If I had a dollar for every person who has DM’d me “my hooks just aren’t working”… let’s just say I’d be writing this from a beach somewhere.
Even if your content is AMAZING, hitting record and winging it just isn’t going to cut it. No one is sticking around if you don’t snag their attention in those first three seconds.
Then if no one’s watching… the algorithm won’t be doing much to help you out. 🤷♀️
That’s where visual hooks come in to save the day.
And the good news is they’re super simple and easy to add to your Reels without doing extra work! 🎉
So, let’s get into what a visual hook even is and the 5 types you can start using in your Reels today to stop the scroll and turn more viewers into clients.
What is a Visual Hook?
A hook is the thing you use to get attention before you start laying out all the valuable info. The first spoken line of your reel is ALWAYS a hook, and it’s sole job is to make people care about what you’re about to say..
A visual hook does the same thing but with ✨VISUALS ✨.
It’s any movement or eye-catching moment right at the very beginning of your Reel.
So, for example, if I start a Reel with me sitting outside and combing my hair, that’s a visual hook.
It works because your brain immediately wants to know “What in the heck is she doing and why is she combing her hair outside??”
The best part about adding visual hooks to your videos is they don’t have to be complicated. Things as simple as walking into the frame, jumping into the shot, or waving at the camera all count as visual hooks.
In 2026, you can’t open Instagram without seeing someone sit down as they start to speak – That’s a visual hook too!
Now, ideally, when you’re creating content, you want to aim for what I like to call the triple threat hook. 😎
That means adding:
- A visual hook,
- A spoken hook,
- A written hook on the screen
So, if your goal is to get a Reel to go absolutely viral (or at least get more engagement than just your mom and your sister), that’s THREE chances to grab the viewer’s attention instead of just one. THREE chances to get those views, keep people watching long enough for Instagram’s algorithm to notice, and get your Reel shared with everyone!
And it all starts with a visual hook. 🪝
5 Types of Visual Hooks You Need to Get More Views
Pin this to your Instagram marketing board 👇🏼
Now that you know what a visual hook is, let’s get into the good stuff:
Examples of visual hooks you can start using in your Reels today!
All of these examples fall into 5 major types of visual hooks. Using any of these as hooks in your videos is going to help you start raking in those views. 🙌🏼
Visual Hook #1: Movement
Movement is one of the simplest forms of visual hooks out there. Literally ANY type of movement on-screen will do. Anything that whips viewers’ attention straight to what on earth it is you’re doing.
You don’t even have to say anything! The point is to move in a way that grabs your audience’s attention in those first couple of seconds.
Examples of Movement Visual Hooks:
- Gesticulate wildly while saying your spoken hook
- Put on lip gloss
- Pour a cup of coffee
- Jump for joy at the start of your Reel
- Walk into frame and sit down
➡️ Honestly, you’ve probably seen movement visual hooks in Reels already and possibly even used some yourself while creating b-roll footage. The classic b-rolls of drinking your morning coffee, flowers billowing in the wind, or even pointing to different areas of your screen where words appear all fall under movement visual hooks!
If you’ve already got the footage, want help writing that ever-elusive b-roll Reel text? Grab my Best B-Roll Text Formulas for free!
Visual Hook #2: Colour
Colour is such a simple visual hook that it’s almost hard to believe just how well it works.
Our eyes are naturally pulled to bright, vibrant colours in just about any situation. So why not use that to your advantage in your Reels?!
Examples of Colour Visual Hooks:
- Wear brightly coloured clothing (Bonus movement points if you show yourself putting on that brightly coloured clothing!)
- Film yourself with a colourful background (e.g. if you usually film in your office, head outside to your garden for a change)
- Use brightly coloured props (Ladies, I know you have a copy of ACOTAR on your bookshelf. Stick it in your Reel! It works! Ask me how I know 😎)
You probably have something wildly colourful in your house already. Stick it into a Reel somewhere and see what happens.
Visual Hook #3: Edits/Cuts
Now, you all know I am the QUEEN of easy-breezy Reels that take 10 minutes or less to make. HOWEVER, if you want to give your Reels a little spice, edits make for some really cool visual hooks. 😎
Examples of Editing Tricks as Visual Hooks:
- Use the ‘Say It, See It’ rule – that means if you mention sitting in a chair, cut the video, and transition the shot to one of you actually sitting in a chair.
