Hook Lab
How to generate AI-ranked psychological hooks for YouTube titles, and what the 8 archetypes mean.
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How to use Hook Lab
- 1.Go to Hook Lab in the sidebar.
- 2.Enter your video topic in the text box. Be specific — include your angle, your result, and your niche. Example: "How I made $5,000 from a single YouTube video as a finance creator with 10K subscribers."
- 3.Enter your goal for the video if prompted. Hook Lab takes your topic and goal as its inputs.
- 4.Click Generate Hooks. 8 ranked hooks appear — one per archetype, each with its archetype label and AI viral-potential score.
- 5.Pick your hook, copy it, and optionally generate thumbnail concepts (4 per request, text descriptions with an overlay idea and target emotion — not images).
The 8 psychological archetypes
Every hook Hook Lab generates uses one of these proven patterns.
Secret Knowledge
"The YouTube Algorithm Secret Nobody Talks About"
Implies exclusive access to information others don't have. Triggers FOMO and curiosity simultaneously.
Negative Frame
"Why I Quit My $200K Job (The Truth Nobody Tells You)"
Negative framing creates pattern interruption. The brain processes negative information faster than positive — it grabs attention in a feed.
Urgency/Scarcity
"This YouTube Algorithm Change Starts in 30 Days"
Time-sensitive framing creates FOMO and speeds up the click decision. Viewers act now rather than risk the information going stale.
Curiosity Gap
"I Tried Every YouTube Growth Strategy — Here's What Actually Worked"
Opens an information gap the viewer must close. Works especially well when the premise is relatable and the payoff is implied to be surprising.
Pattern Interrupt
"Stop Optimizing Your Thumbnails (Do This Instead)"
Directly contradicts commonly held beliefs. Forces the viewer to re-evaluate something they thought they knew.
Social Proof
"How 50K Creators Grew Past 100K in Under 6 Months"
Leverages authority, numbers, or consensus to make the content feel credible before the click. Large numbers signal a proven, repeatable result.
Authority Challenge
"Everything You Know About Watch Time Is Wrong"
Challenges a belief the audience already takes for granted. Creates tension and pushes the viewer to click just to see the counter-argument.
Transformation Promise
"From 200 to 50,000 Subscribers: Exactly What Changed"
Before/after framing. Viewers want the "after" state — they click to understand the bridge between where they are and where they want to be.
FAQ
Common questions
How many hooks does Hook Lab generate?
Hook Lab generates 8 hooks per request — one per psychological archetype. Each carries an AI viral-potential score — pick the top-ranked one or use them as inspiration to write your own hybrid.
What is the viral-potential score?
The AI viral-potential score (1–100) is the AI model's own estimate of how well a hook might perform. It is not a click-through rate and is not calibrated against real results — use it as a rough directional signal, not a prediction.
Should I always use the rank #1 hook?
Not necessarily. The top-ranked hook has the highest AI-estimated score in isolation. But your thumbnail, your channel authority, and your topic matter too. Consider the hook in context — sometimes the #2 hook fits your thumbnail concept better and the combined result outperforms the #1 hook alone.
How specific should my topic input be?
Be specific. "YouTube" generates generic hooks. "How I grew a finance channel from 0 to 50K subscribers by posting weekly" generates highly targeted, actionable hooks. The more context you give, the more relevant the output.
Can I use Hook Lab to rewrite an existing title?
Yes. Paste your existing title as the topic input and add context like "rewrite this as a more compelling hook." Hook Lab will generate alternatives built on the psychological archetype patterns.
What's the daily hook generation limit?
Creator plan: 1,000 hook generations a month. Pro: 3,000. Agency: 10,000. One hook generation is one request to Hook Lab; it returns a ranked set of hooks, and thumbnail concepts count against the same number. They share one monthly allowance with the other AI tools, and fair use applies.