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8 hook templates

Hook templates for relationship creators

Relationship content is crowded with rules and couples performing happiness. These templates name one specific argument, one specific text or one thing you got wrong, instead of handing down rules.

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

8 templates for relationship creators

01Dishwasher fight

Story
Template

We almost [BROKE UP/DIVORCED] over [TRIVIAL THING]. It took [N] [SESSIONS/MONTHS] to figure out it was actually about [REAL ISSUE].

Example

“We almost got divorced over how he loads the dishwasher. It took four months of counseling to figure out it was actually about who gets to be tired.”

How to use this hook

Story hook for couples content; the trivial trigger and the real issue both need to be named.

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

02Therapist tell

Authority
Template

Couples therapists can tell in [SHORT TIME] which couples will [OUTCOME]. It's not [OBVIOUS SIGN]. It's [SPECIFIC SIGN].

Example

“Couples therapists can tell in the first session which couples will make it. It's not how much they fight. It's whether either of them rolls their eyes.”

How to use this hook

Authority hook for pattern-recognition content; the tell has to be real and specific.

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

03Never text first

Contrarian
Template

'[POPULAR DATING ADVICE]' is why you're still [SINGLE/STUCK]. Here's what people in good relationships actually did.

Example

“'Never text first' is why you're still single. Here's what every person I know in a good relationship actually did, and it's embarrassing.”

How to use this hook

Contrarian hook for dating-advice correction; admitting the real answer is embarrassing is the hook.

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

04I was the problem

Confession
Template

I was the problem in my last relationship. I realized it [SPECIFIC MOMENT], and I'm telling you what I did about it.

Example

“I was the problem in my last relationship. I realized it reading my old texts a year later, and I'm telling you what I did about it.”

How to use this hook

Confession hook for accountability content; it only works if you name the behavior, not just the vibe.

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

05Read this twice

Direct
Template

If your partner [SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR] and you're calling it [EXCUSE], read this twice.

Example

“If your partner goes quiet for two days after every disagreement and you're calling it 'needing space', read this twice.”

How to use this hook

Direct hook for red-flag or pattern content; name the exact behavior and the exact excuse.

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

06Broke the rule

Number first
Template

[N] years married. The rule we broke that every book says you can't break: [RULE]. Still here.

Example

“Fourteen years married. The rule we broke that every book says you can't break: we go to bed angry all the time. Still here.”

How to use this hook

Number-first hook for long-relationship content; the years do the arguing, the broken rule does the hooking.

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

07How long they take

Question
Template

Ask your partner [SPECIFIC QUESTION] tonight. The answer doesn't matter. How long they take to answer does.

Example

“Ask your partner what they think you're most afraid of. The answer doesn't matter. How long they take to answer does.”

How to use this hook

Question hook for intimacy-test content; viewers screenshot it to try at dinner.

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

08Stopped doing

List
Template

Three things people in [GOOD RELATIONSHIPS] stopped doing that [STRUGGLING GROUP] still think are romantic.

Example

“Three things people in long healthy relationships stopped doing that single people still think are romantic.”

How to use this hook

Listicle hook for expectation-correction content; the 'still think are romantic' line creates the gap.

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

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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 relationship 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: Story, Authority, Contrarian, Confession, Direct, Number first, Question, List. 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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