Platform · Metrics · Hook rate
Hook rate: Thumb-stop / 3-second view rate
The share of impressions that stop the scroll in the first seconds. If this is weak, the rest of the funnel never gets a chance.
What it is
Hook rate, also called thumb-stop rate, is how often the first seconds of a video or the first glance of a static ad interrupt the feed. It is the creative diagnostic before CTR. People cannot click what they never noticed.
Why it is worth tracking
Most paid social waste starts in second zero, not at checkout. Teams rewrite landing pages while the video still opens on a logo hold. Hook rate tells the Operator to fix the opening line, on-screen text, and first frame, which is where volume creative actually wins or dies.
How to read it
A single number is not a brief. These splits are what change the work.
Low hook rate, CTR among viewers is fine
The story works once people watch. The opening does not. Rewrite the first three seconds and the on-screen hook, keep the rest of the cut.
High hook rate, CTR and hold rate fall
You stopped the scroll with a gimmick that does not match the offer. Align the opener with the product and the page, or you will pay for curious non-buyers.
Hook rate decays after a few days
The opener is burned in a small audience. Spin new first frames from the same winning claim instead of a whole new campaign.
What the Operator does
Diagnose, act, then draft. The stats pick the job. Brand voice stays locked.
Diagnose
The Operator reads hook rate next to hold rate, CTR, and frequency so it knows whether the problem is the opener, the body, or fatigue.
Act
Kill openers that never stop the scroll at real spend. Keep the mid-funnel cut if hold rate is healthy. Cap frequency on burned first frames in tight markets like Hong Kong and Singapore.
Draft
Draft new first-line hooks, on-screen text, and 3-second cold opens from the claims that already convert. Output UGC-style, product-first, and festival variants without leaving brand rules. For IG Reels and Xiaohongshu, run the scroll-stop loop until the opener clears — see /platform/scroll-stop.
Example brief
“TikTok hook rate in Taiwan is 18% against a 28% account baseline. Hold rate after 3s is fine. Write 10 cold-open lines and on-screen text options for our barrier-repair serum. First frame must show texture, not the logo. Tone: clinical-warm. No before/after claims.”
Paste a brief like this into a Basis Operator. Connected account context and brand rules apply automatically.
Related metrics
Read it with these, or you will optimize the wrong surface.