Captain's Log

Free guides for creators and small businesses growing on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn: how to write hooks, hook guides for 11 professions, and what to fix when videos get no views. Pick a platform to see its guides.

Start here by problem

Pick what's going wrong and jump to the guide or tool for it.

Diagnose

Views stuck at zero or dropping? Find out if it's the account or the video.

Hooks

People scroll past in the first seconds? Fix the opening line.

Scripts

Have the idea but not the words?

Ideas & planning

Not sure what to post this week?

Growth

Ready to reach people who don't follow you yet?

All guides

36 guides

Tools for your next video

Video Analyzer

Already posted? Upload up to 4 analytics screenshots from TikTok or Instagram and get a plain-language read on what held viewers and what to change next.

Analyze a video

Hook Generator

Get three hooks for the opening line of your next Reel or TikTok from one topic.

Write a hook

Questions

What is Captain's Log?

Captain Hook's library of guides for growing with short-form video: how to write hooks, why videos get no views, and how Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn decide who sees your content. Every guide is free to read, with no account needed.

What topics do the guides cover?

Hooks first: formulas, real examples and hook guides for realtors, makeup artists, yoga teachers and eight more professions. Then reach: why Reels and TikToks get zero views, how each app tests a new video, and why LinkedIn posts go unseen. There are also comparisons of AI hook generators.

Which platforms do the guides cover?

Mostly Instagram and TikTok, with 11 guides each, plus LinkedIn and ten guides that apply to every platform. Use the Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn tabs to see one platform; the cross-platform guides appear under every tab.

How is Captain's Log different from the Hook Library?

Captain's Log explains why hooks and posts work, in written guides. The Hook Library is ready-made video: transitional hook clips you download and stitch onto the start of your own TikToks and Reels.