A hook is a tactic marketers use at the start of a piece of content (often on social media where completion is high and attention is fleeting) to get your audience to stop and engage.
A good hook sets up the content in a way that piques our interest whilst a bad hook misleads us. In motion design, we use fast movement and eye-catching designs to create or enhance a hook.
What is a visual hook?
A hook is what is used to catch a fish. It’s also what marketers use to catch attention. Once you’re hooked they can reel you into the rest of the content. But if you don’t bite on the hook, you’re swimming off to the next shiny thing. Okay, you get the idea.
A visual hook in motion design is the first few seconds of an animation that is specifically designed to get your attention and create interest. This can be via colours, movement, audio or even the message itself.
It’s your phone screen lighting up on your desk, a glare in the rear-view mirror or someone whispering at the cinema. You just can’t ignore it, you have to engage, even for a second.
The goal of a visual hook is to make the video stand out from its surroundings and almost force you to look at it. This is especially true for social media where attention is fleeting and the next bit of content is just a small scroll away.
Why we need a visual hook.
Without a hook, you can’t start to share your message. It’s that simple.
The first, and most important role of the hook is to grab attention. Before someone can watch your animation, they need to look at it. Sounds obvious, but we know that thousands of social posts get scrolled past every day.
Once you’ve grabbed that split second of attention it’s time to keep them there just a few seconds longer by creating interest. Once they have committed to a few seconds, they are much more likely to continue and watch the full animation.
How I create a visual hook.
Movement
Fast, erratic movements catch our eyes, it’s just in our nature. Now I’m not saying start all your social content with a flashing light show. But making the start of an animation a bit more snappy will help it stand out.
It’s all about creating contrast with the surrounding environment, that’s why it’s important to know where the animation will be distributed before production starts.
Message
You can also use the message itself as a hook. Something that makes the audience laugh, think, or connect with. This combined with a visual hook can be very strong.
Social Media
For social content I tend to go a bit harder with hooks as social media is just a huge fight for attention. I find a mix of fast, bold movements along with a good message hook works well.
I try to avoid audio hooks for social as it’s unknown if a viewer will have their sound on or off.
Explainer videos
For explainer videos, I still use a hook, but it’s not as intense as they have actively chosen to view the content. The hooks here tend to just confirm their intent and get them to focus solely on the video.
After the hook, I bring the pace down to give them time to catch up and fully understand the message. This creates the start of a smooth flow through the message.
Mistakes to avoid.
Clickbait
The main mistake people make in hooks is clickbait. Leading with a message that’s so inviting means anything that comes after will just be a huge disappointment. We want to create interest that lasts after the viewer has watched the video.
Logo intro
Another common mistake is starting an animation with a logo intro. No one cares about your logo. Sorry, they don’t. Skip that and get into the content. Save your details for the end.
Not slowing down
Don’t try to keep up the pace for the whole animation. It’s hard work for people to keep track of the fast-moving hook. Make sure you slow down afterwards to give them time to comprehend.