The first 3 seconds of your video matter. Here's how to keep people watching your TikTok

In the digital world, first impressions are everything. If you have a good enough hook in a video, you can increase your audience and draw viewers in right off the bat — but it's not as easy as it looks.

At VidCon 2025, Jason Gandy, a content creator and instructor at Quantum Courses, walked an audience through exactly how to hook viewers in the first three seconds with humor, pacing, and smart edits during the panel "Hook, Line, and LOL: Making the First Three Seconds Count."

Gandy says that a bad hook leads to low view retention, but there are four ways to set up a hook that can draw people in:

1. Bold statement

   Gandy recommends making a "specific and direct" bold statement that "challenges common beliefs, promises value or benefits," and, eventually, your video should back that up. "Open with something shocking or provocative," Gandy said.

2. Ask an intriguing question

   These questions should "spark curiosity and hook viewers into watching the rest of your video to find the answer." They should create an emotional pull for your viewer and hint at the payoff.

3. Humor

   Creators can also "open with a quick, relatable, or unexpected joke," but make sure you keep it short and snappy. You can use gestures and props to add more humor to these first three seconds, too.

4. Storytelling

   Gandy also recommends opening with a "brief narrative or story that captivates emotions, sparks curiosity or relates to your viewer's experiences." If you start with a story, keep in mind that you'll need to keep it short and relatable.

"In order to hook viewers with any of the methods we've discussed so far, you have to use pacing and fast cuts," Gandy said. This "creates an engaging experience" for viewers. Use audio cues like music and sound effects, visual cues like b roll and animations, and tight editing.

Gandy didn't touch on visual hooks, but plenty of users on TikTok have recommendations for exactly how to do that — like pulling your camera out of a drawer, opening it like a book, or grabbing your phone out of a fridge.

To find more examples of good visual hooks, think about the videos that have drawn you in quickly, and study how that creator accomplished that. You can also search "hooks" on TikTok.

Mashable will be live at the Anaheim Convention Center this week, covering VidCon 2025. Check back in the days ahead at Mashable.com, where we’ll be talking to your favorite creators, covering the latest trends, and sharing how creators are growing their followings, their influence, and making a living online.