Hook pattern · 18 hooks
How-to hooks for TikTok slideshows
How-to hooks promise a result and take away the hard part: “How to remember new words without flashcards”. On a TikTok slideshow each step gets its own slide, so the post works as a small guide the viewer can follow later. Guides are the posts people save, and the “without” is what makes them stop.
What a how-to hook looks like
How to blank: remember new words without blank: flashcards
The slides after it
- 1.Slide 1: the result and the hard part you skip.
- 2.One numbered step per slide, each one doable today.
- 3.The last step is the one the app does for the viewer.
Why step-by-step hooks work on a slideshow
- The “without” names the part the viewer hates, so the hook feels made for them.
- One step per slide turns the post into a guide they can follow later.
- Guides get saved, and a save tells you the post was worth making.
- Steps leave a natural place for the app: the step it does for you.
On a slideshow the first slide is the hook: no voice, no motion, just the words and the photo, read in about two seconds. Keep it under 14 words (why).
18 step-by-step hook examples for apps
Written for app founders, grouped by kind of app. The words in boxes are blanks: swap in your own details.
Budgeting apps
- How to save your first blank: $1,000 on a normal salary
- How to stop running out of money before blank: payday
- How to make a budget in blank: 10 minutes
Fitness apps
- How to start working out when you blank: hate the gym
- How to build a workout habit in blank: 4 weeks
- How to train at home with blank: one pair of dumbbells
Language apps
- How to remember new words without blank: flashcards
- How to practise speaking when you blank: live alone
- How to learn blank: Spanish in blank: 15 minutes a day
Study apps
- How to study for an exam in blank: one week
- How to focus for blank: an hour with your phone nearby
- How to take notes you'll actually blank: use
Meditation and sleep apps
- How to start meditating when you blank: can't sit still
- How to fall asleep when your mind won't blank: switch off
- How to calm down in blank: 2 minutes before a blank: presentation
Productivity apps
- How to plan your week in blank: 15 minutes
- How to stop blank: putting off the big task
- How to get through your inbox in blank: 20 minutes
Example: a how-to slideshow for a language app
A made-up language app on @yourapp. The words are ours; Reelazy laid out and drew the slides on stock photos, at 3:4, the frame TikTok shows photo posts in.
1 · The hook: the result, minus the hard part.
2 · Step one.
3 · Step two.
4 · Step three.
5 · The step the app does.
How to use how-to hooks in Reelazy
- 1
Pick the format
How-to hooks open the Listicle tips format: the hook, one idea per slide, your app softly at the end.
Listicle tips format - 2
Or copy a slideshow that uses this hook
Found a how-to post that works? Save it with the Chrome extension or add screenshots. Reelazy copies its hook pattern, structure and look, never its words or photos.
Copy a format - 3
Get posts for your app, approve them
Reelazy writes the posts for your app in that format, with several hooks per post, keeping the strongest. You read each one, change the hook if you like, and approve it before it goes to TikTok.
Make posts
Questions
How many steps should a how-to slideshow have?
Three to five, one per slide. If a step needs two slides, it is two steps. Number them, so the viewer knows where they are.
Why add “without” to the hook?
It names the part the viewer dislikes (flashcards, the gym, a spreadsheet) and promises to skip it. That is usually what makes a how-to hook specific enough to stop for.
Can I use these hooks as they are?
Yes, they are free to use. Change the highlighted blanks to your own details: a hook with your real numbers, places and moments reads as yours, and copies of the same line do worse.
Can Reelazy write hooks like these for my app?
Yes. Paste your app's link once, then pick a format or copy one from a TikTok slideshow you like. For each post Reelazy writes several hooks and keeps the strongest, and you can change it before you approve the post.
Related reading
- How long should the text on a TikTok slide be?
Up to 14 words for the hook, and why.
- TikTok slide text checker
Paste your hook and slides; it counts the words and flags lines that sound AI-written.
- How to make a TikTok photo carousel that sells
From the hook to the last slide, step by step.
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Myth vs fact hooks18 hooks · Meditation myths that made me quit
Before and after hooks18 hooks · My money before vs after a 10-minute Sunday check
POV hooks18 hooks · pov: you finally understood a whole conversation in Spanish
I wish I knew hooks18 hooks · Study tips I wish I knew before my first exam
Unpopular opinion hooks18 hooks · Unpopular opinion: you don't need to work out every day
Comparison hooks18 hooks · Cash vs card: the one that actually helped me save
Storytime hooks18 hooks · I missed every deadline for a year. Here's what changed
Make your first 2 posts free
Paste your app or store link, show Reelazy a TikTok slideshow you like, and it makes your first 2 posts in that format. Free for 2 posts on 1 TikTok account, no card. Pro is from $19 a month.