60 Shorts hooks and 5 script templates (English, Urdu, Hindi)

What a hook has to do

In a Shorts feed, viewers decide whether to stay almost immediately. A hook has to do three things in one or two sentences:

1. Say what the video is about, so the right viewer recognises it.
2. Open a question they want answered.
3. Promise an answer the video actually delivers.

The third point is the one people skip. A hook that overpromises gets the swipe a few seconds later instead, and comments that say so. The best hooks are surprising and true.

Rules for strong, honest hooks

• Start with the interesting part. Not "Hi guys, today we're talking about...". The first word should already be the topic.
• Be concrete. "The sunlight on your face is eight minutes old" beats "Light is fascinating".
• Use real numbers only. Never invent a statistic for a hook. If you don't have a source, use a question instead.
• Keep it short enough to say in one breath.
• Match the visuals. The first frame should show what the first line is about.
• Pay it off. The answer to the hook's question should come before the end, not in "part 2".

30 English hooks

Each pattern is followed by a worked example. Fill the brackets with your own topic.

Questions

1. Why does [thing] [surprising behaviour]? Why does the Moon always show us the same face?
2. What would happen if [impossible situation]? What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning?
3. Have you ever wondered why [everyday thing]? Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry?
4. How did [people in the past] [do something hard] without [modern tool]? How did the Egyptians lift giant stones without cranes?
5. Where does [common thing] actually come from? Where does the word "shampoo" actually come from?
6. Which is bigger: [A] or [B]? Which is wider: the Moon or Australia?

Surprising claims (true ones)

7. [Familiar thing] is older than [other familiar thing]. Oxford University is older than the Aztec Empire.
8. [Thing] isn't what you think it is. Bananas are berries. Strawberries aren't.
9. There's a [creature or thing] that can [incredible ability]. There's a jellyfish that can turn back its own life cycle.
10. This [small thing] changed [big thing]. This small leaf changed world history: tea.
11. In [year], [unexpected event]. In 1859, a solar storm made telegraph wires spark.
12. Your [body part] does [surprising amount]. Your heart beats about a hundred thousand times a day.

"You" hooks

13. Right now, [something you can't feel is happening]. Right now, the ground under you is spinning at hundreds of kilometres an hour.
14. The [thing you see] is [surprising age or distance]. The sunlight on your face is eight minutes old.
15. You use [invention] every day. Here's who you have to thank.
16. If you've ever [everyday action], you've used [old idea]. If you've ever counted sixty seconds in a minute, you've used a Babylonian idea.
17. By the end of this video, you'll never look at [thing] the same way.

Stories

18. In [year], a [mistake or accident] led to [discovery]. In 1928, a messy lab led to penicillin.
19. Nobody believed [person] when they said [claim]. Nobody believed Alfred Wegener when he said continents move.
20. [Place] was once [surprising past]. The Sahara was once green.
21. It started with [small event]. It ended with [big consequence].
22. One [day or decision] decided the fate of [empire or people].

Myth vs fact

23. Everyone says [myth]. Here's what really happened. Everyone says Vikings wore horned helmets. The evidence says otherwise.
24. You've heard that [myth]. It isn't true. You've heard we only use ten percent of our brains. It isn't true.
25. [Thing] isn't the colour you think. The Sun isn't really yellow.

Contrast and scale

26. [A] and [B] look the same. They're completely different.
27. [Thing] is [huge], but [tiny comparison].
28. [Thing A] took [long time]. [Thing B] took [short time].

Lists and curiosity

29. Three things you didn't know about [topic]. The last one is the strangest.
30. Here's what happens to [thing] when [condition]. Here's what happens to your body in space.

