How to Create a Killer Intro Hook (Impossible to Skip)!

 Today, I’m going to show you how you can design a killer intro hook for any YouTube video in just five simple steps — no matter what topic your video is about.

Also, I’ll break down several viral videos and show you exactly how they applied these same steps in their intros. This video is going to be very interesting. Let’s begin. --- # STEP 1 – MEET EXPECTATIONS If you look at the retention graph of almost any video, you’ll see a massive drop at the beginning. That tells us most viewers leave during the intro. Now imagine if you could minimize that drop. Your entire video’s retention would instantly improve. So how do you minimize it? Let’s hear it from **MrBeast**. MrBeast says your title and thumbnail create certain expectations in the viewer’s mind. If you want to reduce the drop-off, you must meet those expectations immediately when the video starts. For example, his video titled *“I Spent 7 Days Buried Alive.”* The thumbnail shows him inside a coffin under dirt. And the intro begins with him inside a coffin, saying he’ll spend the next seven days buried alive. Thumbnail: Mark swimming in a giant pool of Jello. Intro: He immediately shows the Jello pool and confirms what the video is about. --- # STEP 2 – CREATE CONTEXT Once expectations are met, move to step two: create context. Explain why this video matters. In the Jello pool video, after meeting expectations, Mark explains that building a real Jello pool is an engineering challenge. He even mentions that previous attempts online were CGI or failed experiments. Now viewers understand why this experiment is important. Another example from MrBeast’s “I Adopted 100 Dogs.” After delivering the promise, he explains that all the dogs were abandoned or rescued from kill shelters. That emotional context makes the video meaningful. Context simply answers: *Why should I care?* That becomes the context. --- # STEP 3 – CREATE CURIOSITY This is the most important component. If you want viewers to watch till the end, you must create a question in their mind — one that can’t be answered without watching the full video. Back to the Jello pool video. Mark asks: What would it feel like to belly flop into a Jello pool? That single question creates curiosity. You can create curiosity by: * Teasing five steps but not revealing them immediately. * Showing the best scene but cutting before the climax. * Mentioning a new method like the “GPS Method” (like **Ali Abdaal** did). The more curiosity gaps you create, the better. --- # STEP 4 – ADD A DIFFERENTIATOR Why should someone watch your version of a topic when hundreds of others exist? Similarly, in Ali Abdaal’s “How I Manage My Time,” he mentions reading almost every productivity book in the last 10 years. That positions him as an expert. Your differentiator could be: * Experience * Results * Investment of time or money * Unique storytelling * Editing style * Personality Even saying “I spent $20,000 making this video” signals value because our brain automatically values things that required effort and investment.