Six years deep into this platform, and since the ownership change I've noticed something strange: plenty of high-performing videos don't have a hook in the traditional sense. Not the loud, punchy opener we're all taught to write.
I'll sit there analysing top-performing content, looking for the magic in the first few seconds, and often there's nothing remarkable. But once the like/save/share/comment count crosses a certain threshold, that social proof becomes the hook itself. You see the stats on the right side of the page and you stop scrolling because everyone else already did. It's almost like the engagement column does the heavy lifting.
Started thinking about this over the winter when the algorithm began surfacing videos from months ago. Most stuff I see now is at least a month old. And it seems like established creators benefit from being so dialled into their audience that they can post almost anything - even low-effort stuff - and their followers will engage, making it more appealing to new viewers on the FYP. The engagement column becomes the credibility signal.
On the flip side, I see gorgeous, well-produced videos from smaller accounts that barely get off the ground. No social proof, so no one gives them a chance. Meanwhile my own best-performing videos were ones where I ignored the formula entirely - just spoke naturally, minimal editing, and they took off. The ones I slaved over? Crickets. Frustrating.
One colleague pointed out that what still matters is the first two seconds, but it's not always a verbal hook. Sometimes it's a pattern interrupt - a sudden movement, a scene change, a surprising visual. Sometimes it's familiarity - the audience already knows your style. And sometimes, like I said, social proof carries it.
The same person shared a framework they use for smaller accounts: screen stop test (would someone pause with audio off?), payoff by second five, a retention reset around eight to twelve seconds, and a soft CTA tied to the topic. They also said to check your analytics in buckets - not individual videos - to see what's actually working.
So is the old "HOOK > Content > CTA" dead? I'm not sure. My wife sees videos handled both ways on her account. Maybe it's just evolved. Hooks still matter, but not in that loud, gimmicky way anymore. It's more subtle now - momentum, context, social proof. The hook has moved to the right side of the page.
