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8 hook templates

Hook templates for diy and home creators

The finished room always looks great, and the weekends it ate stay off camera. These templates lead with the cost, the mistake or what a contractor would have charged, which is what someone about to start a project wants to know.

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

8 templates for diy and home creators

01Contractor quote

Number first
Template

A contractor quoted $[N] for [JOB]. I did it for $[N] and [TIME]. Here's the one part I'd pay for next time.

Example

“A contractor quoted $6,400 to tile my bathroom floor. I did it for $710 and three weekends. Here's the one part I'd pay for next time.”

How to use this hook

Number-first hook for DIY-versus-pro content; the 'part I'd pay for' line keeps it honest.

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

02Chipping already

Confession
Template

I [DID DIY THING] and [SPECIFIC FAILURE] [TIME] later. The mistake was skipping [SMALL STEP].

Example

“I painted my kitchen cabinets and they started chipping four months later. The mistake was skipping a $12 can of deglosser.”

How to use this hook

Confession hook for what-went-wrong content; show the chip, name the step.

Say it like you are telling a friend. Follow with what you learned, so it reads as useful and not just dramatic.

03From the doorway

Authority
Template

[TRADESPEOPLE] can tell a DIY [JOB] from the doorway. It's always [SPECIFIC DETAIL].

Example

“Tilers can tell a DIY backsplash from the doorway. It's always the grout lines at the corners.”

How to use this hook

Authority hook for finish-quality content; pick a tell viewers can check in their own house.

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

04Load bearing

Direct
Template

If you're about to [POPULAR DIY THING], stop and [DO X] first. I didn't, and [CONSEQUENCE].

Example

“If you're about to take out a wall for an open floor plan, stop and find out if it's load bearing first. I didn't, and the ceiling has a dip now.”

How to use this hook

Direct hook for warning content; the personal consequence makes it land harder than a rule.

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

05Dated in two years

Contrarian
Template

[POPULAR TREND] is going to look like [YEAR] in about [N] years. Here's what [PROS] put in their own houses instead.

Example

“Shiplap is going to look like 2017 in about two years. Here's what interior designers put in their own houses instead.”

How to use this hook

Contrarian hook for trend content; the 'in their own houses' line is where the credibility lives.

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

06Bottom shelf

List
Template

Three tools under $[N] that I use on every project and [BIG BOX STORE] keeps on the bottom shelf.

Example

“Three tools under $20 that I use on every single project and Home Depot keeps on the bottom shelf.”

How to use this hook

Listicle hook for tool-recommendation content; cheap plus hidden is the formula.

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

07Listing photos

Story
Template

We bought a [HOUSE DESCRIPTION] for $[N]. [N] years in, here's what the listing photos didn't show, starting with [SPECIFIC THING].

Example

“We bought a 1920s farmhouse for $160,000. Three years in, here's what the listing photos didn't show, starting with the well.”

How to use this hook

Story hook for long-term renovation content; one specific reveal in the hook beats a montage.

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

08Not taste

Question
Template

Why does every [SPACE] in a [TYPE OF HOME] have [FEATURE]? There's a reason and it's not taste.

Example

“Why does every rental bathroom have the exact same beige tile? There's a reason and it's not taste.”

How to use this hook

Question hook for industry-explainer content; the 'not taste' line implies a money story.

Ask it straight to camera and pause half a beat. Only ask questions you answer in the video.

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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 diy and home 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?

8 templates covering these types: Number first, Confession, Authority, Direct, Contrarian, List, Story, Question. 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.

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