Video ads: what to put in the first three seconds
The hook decides whether the rest of your budget matters.
Most video ads are judged by the algorithm and the viewer in the first three seconds. Hero shots and logos in that window cost you. The brands that treat the hook as a 70% leverage point — instead of a stylistic afterthought — see thumb-stop rates double and downstream CPA halve.
The hook patterns that work
- Pattern interrupt — visual or audio break from the surrounding feed.
- Named problem — say the buyer's pain in their own words within the first second.
- Surprising claim with proof — make a counter-intuitive statement, then immediately substantiate it.
- Face directly addressing the camera — beats stylised b-roll on TikTok and Reels.
- On-screen text that contradicts the visual — creates a 1.5-second curiosity gap.
The thing to delete
Brand logo bumpers at the start. They depress thumb-stop rate by 20–40% across every test we've run. Brand recognition belongs in the middle act and the end card, not the opening frame.
Testing the hook in isolation
Cut three versions of the same ad with different first three seconds and identical middle/end. Run on cold traffic for 7 days. Roll the winner into your standard production template.
Audio considerations
70% of feed video plays without sound, but 30% doesn't — and that 30% converts at 2–3x. Caption everything, but design audio that adds something for the unmuted minority.