ViralAri
Sign up
10 hook templates

Hook templates for business creators

Business viewers have seen enough motivational fluff and survivorship stories. These templates get specific about a failure, contradict popular advice or admit something costly, without promising anyone wealth.

Examples are illustrations. Swap in your own real numbers and stories; never invent them.

10 templates for business creators

01Direct accusation startup

Direct
Template

Your [BUSINESS THING] isn't failing because of [USUAL EXCUSE]. It's failing because [REAL REASON] and you can't admit that yet.

Example

“Your startup isn't failing because of competition. It's failing because nobody asked for it and you can't admit that yet.”

How to use this hook

Direct contrarian hook. Use when the real reason is one most founders rationalize away.

Talk to one viewer, not an audience. Short sentences, no warm-up, and put the key word on screen.

02Six founders

Number first
Template

[N] [PROFESSIONALS]. Same [SHARED CONTEXT]. Same [TIME PERIOD]. [Y] are dead. [Z] [WON]. The pattern between them isn't what you'd guess.

Example

“Six founders. Same accelerator. Same year. Five are dead. One IPO'd. The pattern between them isn't what you'd guess.”

How to use this hook

Number-first setup-reveal. The peer-group framing is what creates the curiosity.

Lead with the number in the first two words and put it on screen. Use your own real figure, never a made-up one.

03Stop attending

Direct
Template

Stop reading [POPULAR THING]. Stop attending [POPULAR EVENT]. Stop posting on [POPULAR PLATFORM]. Build [REAL THING]. That's it.

Example

“Stop reading founder Twitter. Stop attending demo days. Stop posting on LinkedIn. Build something a stranger will pay for. That's it.”

How to use this hook

Permission-give hook for founders drowning in noise.

Talk to one viewer, not an audience. Short sentences, no warm-up, and put the key word on screen.

04Press killed it

Story
Template

The [SPECIFIC ARTICLE/MOMENT] that killed my [PROJECT/COMPANY]. I framed it. Today I'll tell you why.

Example

“The TechCrunch article that killed my last company. I framed it. Today I'll tell you why.”

How to use this hook

In-medias-res hook. Works only if the artifact is real and the story is genuinely instructive.

Start mid-scene. Say the line in the first second, while something is already happening on screen, and skip any setup.

05Most fail

Contrarian
Template

Most [GROUP A] fail. Most [GROUP B] fail. The only difference is [SUPERFICIAL THING] watches it happen.

Example

“Most YC companies fail. Most non-YC companies fail. The only difference is which Twitter feed watches it happen.”

How to use this hook

Pattern-interrupt for credentialism callouts. Works because most audiences quietly suspect this is true.

Say the claim flat and calm, then prove it within a few seconds. A contrarian line without proof reads as bait.

06Founder confession

Vulnerable
Template

I [DID IMPRESSIVE THING] and still [STRUGGLE]. Here's what nobody on LinkedIn talks about.

Example

“I sold my last company for $4.2M and still wake up at 4am panicking about money. Here's what nobody on LinkedIn talks about.”

How to use this hook

Vulnerable authority hook. Anti-LinkedIn pull; works for B2B audiences.

Keep the delivery plain and unpolished. Over-produced vulnerability feels staged.

07Hire rule

Authority
Template

The single [HIRING/INVESTING/BUYING] rule [INDUSTRY] has but never tells founders.

Example

“The single hiring rule senior YC founders use but never tell first-time founders.”

How to use this hook

Authority reveal. Deliver the actual rule in the video; the hook falls flat if the answer is generic.

Name your credential in a few words, then go straight to the point. Only claim experience you actually have.

08Cost counter

Number first
Template

$[X] in [REVENUE/SALES] and I still couldn't [SPECIFIC THING]. Here's why scale doesn't fix [REAL PROBLEM].

Example

“$2.4M ARR and I still couldn't pay myself a market salary. Here's why scale doesn't fix bad pricing.”

How to use this hook

Direct number-first hook. Counterintuitive payoff.

Lead with the number in the first two words and put it on screen. Use your own real figure, never a made-up one.

09Three questions

List
Template

Three questions [SUCCESSFUL GROUP] ask before [DECISION] that [TYPICAL GROUP] never thinks of.

Example

“Three questions seasoned founders ask before hiring their first salesperson that first-time founders never think of.”

How to use this hook

Listicle hook with implied seniority gap. Tightening the group makes the hook sharper.

Show the count on screen as text and keep each item short. Deliver the strongest item first or tease it by number.

10Stop pitching

Pattern interrupt
Template

Stop [POPULAR ACTIVITY]. The [GROUP] that wins doesn't [DO IT]. They [DO Y] instead.

Example

“Stop pitching investors. The founders I've seen get funded don't pitch. They reverse-recruit the investor.”

How to use this hook

Reframe hook for tactical advice. Use when the alternative is genuinely a pattern, not just contrarian for its own sake.

Pair the line with a visual change in the first frame: a cut, a prop, a zoom. The surprise has to be on screen, not only in the words.

Free hook pack

Get 5 hook templates for your niche

Pick your niche and we will email you 5 fill-in templates from the library, each with a pattern and a worked example. Free, no account needed.

We confirm your email first. See our privacy policy.

Before you film

  • Say the hook in the first second. No greeting, no “so today”.
  • Put 2 to 6 words of it on screen, away from each app's buttons. The safe zone checker shows where those are.
  • Deliver what the hook promises, early. A hook the video does not pay off loses viewers fast.
  • Test a few versions in the hook analyzer before you pick one.

Questions

How should business creators use these hooks?

Pick the template closest to your video, swap every [BRACKETED] part for your own specifics, and say it as your first line while a few words of it appear on screen. Use your own real numbers and stories; the examples are illustrations.

How many hook types are on this page?

10 templates covering these types: Direct, Number first, Story, Contrarian, Vulnerable, Authority, List, Pattern interrupt. Rotating types keeps your openings from sounding the same.

How do I know if my version is any good?

Paste it into the free hook analyzer for a quick text-only estimate. For a real answer, check the filmed draft in ViralAri, which scores the opening you actually recorded.

Filmed it? Check your draft free.

Check any short in about a minute: Ari scores the opening, flags the moments most likely to lose viewers, suggests 3 fixes and writes 5 hooks from what you say. Got a podcast or stream? Clip finder finds the best moments in videos up to 15 minutes.

Check a video free

More hook templates

All niches

More free tools

See all free tools

Further reading

From the blog