How to Make Better Hooks for AI UGC Videos
Three video openings, the prompts we tried, and how we used creator references to make new hooks with the same AI character.
What is a video hook?
A hook is the opening moment that gives someone a reason to keep watching. It can be a question, a sound, an unexpected image, or an action already in progress. In a feed, viewers can leave before you explain what the video is about. The hook gives them something to follow: a problem they recognise, a result they want to see, or a small question the next few seconds will answer.
How video hooks have changed.
Hooks did not begin with short-form video. In 2015, GEICO’s “Unskippable” ads put the sales message into the first five seconds, before viewers could skip. The scene then continued as a visual joke. It was an opening built around the way people watched YouTube. See the original campaign ↗
In UGC, the same job often falls to an opening line: “Why did nobody tell me about this?” or “Three things I wish I knew.” These are useful structures. But a question alone leaves the picture undecided. A person holding a bottle can deliver almost any line without giving us much to look at.
On a scrolling feed, movement can do some of that work. A laptop closes across the lens. Someone opens a door and walks towards the camera. A routine is already underway when the clip begins. TikTok’s Creative Codes includes movement, transitions, sound, and text among its ways to hold attention. There is no single format that always wins; the creator examples below show the kind of physical opening we wanted to try.
For example, take “White marks on every black top?” You could say it while holding a deodorant. Or you could start by inspecting a mark on a black shirt, then look up at the camera. The second version gives the words something visible to refer to.
Our first AI hooks looked generic.
We generated three six-second deodorant openings from text prompts in Veo 3.1 Fast. Each prompt included an opening line and a setting, but no video reference. Here are the three results.
Read one of the first prompts
Create an engaging UGC video hook for an unbranded deodorant in a plain white stick container. A woman in her late twenties films herself getting ready at home, looks at a dark T-shirt and says: "White marks on every black top? You need to see this." Natural smartphone video style with spoken audio.
These are the weak hooks in our experiment. The model made a person, a room, a product, and the requested line. But the opening was mostly a talking face and a raised bottle. The curiosity and surprise were in the words; there was little happening on screen to support them.
A line such as “I was not expecting that” also leaves a question: what happened? The video needs to show something that makes the reaction believable. More enthusiasm in the prompt does not answer that question.
Now watch how creators open a video.
Each opening starts with an action, and the camera makes it easy to follow. Watch these creator extracts without sound first.
Close the laptop
An object moves across the frame before the person starts talking.
Watch Tara’s original ↗Start at the mirror
The scene is already in progress when the viewer arrives.
Watch Rach’s original ↗Walk into the frame
An entrance creates movement and a reason to look up.
Watch Rach’s original ↗Short extracts from creator videos. The links lead to the original posts and their creators.
Borrow one action: the laptop closing, the routine already in progress, or the entrance. Use that as the starting point for your own opening.
More creator examples to study
- CarlaHooks used in UGC ads
- NyomiText that moves with the person
- Harry AllsopFive simple physical openings
- KaytelynnFive hooks for one deodorant
- Ryan SpennerVisual hooks with editing examples
- Matt JuppA collection of transition hooks
- Alex Price-Hunt · YouTubeFive visual hooks in 16 seconds
- Camera Bro · YouTubeFive openings to try on camera
- VIBAeA new pair of shoes against a worn pair
Use a reference to choose what happens.
A video reference lets you show the timing, framing, and movement you want. In Affogato, use the Inspiration Library to find an opening, then use Video → Reference to make your version. We used Noor, a fictional character, for all three results below.
Open the Inspiration Library in Video Studio.
Choose a clip in the Inspiration Library. Open Video in Affogato and browse Inspiration. Look for a movement that fits your product. A get-ready moment suits a deodorant. A hand opening a box might suit something you need to reveal.
Keep the part you need. Choose a short section around the action. Leave out the creator’s introduction, editing timeline, and instructions on screen. In our laptop test, some labels carried into the result. We used cleaner extracts for the mirror and doorway versions.
Add your character and the reference. Use Video → Reference and select a saved character. We used Noor for all three final videos. If your clip is already saved on your computer, upload it under Reference video. That is how we added the creator extracts shown here.
Describe the action and the change. Say what to follow from the clip, who should appear, and where the product enters. We asked for six seconds in 9:16, with one opening action. The exact prompts are available under each comparison below.
Check your reference
Check your reference
Watch your clip once, then check what you can see.
Trim the clip until it shows just the opening you want to use.
Follow the laptop-closing movement in the reference. Use Noor as the presenter. After the laptop closes, she leans into view holding the deodorant.
Add the length, framing, and anything that should stay out of the shot. For this version: six seconds, vertical 9:16, one continuous take, no captions. Use the exact prompts below as examples of how we described each scene.
Three openings we kept.
Choose an example, then replay the first two seconds. Look at where the person is, what moves, and when the product becomes visible. The first AI attempts are included for context; they are not recreations of these source clips.
Close the laptop
An object moves across the frame before the person starts talking.
Swipe across to see each clip.
Reference: Tara · @ugcwithtara_ ↗. The source clip stops at its original length.
The laptop fills the foreground, then Noor leans into view with the product. This version also kept the reference’s instruction labels.
See the prompt for this version
@Noor Use the selected Noor character as the only presenter, preserving her face, dark curly updo and gold hoop earrings. Follow the uploaded reference clip for the laptop-close visual opening. Noor wears a casual light-blue shirt at a desk. She closes the laptop toward the camera immediately, then leans into view holding a plain white deodorant stick and a black T-shirt. She says: "White marks on every black top? You need to see this." Six-second vertical smartphone video, clear face, natural synchronized speech. No captions or music.
How we made these videos
The text-only batch used Veo 3.1 Fast. The reference batch used Affogato Video with Noor and more specific prompts. Several things changed between batches, so these examples show our process rather than isolate the effect of a reference. We have not measured viewer retention or ad performance.
The Affogato outputs are silent, even though Audio was enabled. Treat these as visual drafts. Record or generate the voiceover separately and check its timing before using them as finished ads.
Try it with a hook video you’ve seen.
Open Video Studio, choose Reference, and add your clip there. Then choose your character and describe what you want to change.
Open Video StudioWatch the result as closely as the reference.
References can carry over details you did not ask for. Check text on screen, packaging, clothing, and the background. Our doorway video invented writing on the deodorant. A reference helps choose the movement; it does not guarantee a correct product.
Then check the hands, the face, and the moment the object appears. Watch once with sound and once without it. If the opening takes too long, shorten it. If the product changes shape or the action is hard to follow, make another version.
Open Video → Reference in Affogato
