fishermen now catch fish” OR “I questioned my whole reality when I saw how people now shave their legs”

You see how this kind of hook would act to surprise your viewers and would have them drawn in for the entire duration of your ad.

This hook is best if your product or service is relatively new and unseen by most people — this ensures people will actually be surprised.

#3: The “What If” Hook

What If I could write out all the hooks you would need for an entire year?

Joking, but did you just see the power of the “what is” hook above?

Your interest must have risen for a brief moment — maybe even your blood pressure — if hooks were the issue your business had.

This hook is so powerful that it is even used in non-video copywriting and even cold emails.

It gets people thinking about a reality they want but currently don’t have.

In other cases, it might just be a scenario that the viewer would want to see to the end.

“What if fat could be burnt without a sweat-drenched workout?”

If I was fat and looking to burn it all off without having to gym, I would watch this video even if it was 2 hours long — even if I subconsciously knew I would soon be sold.

And even if I am in the best shape of my life, I would still like to watch and see where the ad is heading.

#4: The “Problem-Solution” Hook

This hook calls attention by mentioning the problem your audience has.

Think about it this way, if you had trouble with making executive decisions as the owner of your business and you came across an ad that started as:

“Ever struggled with making business decisions?”

You would be stopped right in your scrolling tracks, wouldn’t you?

This hook acts as a filter to remove unnecessary eyes from viewing your ad and incurring more costs,

And also acts to secure the eyes of the people you actually want to view your ads.

The hook becomes even more powerful when a solution that seems easily within reach follows up:

“… then keep watching as we will show you how to beat this dilemma in a matter of 3 days”

This principle is also used in general copywriting whether written or not — the Problem-Agitate-Solution method.

#5: The “Story” Hook

This hook starts your ad looking like a story, and if the theme is relevant enough, then your viewer is more than likely to stay till the end.

Who doesn’t like a good story?

A good example would be something like:

“Once upon a time, a woman named Jane discovered an intruder growing in her body…”

This hook could lead to so many paths from the intruder being unwanted fat to it being excess sugar.

Stories tend to be more interesting to hear as long as it’s something you can imagine and most importantly, relate to.

Plus, they tend to register in the mind faster and stay there for a longer period than many other forms of communication.

#6: The “Ha-ha” Hook

This hook serves to keep your viewers engaged by giving them a good laugh.

I mean, who doesn’t like a good laugh?

Not only does it soften the mood for easy reception of what you’re about to sell, but also keeps their attention for a long enough period.

Have you ever found yourself watching a video that started funny all through to the end because you were able to get fits of laughter from time to time?

That’s exactly how this hook works, and you don’t need to add extra funny elements in your video though, as it could even distract the viewer from the main intent of the video.

Now I’m not the funniest person out here, so I’ll try to give you an example of how funny hooks look like:

“Why did the Chicken cross the road? To get to McDonald’s…”

And with a warm opener like that, you can smoothly transition to whatever point you want to pass across.

#7: The “Testimonial” Hook

This hook works by using a person’s transformation to hold on to eyes.

I will stick with my weight-loss example: imagine you are fat and in very bad shape when you see an ad that shows someone in that bad shape side-by-side with someone fit.

It’s likely a before and after video and this works so well because it is clearly calling out its audience — fat people wishing to get in shape.

And it does so by showing them their current reality and dream reality,

And makes it appear as though their dream reality is within reach.

You could say that this is somewhat related to the Problem-solution hook, only that this uses more visual components.

The crazy thing is that this isn’t necessarily a spoken or written hook, it is visual — so it catches attention within a second of being scrolled into view.

It could also be used with the problem-solution hook as well.

Tips for Effective Use Of Ad Hooks

tips for writing killer hooks for video ads

These are some tips to keep in mind when trying to implement any of the hooks stated above for maximum effect.

Visual Elements: Since we’re dealing with video, it is ideal that you use visually appealing elements that go well with the hook you decide to use.
Smooth Transition from Hook: You should transition smoothly and naturally from your hook to the main narrative of your video. A sudden change or disruption could be unpleasant to your viewer.
Relevance to Ad Copy: Your hook should align with the overall message and theme of your ads. When writing the ad copy, it could be useful to mirror or revisit elements used in the hook — if possible that is.