Hook Timing Analyzer
Paste your reel script to find out if your hook lands within the critical first 3 seconds.
Viewers give a reel roughly three seconds before deciding to stay or swipe. Paste your script to see how long your opening actually takes to say at a normal speaking pace, whether the full script fits your reel length, and the exact word where your hook window closes.
How to use it
- Paste your full reel script, word for word as you'd say it.
- Enter your planned reel duration in seconds.
- Analyze, and you'll see your hook length and total spoken duration.
- Read the highlighted section: that's everything a viewer hears in the first three seconds.
- Cut or front-load words until your hook lands inside the window.
Why do the first three seconds matter so much?
Because that's the window in which a viewer either commits or swipes, and reels get judged heavily on early retention. If a large share of viewers leaves in the first seconds, distribution dries up no matter how good second twenty is. That makes the opening line the gatekeeper for everything after it.
Three seconds of speech at a normal pace is only 8 to 12 words. Most weak hooks aren't badly written, they're just late. The interesting claim shows up in sentence two, after a warm-up like 'hey guys, so today I wanted to talk about.' This tool makes that visible: if the highlighted portion of your script is throat-clearing, viewers are gone before the actual hook arrives.
How does the analyzer estimate timing?
It assumes an average speaking pace of about 2.5 words per second, which is typical for conversational delivery, and marks the first 8 words or so as your three-second hook window. It also divides your total word count by that pace to estimate whether the whole script fits your reel duration. Both numbers are estimates. Real delivery varies with pauses, b-roll moments, and how fast you naturally talk, so treat the output as a solid first pass, then verify with a stopwatch read-through.
If the tool says your 45 second script is running 70 seconds, don't talk faster. Rushed delivery reads as nervous and hurts clarity. Cut content instead. Almost every script has a sentence that repeats a point already made, and that's the first thing to remove.
How do you fix a slow hook?
Delete the warm-up and start at the claim. 'Most people edit their reels wrong' is a first line. 'Hey everyone, welcome back, today I want to share some editing tips' is fifteen wasted words. A useful exercise: write your script normally, then ask which single sentence would make you stop scrolling, and physically move it to position one. The context you cut can come back at second five, once the viewer has a reason to care. Pair the spoken hook with on-screen text saying the same thing, since a large share of viewers watch muted and your audio hook doesn't exist for them.
Frequently asked questions
How many words should a reel hook be?
Aim for 8 to 12 words in the opening line, which lands in about three seconds at a conversational pace. Shorter is fine. Longer means your hook is finishing after many viewers have already decided.
How accurate is the speaking pace estimate?
The 2.5 words per second assumption fits most conversational delivery, but everyone varies. Fast talkers fit more, and scripts with deliberate pauses fit less. Use the estimate for structure, then do one timed read-through before filming.
Does the three second rule apply to talking-head reels only?
The principle applies to every format. In a voiceover or text-based reel, the first visual and first line of on-screen text do the hook's job. The window is the same, only the medium changes.
My script fits but my reels still lose viewers early. Why?
Timing is only half the hook. If the opening line is on time but not interesting, viewers leave anyway. Check retention in your insights: a cliff in the first seconds usually means the hook's content needs work, not its length.
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