How to Write Viral Hooks with ChatGPT

Instead of asking for hooks from scratch each time, set ChatGPT up once with your audience, voice, and best examples. Every hook it writes after that starts closer to good.

A hook is a promise. ChatGPT helps you find the sharpest honest version of it.

• Create a ChatGPT Project called “Hooks”
• Add instructions: your niche, audience, tone, and words to avoid
• Upload your 20 best-performing hooks with their results
• Tell it to never promise what the content does not deliver

• Save hooks that stopped you from scrolling
• Note why each one worked
• Ask ChatGPT to group them by pattern

Here are 30 hooks I saved. Group them by pattern, name each pattern, and write a fill-in template for each.

Reels and TikTok

Say and show it in the first second: result, problem, or surprise

YouTube

A clear promise in the title and first line, matched by the thumbnail

LinkedIn

Two lines that create tension before “see more”

X and Threads

A sharp first sentence that stands alone

Write 20 hooks for this [post or video]: [paste summary]. Use five different patterns from my swipe file. Each under 12 words for video, under 20 for text posts. Make each specific and honest.

Specific

Does it name a clear result, number, or detail?

Curious

Does it open a question people want answered?

Relevant

Is it clearly for my audience?

Honest

Does the content fully deliver on it?

Score these 20 hooks from 1 to 5 on specific, curious, relevant, and honest. Show the totals and explain the top three.

• Post similar content with different hooks
• Compare early retention, reach, and saves
• Add winners to your Project so ChatGPT learns your style

• On-screen text for video
• Thumbnail text in three words or fewer
• Email subject lines
• The first slide of a carousel

• No fake numbers or exaggerated results
• No misleading thumbnails
• Deliver the payoff quickly

Clickbait might win one view, but it teaches people to skip you next time.