15 Urdu hooks

1. کیا آپ جانتے ہیں کہ [بات]؟ مثال: کیا آپ جانتے ہیں کہ آپ کا دل ایک دن میں تقریباً ایک لاکھ بار دھڑکتا ہے؟
2. اگر [ناممکن صورت] ہو جائے تو کیا ہوگا؟ مثال: اگر زمین گھومنا بند کر دے تو کیا ہوگا؟
3. [چیز] اصل میں کہاں سے آئی؟ مثال: چائے اصل میں کہاں سے آئی؟
4. سب کہتے ہیں [غلط بات]۔ لیکن سچ کچھ اور ہے۔ مثال: سب کہتے ہیں ہم دماغ کا صرف دس فیصد استعمال کرتے ہیں۔ یہ سچ نہیں۔
5. [سال] میں [واقعہ]، اور سب کچھ بدل گیا۔ مثال: 1526 میں پانی پت کی ایک جنگ نے برصغیر کی تاریخ بدل دی۔
6. جو دھوپ ابھی آپ کے چہرے پر پڑ رہی ہے، وہ آٹھ منٹ پرانی ہے۔
7. [جگہ] کبھی [حیران کن ماضی] تھا۔ مثال: صحرائے صحارا کبھی سرسبز تھا۔
8. [الف] اور [ب] میں کون بڑا ہے؟ مثال: چاند اور آسٹریلیا میں کون زیادہ چوڑا ہے؟
9. آپ روز [چیز] استعمال کرتے ہیں، مگر اس کی کہانی شاید نہیں جانتے۔
10. تین باتیں جو آپ [موضوع] کے بارے میں نہیں جانتے۔ آخری سب سے عجیب ہے۔
11. یہ سوال سننے میں آسان ہے، مگر جواب آپ کو حیران کر دے گا۔
12. [شخص] کی بات پر کسی نے یقین نہیں کیا۔ مگر وہ سچ نکلی۔
13. ایک لفظ جو ہم روز بولتے ہیں، ہزاروں میل کا سفر کر کے ہم تک پہنچا ہے۔
14. اگر آپ نے کبھی [روزمرہ کام] کیا ہے، تو آپ نے [پرانی ایجاد] استعمال کی ہے۔
15. ایک چھوٹی سی غلطی نے [بڑی دریافت] کو جنم دیا۔ مثال: 1928 میں ایک بے ترتیب لیبارٹری سے پینسلین دریافت ہوئی۔

15 Hindi hooks

1. क्या आप जानते हैं कि [बात]? उदाहरण: क्या आप जानते हैं कि आपका दिल एक दिन में करीब एक लाख बार धड़कता है?
2. अगर [असंभव स्थिति] हो जाए, तो क्या होगा? उदाहरण: अगर धरती घूमना बंद कर दे, तो क्या होगा?
3. [चीज़] असल में कहाँ से आई? उदाहरण: "शैम्पू" शब्द असल में कहाँ से आया?
4. सब कहते हैं [ग़लत बात]। लेकिन सच कुछ और है।
5. [साल] में [घटना], और सब कुछ बदल गया। उदाहरण: 1928 में एक बिखरी हुई लैब से पेनिसिलिन की खोज हुई।
6. जो धूप अभी आपके चेहरे पर पड़ रही है, वह आठ मिनट पुरानी है।
7. [जगह] कभी [हैरान करने वाला अतीत] था। उदाहरण: सहारा रेगिस्तान कभी हरा-भरा था।
8. [क] और [ख] में कौन बड़ा है? उदाहरण: चाँद और ऑस्ट्रेलिया में कौन ज़्यादा चौड़ा है?
9. आप रोज़ [चीज़] इस्तेमाल करते हैं, पर इसकी कहानी शायद नहीं जानते।
10. तीन बातें जो आप [विषय] के बारे में नहीं जानते। आख़िरी सबसे अजीब है।
11. यह सवाल आसान लगता है, पर जवाब आपको चौंका देगा।
12. [व्यक्ति] की बात पर किसी ने यक़ीन नहीं किया। पर वह सच निकली।
13. एक फ़ैसले ने [साम्राज्य] की क़िस्मत तय कर दी।
14. यह छोटी सी चीज़ पूरी दुनिया बदल गई।
15. इस वीडियो के ख़त्म होने तक आप [चीज़] को अलग नज़र से देखेंगे।

Five script templates

The templates use ContentRoof's script format: each # line starts a scene, and *stars* highlight a word. The structure works in any tool. Replace the brackets.

