How To Create Viral Hooks (by Mike)

 

TikTok is one of the best ways to currently make a living if you know how to. Creators can earn a lot of money, without even showing their face. While most faceless creators resort to unoriginal content, as the creator behind @googlemapsfun with 9.9 million followers, I make unique content in a faceless niche.

 

One way to create viral content is using a good beginning of a video, the hook. This will also be one of the things the ViralForge tool will focus on, offering insights into video ideas (super practical if you are searching for a good niche & inspiration to start with or adapt) and their hooks. We're even planning to launch a viral hook generator somewhere down the road. With that in mind, let's look at a few insights from my perspective about creating viral hooks.

 

Want to create viral hooks? Here’s what works:

  1. Get their attention fast. You’ve got 1–3 seconds to make people stop scrolling.
  2. Trigger an emotion. Curiosity, surprise, even a laugh—it keeps people watching.
  3. Show value without overselling. Give a reason to stick around without being too obvious. Try to be authentic.
  4. Keep it smooth. The video should flow naturally without any awkward breaks.
  5. Deliver on your promise. Build anticipation, then make viewers continue to feel anticipation until the end

 

But actually, there is a problem with making a tutorial about how to create viral hooks:

 

1. I don't know who I'm talking to. Either you know a lot about viral hooks already, or I need to explain the basics first.

2. It's never black and white, and trying to summarize what a good hook is is very tricky without being too unspecific.

 

So my goal in this article is to give all of you the best advice possible.


With that in mind, here's my definition of a viral hook, and then a detailed explanation how I create viral hooks (in action):

My definition

A viral hook is a hook of a video that will go viral (literally) - and if it won't go viral, the hook will not be the reason.

A viral hook is not a pattern interrupt, it's a pattern trigger. It should subconsciously draw viewers into watching the video without knowing why they watch it. All they feel is some sort of suspension of what happens next.

This post is not about good hooks, it is about viral hooks. Viral hooks need to be relatable to large masses, and understandable (e.g. people should quickly know what the video is about)

The most obvious example for this is making a video that does not require viewers to speak any language at all. Here is an example:

 

But let's niche down a little bit - as these types of videos attract a really big audience, if successful, but if monetized, it turns out the RPM is very low. 

What is the RPM?

RPM, or Revenue Per Mille, shows how much TikTok creators earn for every 1,000 qualified views in the Creator Rewards Program. It only counts for videos longer than a minute and is based on views that meet TikTok’s rules for monetization. RPM is a way for creators to see how efficiently they’re earning through the program, but it doesn’t include other income sources like sponsorships or ad revenue.

Let's look at another example: 

In this video, I used a trending sound, which reached large masses. I used a text that starts with "When", a word that keeps viewers reading the text if the sound and the situation in the backgorund (in this case the google maps car driving by) are suitable and shows the value of the video. As soon as the viewer finishes reading, the camera turns to a person with a horse mask on, showing a unique situation early on. Then, I intruduced the point of the video, which is showing the results. This immediately created suspension and interest.

 

Generally, if you are unsure what hook to create, look at other examples of viral content in your niche and copy the hooks. If you found something that works, use it again and improve it. Over time, you will learn creating them yourselves!