1. What to replace:
Replace each {{placeholder}} with your video subject, target demographic, psychological emotional trigger, and pacing tempo.
2. How to customize variables:
- video_topic: Keep it narrow and punchy (e.g., "5 iPhone camera settings to shoot like a pro", "The real cost of buying vs renting in 2026").
- target_viewer: Specify who is scrolling (e.g., college students, junior coders, fitness beginners).
- viewer_desire_or_fear: Pinpoint what they desire to achieve or fear missing out on.
- pacing_style: Choose from fast-paced punchy, calm intriguing mystery, or comedic dry humor.
3. Compatible AI Tools:
ChatGPT, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Gemini 1.5 Pro, and Perplexity.
4. Expected Result:
5 production-ready video openings with synchronized verbal, visual, and audio instructions designed to stop scrolling within the first 3 seconds.
Act as a world-class viral short-form video producer who has generated over 100 million views on YouTube Shorts and TikTok. Generate 5 high-converting, high-retention 3-second opening hooks for a Short about: "{{video_topic}}" targeting "{{target_viewer}}".
Objective:
Eliminate the initial swipe-away rate and keep average view duration (AVD) above 85% by addressing "{{viewer_desire_or_fear}}" with a {{pacing_style}} delivery.
For each of the 5 distinct hook angles below, provide:
1. Spoken Hook Script (Exact words spoken in seconds 0-3 — punchy, rhythmic, no throat-clearing fluff).
2. Visual Pattern Interrupt (Exact on-screen visual action, b-roll, sudden zoom, or physical prop used at second 0.0 to arrest thumb scrolling).
3. On-Screen Text Graphic (High-impact typography overlay designed for muted viewing).
4. Audio / Sound Effect Cue (Whoosh, record scratch, sub-bass riser, or silence drop).
5. Psychological Mechanism (Why this hook forces retention: Negativity Bias, Open Loop, Counter-Intuitive Claim, Time Urgency, or Curiosity Gap).
Hook Angle Formats:
- Angle 1 (The Brutal Mistake / Warning): "Stop doing X if you want Y..."
- Angle 2 (The Contrarian Reversal): "Everyone tells you to X, but that is actually ruining your Y..."
- Angle 3 (The Secret Cheat-Code): "The illegal-feeling tool / trick that saved me 10 hours this week..."
- Angle 4 (The Instant Story Hook): "I tested X for 30 days so you don't have to, and here is what happened..."
- Angle 5 (The Curiosity Challenge): "You probably think X is impossible, but watch this..."
Bonus Deliverable:
Provide a 30-second pacing outline showing how to seamlessly bridge from the winning hook into the core value delivery without losing viewer momentum.
Customize this prompt (fill variables)
How to use this prompt
Example: what to expect
Example input
video_topic: 3 hidden Google Docs shortcuts that feel like cheating
target_viewer: college students and remote workers typing papers all day
viewer_desire_or_fear: wasting hours reformatting messy citations and outlines
pacing_style: snappy, punchy, and energetic
Example output
Hook Angle 1:
- Spoken: "If you're still typing out citations by hand in Google Docs, you are wasting 3 hours every week."
- Visual Pattern Interrupt: Rapid screen recording zooming violently into a keyboard hitting 'Ctrl + Alt + K' with glowing red arrow.
- On-Screen Text: "STOP doing this in Google Docs ❌"
- Audio Cue: Loud digital record scratch followed by energetic lo-fi beat drop.
- Psychological Mechanism: Negativity Bias + Pain Avoidance.
Followed by Angles 2 through 5 and a seamless 30-second script pacing bridge.
Variables explained
| Variable | What to enter |
|---|---|
{{video_topic}} |
State the specific focus or lifehack featured in your Short. |
{{target_viewer}} |
Define who you want to stop scrolling on their feed. |
{{viewer_desire_or_fear}} |
State the emotional tension or aspirational goal. |
{{pacing_style}} |
Select the presentation style (e.g. snappy, mysterious, comedic). |
Tips for better results
Best used for: YouTube Shorts content creation
- Give the AI context first: who you are, who the audience is, and what “good” looks like for you.
- Ask for output in a specific format (bullets, table, markdown) when you need structure.
- If the result is close but not perfect, reply with “keep the structure, make it more…” — do not start over.
- For long tasks, split the prompt into steps instead of expecting one giant answer.
- Different tools behave differently — ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini each have their own style. Try this prompt on the tool you use most.
How to use this YouTube prompt effectively
What this prompt does
Generate 5 psychological high-retention 3-second opening hooks, visual cues, and pacing structures to stop scrolling on YouTube Shorts and TikTok.
Getting the most out of it
- Copy the prompt and paste it into your AI tool of choice (ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini).
- Fill the variables in curly brackets with your own topic, audience and tone — the customize button above builds a ready version for you.
- Review the first draft for facts and style before using it. AI output is a starting point, not a final product.
- Iterate: tell the AI what to keep and what to change. Small corrections beat re-typing the whole prompt.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving the {{variables}} unfilled — the AI then guesses your topic.
- Expecting one output to be perfect — plan for 2–3 rounds of refinement.
- Pasting confidential information into public AI tools.