Kallaway Layered Hook
Write the opening seconds of a short-form video as one hook, with the visual, the on-screen text and the spoken line aligned on a single idea.
Based on Kallaway's public method.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Kallaway. Each step cites the public work it comes from: 6 sources.From vague news to an aligned demonstration
Aligns the first shots, screen text, and spoken lines around one visible product action.
Illustration from the skill's worked example, not a recorded run.
What it does
When your agent should reach for this skill.
Use for the opening seconds of a Reel, TikTok, YouTube Short, LinkedIn video, short-form script, or first-frame storyboard. Apply the same loop when diagnosing an existing opening. Keep the user's audience, voice, format, and available footage as constraints. If the request covers only a hook, include enough of the next beat to demonstrate its payoff without expanding into a complete video production.
The default deliverable is a timed storyboard plus its contrast, sound-off interpretation, first payoff, and review status. For a review request, return the diagnosis and a concrete revised opening in that structure. Read the method for decisions, the examples for calibration, and the checklist before delivering. This package adapts public teaching into an agent workflow; source summaries and editorial extensions are identified in the reference files.
The method
11 steps, restated from Kallaway's public work. Numbers link to the sources.
1Establish the brief
Identify the intended viewer, their relevant problem or interest, the video's actual takeaway, and available footage. Use the brief fields in templates/output-template.md. Ask only for information that materially changes the opening; mark reasonable assumptions instead of inventing evidence.
2Inspect the existing hook when present
Locate delay, confusion, irrelevance, and disinterest before polishing individual words. Use the diagnostic in references/method.md. Preserve any effective visual or claim rather than replacing everything automatically. 3
3Inventory opening visuals
List shots that can carry the first three to five seconds. Choose the most concrete, readable demonstration. If none exists, propose a specific achievable visual or explain the blocker. Follow references/method.md. 1
4Select a credible contrast
Write A, the viewer's baseline, and B, the new reality. Compare candidate angles for surprise, relevance, visual fit, and support. Prefer stated contrast when the audience's baseline is uncertain. Use references/method.md. 134
5Choose the hook format
Select the archetype that best expresses that contrast through the chosen shot. Add a Magician treatment only when it helps direct attention. Consult the format table in references/method.md; the examples show two different choices. 1
6Draft the spoken opening
Write two to four short lines that establish context, redirect expectation, and reveal the alternative. Describe the visible subject plainly. Skip a redundant contrast connector when the visual already supplies the reversal. Follow references/method.md. 12
7Audit the wording
Locate subject, action, outcome, and contrast; add proof or time only when useful and supported. Simplify jargon and ambiguity without changing the claim. See references/method.md for the secondary-source status of this audit. 35
8Compose the other layers
Write a short overlay that identifies the topic or promise, choose legible placement, and specify purposeful motion and optional sound. Check that all layers reinforce one proposition. Use references/method.md and the timeline fields in templates/output-template.md. 12
9Time the storyboard and payoff
Read the speech aloud or estimate conservatively. Let topic clarity arrive early; extend the timeline instead of forcing four sentences into three seconds. Specify the first demonstration after the hook. Follow templates/output-template.md and examples/worked-examples.md. 23
10Review and repair
Run the sound-off and sound-on passes in checklists/review-checklist.md. If footage is unavailable, label the result a storyboard review. Repair failures at their cause, then repeat the affected checks; do not approve an opening whose promise the body cannot fulfill. 12
11Return the usable result
Fill templates/output-template.md, including rationale, assumptions, and any unresolved production requirement. Keep source attribution consistent with references/sources.md. Return the strongest candidate unless the user requests alternatives; never imply guaranteed views or measured retention from a writing review.
Worked example
How the method plays out on one case.
1: A software demo for operations coordinators
Brief and weak first draft
An imaginary scheduling tool can flag overlapping room bookings. The available asset is a screen recording of a real collision in a fictional test calendar. The audience currently checks meeting times manually.
- Visual: A logo spins, followed by a wide shot of the entire calendar interface.
- Overlay: BIG UPDATE.
- Spoken: We are thrilled to introduce our innovative scheduling enhancement that optimizes resource allocation.
- Audio: Loud rising music and an impact sound.
