Viral Hooks — 100 formulas, 10 psychology triggers

A library of battle-tested hook structures for short-form video and social posts.

When this skill activates

Activate this skill when the user:

• Pastes a script for a Reel / TikTok / YouTube short / LinkedIn post and wants a hook
• Asks "give me hooks for [topic]" or "write opening lines about [topic]"
• Is brainstorming short-form content and needs scroll-stoppers
• Says /hooks <topic> or /viral-hooks <topic>

Workflow

1. Read the script or topic. If the user only gave a topic (no script), ask one short question about the audience or angle, then proceed.

2. Identify the emotional beat the script naturally fits — curiosity, contrarian, authority, emotional, listicle, question, story, negation, specificity, or confession.

3. Pick 3 candidate hooks from hooks-database.md. Best practice: mix one stop-scroll category (negation / specificity / question) with one retention category (story / confession / emotional). The third is free pick.