Glossary / H 

# Hook

 What it means The opening of an ad: the first frame, the first words and the first movement, whose job is to make someone scrolling stop long enough to see what the ad is. Teams usually judge it by hook rate, the share of impressions that turn into plays of at least three seconds.

 Also called Opening, thumb-stopper Applies to Video ads, and the first glance at a still Set by The team making the ad Abinash Senapati Founder, eonik Updated 26 Oct 2026 Definitions checked against Meta on 26 Oct 2026 
## Common kinds of opening
 Opening What it does Example The problem Shows the moment the product solves A phone at 2% on a long journey The result Shows the end state first The finished room, then how The question Asks what the viewer was already wondering “Why does this always happen?” The person A face speaking straight to camera Someone who uses the product The surprise Something that breaks the pattern of the feed An object where it should not be 

 Example. Kinds of opening, with made-up examples. The right one comes from the product, not the list.

## What it means in practice

The opening is the cheapest part of an ad to change and the one that decides whether the rest is seen, so it is the usual first version to make: same body, new opening. Meta counts a 3-second video play when the video plays for at least three seconds, 1 which is why the first three seconds are read as the hook.

An opening that stops people with something unrelated to the ad stops the wrong people. Judge a new opening by hook rate and by what happens after it: if hold rate falls as hook rate rises, the opening promised something the ad did not deliver.

Make several openings for one body when you test. The body stays the same, so any difference in hook rate between them belongs to the opening alone.

## Common mistakes

- An opening that has nothing to do with the product . It stops people who then leave.

- Changing the opening and the body at once . You cannot tell which change did what.

## Sources

- About video ad metrics on Facebook and Instagram , Meta Business Help Center . 3-second video plays, ThruPlays and plays at 25% to 100%. Checked 26 Oct 2026 

## Related
 Hook rate Glossary How to read hook rate and hold rate Learn How to remake an ad that works Learn On this page Common kinds of opening What it means in practice Common mistakes Sources 
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