AI Hook Generator for TikTok, Instagram Reels & LinkedIn
Stuck on the first line? Captain Hook AI is a free AI hook generator and hook writer for short-form video and LinkedIn posts. Type your topic, choose TikTok, Instagram or LinkedIn, pick spoken or on-screen text, then pick a style. You get three hooks per generation, each from a different angle, so you can keep the one that sounds like you. Four of the eight styles are free (see the table below). Captain's pick chooses the best fit for your topic. You can start free, no credit card needed.
It's built on 761 classified real hooks from TikTok, Instagram Reels and LinkedIn, so its hooks follow the patterns creators use on those platforms.
Examples (real hooks from our classified library, not generator output):
- TikTok, spoken, Expert: "Hooded eyes? The problem isn't your eye, it's the curl"
- Instagram Reel, on-screen text, POV: "POV: You're 300 pages into Dostoyevsky and he's still yapping."
- LinkedIn post, Personal: "I boarded a 14-hour flight to Asia, 100% convinced I was going to be fired when I landed."
Hook styles: which one to pick
Each generation uses one of eight styles. Pick the one that matches what your video is doing. The table shows what each style does, when it fits, and a real hook in that style.
| Style | Plan | What it does | When to use it | Real example (classified library) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expert | Free | Positions you as the authority | Tips, tutorials, myth-busting in your field | "Things I don't wanna see in your resume in under a minute (as a recruiter)" |
| Chaotic | Free | Relatable messy energy | Day-in-the-life clips and inside jokes with your niche | "do you know who will survive a zombie apocalypse or the end of days? the pilates girls" |
| Hot Take | Free | Sparks comments and debate | An opinion you are happy to defend in the comments | "Just had a friend buy his plane ticket on his phone. That's a laptop purchase. Someone back me up." |
| Personal | Free | Builds connection, feels real | Stories, confessions, lessons from your own life | "If you've ever secretly unbuttoned your jeans at dinner and hoped no one noticed - this is for you" |
| POV | Premium | Pulls viewers into the scene | Skits and on-screen-text clips where the viewer plays a role | "POV: you finally found a hairdresser that will get you exactly the volume that you want" |
| Suspense | Premium | Makes them watch til the end | Tests, experiments, reveals, before-and-after | "Tap water is clean?! hmm... let's test this." |
| Humble Brag | Premium | Shows wins without being obnoxious | Results, transformations, client work | "Watch me turn this product into a high-end shot - and learn how to do it yourself" |
| Call Out | Premium | Hits a nerve | Common mistakes your audience keeps making | "This is why restaurant chicken thighs are better than yours" |
All counts and examples on this page come from the 761 hooks we've classified by style and platform (436 TikTok, 213 Instagram Reels, 112 LinkedIn). The library has no view data, so treat the examples as patterns to borrow, not proven winners, and write your own version instead of reposting someone else's line.
Not sure? Captain's pick chooses the style that best fits your topic.
Need a starting point? Browse 589 real hooks by platform and style.
Platform tips
TikTok hooks
On TikTok you get one sentence before the thumb moves. TikTok has said that a viewer finishing a longer video from beginning to end is a strong signal of interest (TikTok Newsroom). Nobody finishes a video they left after the first line.
- Say it and show it. Most TikTok hooks in our library are spoken (274 of 436), and you can put the same line on screen as well. Choose Spoken when you talk to camera and On-screen text for b-roll, trending audio or silent clips.
- Sound like you talk: short words, contractions and a bit of mess. Chaotic and Hot Take lean into that.
- Be specific in the topic box. "Meal prep for busy parents" gets you sharper hooks than "food".
- Make one promise and start paying it off in the very next line. If the hook says "let's test this", the test starts now.
Instagram Reels hooks
On Reels your first frame and the text on it do most of the work before the viewer decides to stay. Instagram says Reels ranking predicts things like how likely you are to watch a reel all the way through and reshare it (Instagram).
- Write for the first frame. In our library, on-screen text hooks are almost as common as spoken ones on Instagram (101 vs 110, out of 213).
- Keep the overlay to one line, so it's read before the first cut.
- Reuse the hook for carousels. The generator covers Instagram carousels too, so an on-screen text hook can become your first slide or the first line of a caption.
- Polish the visuals all you like. The line itself should still sound like you.
LinkedIn hooks
On LinkedIn the hook is the first line of your post. The feed shows the top of a longer post and hides the rest behind "see more" (LinkedIn formatting notes), so that one line decides whether your post gets read or scrolled past.
- Lead with the moment or the stake, like the 14-hour-flight hook above. Save the background for line two.
- Give the first line its own line, with a break after it.
- In our library, the most common LinkedIn styles are Expert (26 of 112), Suspense (20) and Personal (18). If you're stuck, start with one of those.
From hook to script
A hook gets you the first few seconds. The rest of the video has to keep them there, or the hook was wasted.
- Turn this hook into a script: the AI script generator writes a complete 30 or 60 second spoken script for TikTok or Instagram Reels (LinkedIn scripts aren't available yet), with a hook, a build, a landing line and short delivery notes.
- Pair a hook with a clip: put a free transition clip from the Hook Library in front of your spoken hook.
- Rather write them yourself? Start with our hook formulas.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI hook generator?
An AI hook generator writes the opening line of a video or post: the sentence, or the on-screen text, meant to stop someone scrolling. Captain Hook AI writes hooks for TikTok, Instagram (Reels and carousels) and LinkedIn, in 8 styles, as spoken lines or on-screen text.
How do I generate a hook with AI?
Type what your video is about, choose the platform, pick spoken or on-screen text, then pick a style or let Captain's pick choose. You get three hooks to choose from. Keep the one that sounds most like you and say it in your first breath.
Can AI write a good hook?
It can write a strong first draft, especially when it starts from real examples. This generator is built on 761 classified real hooks, so its output follows patterns from real posts. The library shows what real hooks look like, not how each one performed. You still choose the line that fits your voice, and a hook only works if the next few seconds deliver what it promised.
Is the hook generator free?
Yes. The Free plan includes hook generations with no credit card, and four of the eight styles (Expert, Chaotic, Hot Take, Personal) are free. POV, Suspense, Humble Brag and Call Out are premium. See plans and pricing for what Creator and Pro add.
What types of hooks can it write?
Eight styles: Expert, Chaotic, Hot Take, Personal, POV, Suspense, Humble Brag and Call Out. There's no official list of hook types. These eight are the styles the generator uses, and the table above shows when each one fits.
What is an example of a good hook?
"Hooded eyes? The problem isn't your eye, it's the curl." (an Expert-style TikTok hook from our library). It names who the video is for, flips what they assume, and promises a fix, all in one breath.
Does it work for TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts?
It writes hooks for TikTok, Instagram (Reels and carousels) and LinkedIn. YouTube Shorts isn't supported yet.
Should I use a spoken hook or an on-screen text hook?
Use spoken when you talk to camera or do a voiceover. Use on-screen text when the clip is b-roll, set to trending audio, or likely to be watched with the sound off. You can also do both: say the hook and put the same words on screen.