- Next beat: A company introduction before the interface demonstration.
The draft delays the subject, hides the relevant interaction, uses abstract language, and supplies no understandable contrast. The audio competes with speech. Its first payoff is buried. These failures map to delay, confusion, disinterest, and weak layer alignment. 123
Apply the method
The strongest visual is a highlighted collision between two bookings in the same room. Choose Experimenter because the tool can demonstrate the alternative directly. A is inspecting entries manually; B is a visible overlap flag. The curiosity question is whether the flag identifies the actual conflicting booking. 1
Keep the claim narrow: the tool flags the overlap. Do not invent a speed benchmark or claim it prevents every scheduling error. Cropping the interface to the two relevant entries improves comprehension without altering the test result.
Improved hook storyboard
| Time | Visual | Overlay | Spoken | Audio | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 0.0 to 2.0s | Close crop of two bookings for Room A at 10:00, both readable | Same room. Same time. | These bookings clash. | Quiet room tone; no music needed. | | 2.0 to 4.0s | Cursor points between matching times; comparison remains visible | Checking each entry? | You could check each entry. | No additional cue. | | 4.0 to 6.5s | The overlap flag appears beside those same entries | Overlap flagged | But this tool flags the overlap. | Soft interface click at the flag. | | 6.5 to 10.0s | Open the flag to show both booking names and their shared time | Here is the conflict | It shows both bookings and their shared time. | Speech remains clear. |
The opening contains three short spoken lines. Its visible contrast begins with the collision and resolves through the flag; the complete speech is not forced into three seconds.
Sound-off read: Two entries share a room and time; the tool highlights the conflict.
First payoff: Opening the flag exposes the exact booking pair, substantiating the claim immediately.
Optional next beat, 10.0 to 14.0s: Move one fictional booking to an available slot and show the collision disappearing, provided the tool actually supports that action.
Why the result improves
- The concrete collision replaces the decorative logo and anchors all layers. 1
- The viewer recognizes the topic in the first frame, avoiding delayed context. 3
- Manual checking versus an overlap flag states the relevant contrast rather than relying on a vague claim of efficiency. 3
- The demo supplies proof, while the optional time slot remains omitted because no benchmark exists. 5
- The first body beat reveals the conflict instead of postponing value. 2
Review: Conceptual checks pass. Actual sound-off playback, small-screen readability, and audio balance remain to be checked after recording.
1 more worked example in examples/worked-examples.md.
What's in the package
7 files, pinned at d5668a9. Open any file on GitHub.
SKILL.mdEntry point the agent loads: when to use the skill and the procedure.6,108 bytesLICENSEApache-2.0 license.10,756 bytesreferences/method.mdThe method in full, step by step, with citations.13,159 bytesreferences/sources.mdEvery public source the method is built from.3,274 bytesexamples/worked-examples.mdWorked examples showing the method applied end to end.7,093 bytestemplates/output-template.mdThe output format the agent fills in.4,656 byteschecklists/review-checklist.mdChecks the agent runs before handing back the result.5,690 bytes
Sources
The public work this skill is built from. Read Kallaway's originals.
- Kallaway, I Studied 100 Viral Hooks, These 6 Will Make You Go Viral, public transcript hosted by YouTLDR. URLyou-tldr.com
- How to Create Irresistible Hooks (and blow up your content), Video Highlight summary of Kallaway's video. URLvideohighlight.com
- Give me 15 mins, and I'll make your hooks impossible to skip, Video Highlight summary of Kallaway's video. URLvideohighlight.com
- How to Script Viral Videos 10x Faster (Nobody Teaches This), Video Highlight summary of Kallaway's video. URLvideohighlight.com
- The 6 Words Every Hook Needs: Lessons from Kane Kallaway, DJ Wayne, BuildOS, published 2026-05-04. URLbuild-os.com
- Irresistible Hooks: Lessons from Kane Kallaway, DJ Wayne, BuildOS, published 2026-05-04, updated 2026-06-09. URLbuild-os.com
The skill file also covers: Files in this skill. Read the full SKILL.md.
Edge wrote this skill from Kallaway's public writing and talks listed above. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kallaway. If something misrepresents the method, write to [email protected] and we will correct or remove it.