Hook Score

Strong hooks do four things, and each one only counts when it’s specific. The most common miss isn’t a missing dimension. It’s a vague one.

The four dimensions

Promise	What the viewer gets if they stay.
Pain	The problem they’re stuck on.
Proof	Why they should listen to you.
Plan	What the rest of the video covers.

How to level up on each dimension

	Replace	With
Promise	”you’ll cook better steaks”	a chain of named outcomes (“nail the sear, hit medium-rare every time, and stop overcooking the edges”)
Pain	”knife sharpening is hard”	the viewer’s exact stuck-state (“your chef’s knife crushes tomatoes instead of slicing them”)
Proof	”years of experience”	a number, a name, or a result (“I’ve cut over 10,000 production parts on a Haas VF-2”)
Plan	”I’ll break it all down”	3+ enumerated items (“three fixes: workholding, feeds and speeds, tool deflection”)

The rings

Waiting to score

Not present

Present but generic

Strong

What your total score means

Weak

Two or more dimensions missing or vague. Rewrite from scratch.

Okay

All four present, but at least one is vague. Find the weakest. Make it specific.

Good

All four are concrete. Ship it, or push one harder.

Strong

All four are concrete and specific. Top of the field.