You’ve got good thumbnails, decent editing, solid content - so why no views?

Creating content that stops people scrolling isn't easy.

You spend hours filming, editing, perfecting every detail... and sometimes it still feels like you're shouting into the void.

I see creators doing everything right - good thumbnails, decent editing, solid content - but still not getting the views they deserve.

And usually, it comes down to one thing: their hooks aren't strong enough.

The truth is, there's a psychology behind why some hooks grab attention and others don't.

After years of testing (and plenty of failed attempts), I've found four types that consistently work.

Let me break them down for you 👇

1/ Personal Experience Hooks

Everyone talks about sharing personal stories, but there's a massive difference between a story that connects and one that feels forced.

The best personal hooks those small, relatable moments that make viewers think "that happened to me yesterday."

Here’s an example, which do you think would capture attention better?

1) "Here's how I grew to 50M followers."

or

2) "I sat on my best video for a year because I thought it wasn't good enough."

If you chose option 2, you’d be right.

It’s better because every creator watching has a video sitting on their phone right now that they're nervous about posting.

The key isn't the story itself - it's the moment of recognition it creates.

2/ Name Drop Hooks

Many creators think dropping a big name automatically makes their content more valuable. It doesn't.

The power isn't in the name - it's in how you use it to frame an insight.

Instead of "MrBeast does xyz with his thumbnails," you could try "I spotted something weird in MrBeast's latest thumbnail that changes everything I thought I knew about hooks."

See the difference?

The first one just states a fact.

The second one suggests you've noticed something others haven't.

But, you better have actually spotted something interesting.

Empty promises kill trust faster than anything.

3/ Story Hooks

Stories let you create tension in the first three seconds that can only be resolved by watching more.

Our brains are wired for stories.

We connect with them, remember them, share them.

A story is an opportunity for you to invite your audience into your world for a moment.

Your viewers should feel the excitement, the joy, the pride, the fear or the pain of your experience.

Because people feel something, they share it.

So next time you're creating content, ask yourself:

What story am I telling? What emotion am I triggering? Can someone get it in seconds?

If you can nail that, you're halfway to viral already.

Because you’ve now make it impossible not to hear the rest of it.

4/ Warning Hooks

Warning hooks outperform positive hooks consistently, but use them wrong and you'll destroy your credibility.

The warning needs to be specific and solvable.

"You're doing social media wrong" feels hollow.

”If you're using generic hook templates, you're destroying your chances of going viral” feels specific.

Side note: The best warning hooks come from genuine discovery.

When you actually find something wrong that others haven't noticed, that energy comes through in your hook naturally.

To sum up

Hooks are your vehicle to present genuine insights that make people want to learn more.

The hooks that perform best for me?

They're always the ones where I'm actually excited to share what I've found or created.

Feel the energy, the passion, that genuine excitement to share - that's what makes a hook work.

What hooks have you found working in your niche?

Hit reply and let me know. I’ll feature the best in the next newsletter plus give you a shoutout!

P.S. Click here to learn how I’ve spent the last decade studying how to go viral and building one of the biggest social audiences in the country.

Don't forget to use the tips from my past newsletters to keep improving. (Missed an issue? Catch up here).

If someone forwarded this to you, click here to subscribe and get the next one straight to your inbox.