Template 1: the "why" explainer

# hook
Why does [thing] [surprising behaviour]?

# headline: [The basic fact]
[One sentence that sets up what everyone can see.]

# headline: [The hidden cause]
[The real reason, in plain words. Highlight the *key word*.]

# headline: [The proof]
[An example or observation that shows the reason is right.]

# outro
So next time you see [thing], you'll know why. Follow for more.

Template 2: myth vs fact

# hook
Everyone says [myth]. But is it *true*?

# headline: Where the myth came from
[Where people got the idea.]

# headline: Myth vs fact
People believe [myth], but the evidence shows [fact].

# headline: What really happened
[The real story in two sentences.]

# outro
[One line that flips the myth.] Follow for more.

Putting the myth and the fact on either side of "but" gives you a two-sided comparison on screen.

Template 3: a history story with dates

# hook
[A consequence or mystery from the story.]

# headline: Where it began
In [year], in [place], [the starting event].

# headline: [Turning point]
In [year], [what changed]. In [year], [what followed].

# headline: [Consequence]
[Why it still matters today.]

# outro
[Link back to the hook.] Follow for more history.

Several years in one scene become a timeline; named places become a map.

Template 4: the big number

# hook
[A question whose answer is a surprising number.]

# headline: [Context]
[What we're measuring and why it matters.]

# stat: [number with unit] | label: [what it measures]
[One sentence that says the number aloud.]

# headline: [Comparison]
[Compare it with something familiar, so the size makes sense.]

# outro
[One line that puts the number in perspective.] Follow for more.

Template 5: three things

# hook
Three things you didn't know about [topic]. The last one is the *strangest*.

# list: [thing one]; [thing two]; [thing three]
[Name all three in one sentence.]

# headline: [Thing one]
[One or two sentences.]

# headline: [Thing two]
[One or two sentences.]

# headline: [Thing three]
[The most surprising one, with a reason.]

# outro
Which one surprised you most? Follow for more.

The same template in Urdu

title: چاند کا ایک ہی رخ کیوں؟
language: ur

# hook
چاند ہمیں ہمیشہ اپنا *ایک ہی رخ* کیوں دکھاتا ہے؟

# headline: ایک چکر، ایک گردش
چاند جتنی دیر میں زمین کے گرد ایک چکر لگاتا ہے، اتنی ہی دیر میں اپنے محور پر ایک بار گھومتا ہے۔

# headline: زمین کی کشش
یہ توازن زمین کی کشش ثقل نے بہت لمبے عرصے میں بنایا۔

# outro
اگلی بار چاند دیکھیں تو یاد رکھیں، اس کا دوسرا رخ ہم سے ہمیشہ چھپا رہتا ہے۔ مزید کے لیے فالو کریں۔

Turning hooks into videos

Once you have a hook and a template, the rest is production: a voice, captions and visuals. ContentRoof does that part from your script, or writes the script from your hook: type the hook as your idea and you get a full script, narrated, with word-by-word captions and an animated drawing for each sentence. If you need a month of hooks for your niche, the content planner suggests 7, 14 or 30 ideas with hooks for your channel.

How it works

1. Pick the questionDecide the single question your Short answers. The hook is that question, made surprising.
2. Choose a hook patternA question, a true surprising claim, a 'you' hook, a story, a myth, or a contrast.
3. Check it's trueEvery number and claim in the hook needs a source. If you don't have one, use a question instead.
4. Pick a templateWhy explainer, myth vs fact, history story, big number, or three things.
5. Write, then pay it offFill the template, answer the hook before the end, and link the last line back to the first.

Questions

Updated 2026-10-28