- Whenever you make a cut, add pictures into your Reel, or do a transition, add a little sound effect. (Personally, I like the little bubble pop sound. 🫧)
Visual Hook #4: BANANAS!!
You probably think I’m bananas for calling the next type of visual hook “bananas.” 🍌
A bananas visual hook for Reels is when you do something that’s completely crazy and out of the ordinary.
This is your chance to let your weird out, my friend!
Because any time something totally unexpected happens on screen, people are HOOKED.
They’ll end up watching your Reel for juuuust a little while longer. And you reap all of the engagement benefits of having a Reel with long watch times. Algorithm boost, here we go!!
Examples of Bananas Visual Hooks:
- Do something unusual like talking about a bananas foster recipe while peeling an apple.
- Talk into a tiny pink mic clipped to a water bottle.
- Start your Reel by blowing bubbles.
- Juggle some mangos (even if you can’t juggle).
Visual Hook #5: Zooms
Lastly, zooms. We see zooms so much you probably don’t even notice them, much less see them as visual hooks.
But zooms are sooooo easy to add into your Reels to shake up the viewer’s focus (in a good way!).
Pro-tip: Add a little zoom at the 3-second and the 7-second mark on your Reel. It doesn’t matter if you zoom in or out. The motion of zooming in or out on your video is enough to quickly grab (and re-grab) a viewer’s attention.
Examples of Zoom Visual Hooks:
- Zoom in the moment you get to the point of your Reel.
- Zoom in on a facial expression (like a raised eyebrow or a shocked face) to add extra emphasis.
- Highlight an object or an action you’re doing by zooming in on it.
- Quickly zoom out when you’re revealing the big picture of what you’re saying.
Take It One Step Further with a Mid-Reel Visual Hook
If there’s one thing you need to know about Instagram, it’s that the algorithm notices your watch times. So, if no one watches your Reel past the first 2-3 seconds, the algorithm goes, “Meh… this post isn’t worth sharing anywhere else.”
BUT when you add in your visual hook right at the start and get people watching your Reels for longer, Instagram’s algorithm sees that and shares your post with even MORE people.
Of course, the goal is to get viewers to watch as long as possible though, right?
Now, it’s time to up the ante.
What would you think if halfway through your video a cup appears in your hand?
Or maybe you rotate in your chair and your background changes?
Or your outfit changes 10 seconds in?
These are all examples of visual hooks partway through your Reel. Because let’s be honest, no one’s watching Reels to sit through a full-length monologue. Mid-reel visual hooks keep things spicy. 🌶️ They interrupt the video pattern and wake your viewers up to keep them watching for longer.
So, don’t stop at just one visual hook. Sprinkle a few more in throughout your Reel and get the algorithm to share your post again (and again and again!).
As soon as you start noticing visual hooks in the Reels you’re scrolling through, you can’t stop. You’ll be casually doom scrolling and suddenly you’re like “OMG that’s a visual hook!”
Before you know it, you’ll be naturally incorporating them into your own content.
Just so you know, don’t worry about being silly in your visual hooks. I really like using silliness to teach a point. But if that’s not your vibe, just picking up your coffee mug or talking with your hands count.
The point is to find what feels natural to YOU. Then, just watch as your views start climbing.
Because the more visual hooks you use means more people watching your Reels for longer.
More people watching means more of your ideal clients discovering you.
And more leads means more and more sales rolling in. 🙌🏼
Are you stuck in 200 views jail?
The hook you use can make or break your content.
You’ve already gotten off to a good start here with visual hooks. Now, it’s time to work on ALL of your hooks for that triple-threat action I mentioned.
My 50 Hooks Bootcamp is an entire mini course all about hooks, hook strategy, and why they are so so SO important to get right.
In it, you’ll learn all about the psychology behind what makes a good hook resonate with your audience PLUS you’ll also receive my library of hooks (including visual hooks!). These are plug-and-play hook formulas that are proven to work and are just waiting for you to add your own brilliance.
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