Hook pattern · 18 hooks
Storytime hooks for TikTok slideshows
Storytime hooks open on a problem and promise a turn: “I missed every deadline for a year. Here's what changed”. On a TikTok slideshow the story moves one beat per slide, and the viewer swipes to find out how it ends. Stories carry an app well, because the app is part of what changed.
What a storytime hook looks like
I blank: missed every deadline for blank: a year. Here's what changed
The slides after it
- 1.Slide 1: the problem and how long it lasted.
- 2.Two or three beats: how bad it got, what you tried, the turning point.
- 3.The ending: what's different now, with the app in it.
Why story hooks keep viewers swiping
- An open loop: the hook starts a story, and the ending is on the last slide.
- A real problem with a time (“for a year”) sounds lived, not written.
- Short story beats in small text read fast, one per swipe.
- The app is part of the turn, so it never feels pasted on.
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 story hook examples for app slideshows
Written for app founders, grouped by kind of app. The words in boxes are blanks: swap in your own details.
Budgeting apps
- I was broke every month on a blank: good salary. Here's what changed
- The day I finally looked at where my money went
- I saved blank: $3,000 in a year without a blank: second job
Fitness apps
- I couldn't run blank: 1 km in January. Here's what changed
- I quit the gym blank: 5 times. The sixth time stuck
- How I went from blank: zero workouts to blank: three a week
Language apps
- I failed blank: French in school. At blank: 30 I tried again
- I moved to blank: Madrid knowing blank: ten words
- How I went from blank: freezing to small talk in blank: Spanish
Study apps
- I failed my first blank: exam. Here's what I changed
- I used to study blank: 8 hours and remember nothing
- How I went from blank: C's to blank: A's in one term
Meditation and sleep apps
- I couldn't sit still for blank: one minute. Now I meditate daily
- I slept blank: 5 hours a night for a year. Here's what helped
- The night I finally fell asleep before blank: midnight
Productivity apps
- I missed every deadline for a blank: year. Here's what changed
- I worked until blank: 10 pm every night. Then I tried this
- How I went from blank: 50 tabs to one task at a time
Example: a storytime slideshow for a productivity app
A made-up productivity 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 problem and how long.
2 · How bad it got.
3 · The real problem.
4 · The turning point.
5 · The ending, with the app.
How to use storytime hooks in Reelazy
- 1
Pick the format
Storytime hooks open the Story / POV format: the hook, one idea per slide, your app softly at the end.
Story / POV format - 2
Or copy a slideshow that uses this hook
Found a storytime 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
Does the story have to be true?
It should be true to your users. Write from what people tell you in reviews and support emails, in first person, and keep numbers you can't back up out of it.
How long should a story slideshow be?
Five or six slides: the hook, two or three beats, the ending. Each beat is one short line, so the story moves with every swipe.
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.
More hook patterns
Listicle hooks18 hooks · 4 habits that gave me my evenings back
Mistake hooks18 hooks · Gym mistakes that kept me stuck for a year
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
How-to hooks18 hooks · How to remember new words without flashcards
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.