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The 6 Hook Archetypes That Consistently Outperform
My latest thinking on writing hooks
Kane Kallaway
March 14, 2025
Today's Tip: To dramatically improve how your content performs, you need to understand the 6 core hook archetypes (explained below).
The 80/20 of storytelling is hooking.
No matter how much time you spend on the body of a video, none of it matters if the viewer stops watching after the first 5 seconds.
Hooks are the most important thing to nail.
Because of this, I’ve gone super deep analyzing hook psychology & positioning.
And after studying thousands of videos, I've identified 6 core hook archetypes that consistently crush.
Each of these is designed to create a deep curiosity loop in the viewer’s brain while best positioning the creator to maximize their brand authority.
Here are the 6 Hook Archetypes:
1. Curiosity & Future-Oriented (“The fortuneteller”)
Goal: Paint an optimistic future scenario or pose a question about how the future might change because of some new thing
Examples:
Template: "This [x new thing] is gonna completely change the way [y people do [z task]. Here's why..."
Who should use: The fortuneteller is great for building trust as someone who knows “what's next” and can predict/sense future trends in your space
When to use: Use this positioning when something new drops in your space or industry changes
2. Experiment & Hack-Based (“The experimenter”)
Goal: Explain how you solved a common viewer pain point by showing them a method/experiment you ran
Examples:
Template: "I did [x thing] to accomplish [y result] in [z area]…let me show you how I did it"
Who should use: The experimenter is great when you want to position yourself in a peer to peer way (you’re a fellow student, not a guru)
When to use: Use this positioning when you’re one of the first to figure out a new solution or test something new
3. Educational & Process-Driven (“The teacher”)
Goal: Explain how to solve a common viewer pain point by explaining how something can be done via a case study or breakdown
Examples:
Template: "[X person] was able to achieve [Y result] using [Z unusual method]…let me show you’
Who should use: The teacher is great when you’re trying to frame yourself as an expert in your field. The easiest way to build expert authority is to be the expert
When to use: Best for when you breakdown a case study of someone else’s playbook. Student is great for your own experiments. Teacher is great for breaking down those of others
4. Direct Command & Visual (“The magician”)
Goal: Create a “stun gun” or instant scroll stop with a visual/verbal cue
Examples:
Template: "Look at [X thing] right there…that is a [Y explanation]”
Who should use: Anyone can use this in any scenario where there is a super compelling visual with embedded motion
When to use: Best for when you have the banger visual already sourced and the visual <> verbal comprehension match is a guaranteed hit
5. Insider & Secret Reveal (“The investigator”)
Goal: Reveal a hidden truth or secret finding that you’ve uncovered but most might not know
Examples:
Template: "I found a secret feature in [X thing] that will change the way you do [Y task]”
Who should use: Anyone that wants to be positioned as an insider or extremely tapped in source of knowledge for their category.
When to use: When you actually have a finding/secret that is compelling and most people don’t know about it
6. Combination & Intrigue (“The contrarian”)
Goal: Immediately and explicitly state a contrarian belief in your first line
Examples:
Template: "Everyone thinks [X brand] won because of [Y thing], but the truth is, that has nothing to do with it”
Who should use: Anyone that wants to be known for strong opinions and unique POVs in their category
When to use: Best when you have a strong contrarian take that challenges conventional wisdom
The reason these work is because they all create the same context → contrast → contrarian psychology...but positioned differently depending on your content and niche.
It's common for top creators to stack these, especially starting with #4 "look at this" and then transitioning into one of the others.
From now on, when you study all your favorite creators, you'll see these archetypes pop up everywhere.
Hooks are the key to grabbing attention. And grabbing attention is the key to turning views into dollars.
Go back and look at your highest performing content - I guarantee it fits into one of these 6 archetypes.
PS - Next week, I’m re-opening doors to Short Form Academy, my flagship content program where I help business owners build short-form content machines that drive leads and sales. If you want to skip the line and secure your spot before the rush, reply "skip" and I'll get you all the details.