The greeting
“Hey guys, welcome back.” It carries no information and signals that a slow intro is coming. Viewers have watched thousands of these and learned exactly what follows one.
TikTok hook analyzerYour TikTok hook
Your TikTok hook
already has a score.
See it before you post.
Paste your opening line. In about ten seconds you get a 0–100 hook score, the three signals underneath it, and the exact phrase costing you the scroll.
Included in Plus and Pro. Try Plus free for 7 days.
Scored forTikTokReelsShorts
Hook checkPlus + Pro0 / 600
No script handy?
Included in Plus and Pro
In one paragraph
A TikTok hook analyzer scores the first one to three seconds of a video — the only part most viewers ever see. Contextify's runs on text you paste and returns a 0–100 score you can act on before you record.
Every score is weighted across three signals: curiosity gap (40%), specificity (30%) and viewer stakes (30%). You always see the score, all three sub-scores, and the exact phrase losing viewers. The rewrite is included with your membership.
The scoring model
Three signals decide whether the scroll stops
No black box. These are the exact weights the analyzer uses, and every check shows you each sub-score alongside the total.
Curiosity gap40% of the score
Does the opening leave something unresolved?
Specificity30% of the score
Is the promise concrete enough to be believed?
Viewer stakes30% of the score
Is it about their problem, or about you?
The definition
What actually counts as a hook
Your hook is the first sentence you say out loud. It is not your thumbnail, not your on-screen text, and not your caption — those support the hook, but the algorithm is watching what happens to viewers in the seconds while you speak it.
TikTok, Reels and Shorts all rank on completion. A video that holds attention past the opening gets shown to more people; one that does not gets buried, regardless of how good the rest of it is. That decision is effectively made before your second sentence — which is why a video with an average middle and a sharp opening consistently beats a polished video with a slow start.
Why hooks fail even when the idea is good
Almost none of the hooks this analyzer scores low are bad ideas. They are good ideas delivered in an order the viewer has learned to skip. The information that would make someone stay is usually sitting in sentence three, and the opening is spent on greeting, context and credentials.
That is a fixable problem, and it is the one thing you can change without reshooting anything else. Move the reason to care to the front. The analyzer exists to show you exactly where that reason currently sits.
Pattern library
Five openings viewers have learned to skip
These are the patterns the analyzer flags most often. None of them are creative failures — they are structural ones.
The warm-up
“So today I wanted to talk about…” Every setup word is a second the viewer spends deciding whether to leave, and you have not given them a reason to stay yet.
The vague promise
“This changed my life.” It could be about anything — a mattress, a mindset, a spreadsheet. Without a concrete subject there is nothing specific enough to be curious about.
The creator-first frame
“I've been doing this for six years.” Your credibility matters later. In the opening line the viewer is only asking what this has to do with them.
The spoiled answer
Leading with the full conclusion closes the loop before it opens. A hook has to leave one thing unresolved — otherwise watching the rest is optional.
Scored examples
The same idea, two openings
The distance between a video nobody finishes and one that travels is usually a single sentence.
Loses the scroll
“Hey guys! Today I wanted to talk about my morning routine…”
Hook 8 / 100Holds the scroll
“Your morning routine is why you crash at 2pm — it is one swap, not five habits.”
Hook 88 / 100The viewer's problem arrives first, the claim is concrete, and the fix is withheld for one more sentence.Too vague to hold
“I'm going to share something that completely changed how I think about money…”
Hook 16 / 100Specific tension
“Most people save money in the wrong order — which is why they are still broke doing everything right.”
Hook 84 / 100A bold claim plus a named frustration. The viewer has to stay to find out what the right order is.Illustrative examples. Your own score is generated from your words.
Three steps
How to analyze your TikTok hook
About a minute end to end, and you never have to record anything to find out.
Paste the line you actually say first
Not your caption, not your title card — the words that leave your mouth in the first breath. Text only, so you can test an opening before you set up a camera. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is posted anywhere.
Works for a scripted line or a rough idea you are still shapingRead the score and the three signals under it
You get one weighted number out of 100, plus a sub-score for curiosity gap, specificity and viewer stakes. Each signal comes with a sentence describing what is happening in your own words — so you can see which of the three is dragging the others down.
Most real hooks land between 15 and 45 on the first passSee the phrase that costs you the most
The analyzer quotes the exact words losing the scroll and explains what they cost you. The specific change and a re-recordable rewrite are included with your membership, and your check stays attached to it.
Your score is saved for seven days, account or not FAQ
Check a script instead →Questions about hook scoring
What is a TikTok hook analyzer?
A TikTok hook analyzer scores the opening one to three seconds of a video — the part that decides whether anyone sees the rest. Contextify's analyzer reads your opening line, returns a weighted score out of 100, breaks that score into curiosity gap, specificity and viewer stakes, and quotes the exact phrase costing you the most attention.
Is the hook analyzer free?
Hook and script checks are included in Plus and Pro. New members can try Plus free for 7 days, including five text checks. Then Plus renews at $14.99 CAD/month until canceled.
How is the hook score calculated?
Three signals are scored 0–100 and combined with fixed published weights: curiosity gap at 40%, specificity at 30%, and viewer stakes at 30%. The weights are the same on every check, so two hooks scored a week apart are directly comparable. There is no separate hidden number.
Do I need to upload a video?
No. The hook check runs on pasted text, which means you can test an opening line before you record it. Uploading an actual video — where the audio is transcribed and the full script is scored across five dimensions — happens inside your account.
Does this work for Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts?
Yes. TikTok, Reels and Shorts all rank primarily on completion rate, and completion is decided in the opening seconds on all three. The signals the analyzer scores are platform-independent, so the same hook check applies across the three.
What counts as a good hook score?
Below 25 is critical — most viewers leave before the sentence finishes. 25 to 49 is weak and usually fixable with one rewrite. 50 to 74 is workable. 75 and above is strong. Most first-draft hooks land between 15 and 45, so a low first score is normal rather than a verdict on the idea.
Is my script stored or used for training?
Your check is encrypted and kept for seven days so it survives a reload or a new tab, then deleted. Create an account and it is saved to that account instead. Scripts are never published, never shared, and never used to train models.
Will a high score make my video go viral?
No. The score measures how well an opening line creates a reason to keep watching. It does not predict views, and it cannot account for your topic, your audience, your timing, or your edit. Treat it as one reading you can act on before you post, not a forecast.
Find out what your opening line is costing you
Paste one sentence. Get the score, the three signals, and the phrase losing the scroll — before you record the take.
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