What is Hook rate?
Hook rate measures the percentage of viewers who watch the first 3 seconds of a video ad. It indicates how well the opening visual or statement captures attention in a fast-scrolling feed. A high hook rate means your creative is stopping thumbs. For UGC-style video ads, the opening frame—typically a person looking into the camera or holding a product—is critical for hook rate.
How it relates to AI UGC
AI UGC photos used as video ad openers (the first frame in a slideshow or the thumbnail) perform well for hook rate because they look like personal content shared by a friend, not a brand advertisement.
Key statistics
- Top-performing video ads on TikTok and Meta achieve hook rates of 30–50%+.
- Ads with hook rates below 15% rarely achieve profitable CPA at scale.