TikTok Hook Analyzer
Find out why your TikTok didn't go viral — in 15 seconds.
- ✓ Free for first 3 videos · No login
- ✓ AI scores your hook + suggests 3 rewrites
- ✓ Powered by analysis of 10,000+ viral TikToks
"Hi guys, today I want to talk about how to grow on TikTok"
- ❌ "Hi guys" — instant scroll
- ❌ Explains instead of showing
- ❌ No specifics, no stakes
"My 200-view video and my 2M-view video. Same topic."
- ✓ Specific numbers, instant contrast
- ✓ Curiosity gap demands resolution
- ✓ Pattern: SPECIFIC_TRANSFORMATION
What you get from a Hook Diagnosis
Hook Score (0–100)
A quantified score across 5 dimensions: specificity, tension, curiosity gap, time hook, and stakes. Each weighted by what we've seen in 10K+ viral hooks.
Hook Type Detection
Tells you which of 10 viral patterns you're using ("You're doing it wrong" / "I did X for Y days" / "Nobody talks about…" / etc.) — and how that pattern performs in your niche.
Weakness Diagnosis
Word-level feedback. "Second 2 says 'today I want to talk about' — that's filler, viewer scrolled at 1.2s." Not soft. Not generic. Specific to your hook.
3 Rewrite Variants
Three rewrites, each using a different strategy: high-tension, specific-numbers, contrarian. Each tagged with the viral pattern it follows. ≤12 words each.
Why your TikTok hook decides everything
The first 3 seconds are 80% of the algorithm signal
TikTok's For You algorithm decides whether to keep pushing your video based on a small set of completion signals — and the most heavily weighted one is what happens between second 0 and second 3. If your hook loses 60% of viewers in those three seconds, the algorithm sees a video that "doesn't hold attention" and stops distribution, regardless of how good the rest of your content is.
What "300 views jail" actually is
The Reddit term "300 views jail" describes the situation where every video you post lands at exactly 200-500 views and then dies. It's not a shadow ban. It's not bad luck. It's a deterministic algorithm response: TikTok's initial seed audience watched your hook, didn't continue past 3 seconds, and the system marked your video as "low completion" and pulled it from further distribution. The same creator can post the same kind of content and break out the next day if they fix the hook. The hook is the entire problem.
Why fixing your hook is not subjective
Viral hooks share measurable structural traits: specific numbers within the first 5 words, an unresolved curiosity gap that the next 30 seconds will close, named stakes that match the viewer's identity, a pattern interrupt that breaks the scroll rhythm. Failed hooks usually fail on one or two of these dimensions in a measurable way — too generic, no stakes named, or the answer given upfront. The Hook Analyzer scores each of these dimensions independently so you can see exactly where you lost the viewer.
Why we don't recommend "trying different hooks"
The standard advice — "post 30 videos with different hooks and see which works" — is correct in theory but wasteful in practice. Each test costs you a video. Diagnosing the hook before you film is cheaper. The Analyzer is the layer that sits between "I have an idea" and "I press record."
10 viral TikTok hook formulas that still work in 2026
| Pattern | Template | Example |
|---|---|---|
| CONTRARIAN | Everyone thinks X, but actually Y | "Cardio is not how you lose weight" |
| SPECIFIC_TRANSFORMATION | I [verb] [number] in [time] | "I lost 31lbs in 4 months without the gym" |
| CURIOSITY_GAP | Most people don't know [specific thing] | "99% of people use ChatGPT wrong" |
| TIME_PRESSURE | In the next N seconds I'll [outcome] | "In 15 seconds I'll show you why your TikTok is dying" |
| CONFESSION | I [risky thing] and [result] | "I quit my $200k job to sell pickles" |
| DIRECT_CALLOUT | If you're [identity], stop scrolling | "If you're a solo founder under 30, this is for you" |
| WARNING | Don't [common action] until you [watch this] | "Don't buy AirPods until you see this" |
| RECEIPTS | Concrete proof shown immediately | "This is my bank account 6 months ago. This is now." |
| QUESTION_HOOK | Why does [strange phenomenon] happen? | "Why does your TikTok get 300 views?" |
| STORY_COLD_OPEN | Jump into middle of story, no setup | "So I'm in a gas station bathroom in Wyoming..." |
Hook Analyzer vs Viral Breakdown — which one do I need?
Hook Analyzer
Paste your TikTok URL. Get a Hook Score, see exactly which word lost the viewer, and get 3 rewrites that fix the specific weakness.
You're here →Viral Breakdown
Paste any viral TikTok URL. Get the full transcript, hook breakdown, retention map, and the replicable formula behind it.
Go to Viral Breakdown →Frequently asked questions
How does the TikTok hook analyzer work?
You paste a TikTok URL. We transcribe the opening 8 seconds, score the hook on 5 dimensions, identify which viral pattern it uses, and generate 3 rewrites. The full analysis takes about 15 seconds.
Why is the first 3 seconds so important on TikTok?
TikTok's For You algorithm weights early-second completion heavily. If you lose 60%+ of viewers in seconds 0–3, distribution stops regardless of the rest of the video.
What is "300 views jail" and how do I get out of it?
"300 views jail" describes videos that consistently land at 200–500 views and die. It's not a shadow ban — it's the algorithm responding to low 3-second completion. Fixing the hook is the way out.
Can the analyzer work for any niche?
Yes. The 5 scoring dimensions apply to any niche. The Hook Type library covers 10 patterns that show up across fitness, finance, beauty, tech, food, lifestyle, education, and more.
How accurate is the Hook Score?
Calibrated against 1M+ view videos (mean Score 72) and known low-performers (mean Score 42). Individual variance exists but the distribution is well separated.
What's the difference between a hook and an opening line?
A hook is the first 3 seconds of speech + visual together — what makes the viewer not scroll. An opening line is just the words. Most analyzers only judge the words. We use 8 seconds of context to judge whether the hook actually lands.
Can I analyze my competitor's videos too?
Yes — paste any public TikTok URL. For deeper teardowns of viral competitor videos (transcript, retention map, formula) use Viral Breakdown instead.
Do I need to upload my video, or just paste the link?
Just the link. We pull the transcript via the same engine TokTranscript uses for plaza analysis — no upload required.
Diagnose your first 3 hooks free.
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