Storytelling Hooks.
Forty story openers. Fill in the blanks, then copy the line.
40 storytelling hook templates
- 1.
So [time marker] I [mundane action] and [unexpected thing]
“So last Tuesday I walked into a job interview and the CEO was my ex”
“So I'm standing in line at Starbucks when a stranger calls my name”
“So yesterday my Uber driver started crying 2 minutes into the ride”
- 2.
Okay buckle up because [setup]
“Okay buckle up because my Uber driver turned out to be my blind date”
“Okay buckle up because my mom showed up uninvited to my therapy session”
“Okay buckle up because a stranger handed me $200 and left”
- 3.
Let me tell you about the time [setup]
“Let me tell you about the time I got stuck in an elevator with my CEO”
“Let me tell you about the time my wedding officiant didn't show”
“Let me tell you about the time I accidentally crashed a movie set”
- 4.
This is the weirdest [event type] I've ever [verb]
“This is the weirdest wedding I've ever been to”
“This is the weirdest job interview I've ever had”
“This is the weirdest flight I've ever taken”
- 5.
You're not going to believe what happened at [location]
“You're not going to believe what happened at the DMV yesterday”
“You're not going to believe what happened at my kid's pediatrician appointment”
“You're not going to believe what happened at the hotel front desk”
- 6.
So I'm [ordinary state] when [disruption]
“So I'm in the checkout line when a guy starts crying next to me”
“So I'm packing my car when a stranger offers to buy it cash”
“So I'm writing an email when the CEO replies from 2 accounts”
- 7.
I've been waiting [duration] to tell this story
“I've been waiting a whole year to tell this story”
“I've been waiting 3 months for the NDA to drop to tell this”
“I've been waiting since high school to tell this one”
- 8.
Picture this: [vivid opening scene]
“Picture this: 4am, JFK international, and my passport is gone”
“Picture this: Thanksgiving dinner, 12 people, and the turkey is still frozen”
“Picture this: my first day as a manager, a team of 8, and a fire alarm”
- 9.
I still can't believe [event] actually happened to me
“I still can't believe a celebrity showed up at my garage sale”
“I still can't believe my boss proposed during a 1:1”
“I still can't believe I got upgraded 3 times on one flight”
- 10.
Gather round for the [adjective] story of [subject]
“Gather round for the wildest story of my weekend”
“Gather round for the saddest story of my first job”
“Gather round for the funniest story of my honeymoon”
- 11.
So [person] sends me a text at [time] saying [wild message]
“So my ex sends me a text at 3am saying 'thank you for everything'”
“So my landlord sends me a text at 11pm saying 'pack your things'”
“So my mom sends me a text at 7am saying 'don't call today'”
- 12.
This happened [time marker] and I'm still processing it
“This happened last Tuesday and I'm still processing it”
“This happened 6 months ago and I'm still processing it”
“This happened yesterday and I haven't slept yet”
- 13.
It was a [normal day descriptor] until [turn]
“It was a regular Thursday until my dentist called me his old address”
“It was a normal Zoom call until someone's kid walked in with a snake”
“It was an ordinary flight until the pilot got on the mic and apologized”
- 14.
I was minding my own business when [intrusion]
“I was minding my own business when a wedding photographer dragged me into a photo”
“I was minding my own business when a stranger asked me to hold her ring”
“I was minding my own business when a dog walked up and sat on my foot”
- 15.
Story time: I once [unusual action]
“Story time: I once lied on a resume and still got the job”
“Story time: I once called 911 on a raccoon”
“Story time: I once proposed to the wrong woman at dinner”
- 16.
Here's what I walked into this morning
“Here's what I walked into this morning at the office”
“Here's what I walked into this morning at the dog park”
“Here's what I walked into this morning in the kitchen”
- 17.
The [adjective] thing happened at [location] yesterday
“The strangest thing happened at the grocery store yesterday”
“The wildest thing happened at a gas station yesterday”
“The saddest thing happened at my kid's school yesterday”
- 18.
I need to tell someone what just happened
“I need to tell someone what just happened in that meeting”
“I need to tell someone what just happened in the parking lot”
“I need to tell someone what just happened to my grandma”
- 19.
Things got weird when [event]
“Things got weird when the magician grabbed my watch”
“Things got weird when the Uber driver asked to come inside”
“Things got weird when my in-laws brought a notary to dinner”
- 20.
I was not prepared for what [person] said next
“I was not prepared for what my doctor said next”
“I was not prepared for what my kid's teacher said next”
“I was not prepared for what the hiring manager said next”
- 21.
This story starts with [unusual beginning]
“This story starts with a cookie in my mailbox”
“This story starts with a missing dog and a Waffle House”
“This story starts with a voicemail from 2007”
- 22.
I thought I was having a normal [day part] until [disruption]
“I thought I was having a normal morning until I found a note under my door”
“I thought I was having a normal commute until my car got towed”
“I thought I was having a normal lunch until my boss sat down uninvited”
- 23.
[Person I barely know] just told me [wild revelation]
“A neighbor I barely know just told me my house used to be a funeral home”
“A coworker I barely know just told me my manager is quitting Monday”
“A barista I barely know just told me I look exactly like his ex-wife”
- 24.
Alright, let me explain how I ended up [weird situation]
“Alright, let me explain how I ended up on a yacht in the Bahamas at 22”
“Alright, let me explain how I ended up officiating a wedding I wasn't invited to”
“Alright, let me explain how I ended up in a hospital gown at a business meeting”
- 25.
So apparently [surprising reveal from context]
“So apparently my doorman has been hiding my packages for 4 years”
“So apparently my grandma was a Vegas cocktail waitress”
“So apparently my company has 3 people with my exact name”
- 26.
It's [time] and [absurd thing] is happening
“It's 2am and my dog just called the Nest doorbell”
“It's Friday morning and my boss is dressed as a clown”
“It's Wednesday at 3pm and there's a wedding happening in the lobby”
- 27.
I've never told anyone this but [lead-in]
“I've never told anyone this but I met my husband at his own funeral”
“I've never told anyone this but I almost became a nun”
“I've never told anyone this but I've been writing to a pen pal in prison for 10 years”
- 28.
Remember when [past event]? It gets worse
“Remember when my ex asked to borrow my car? It gets worse”
“Remember when my neighbor borrowed my ladder? It gets worse”
“Remember when I said my job offer was rescinded? It gets worse”
- 29.
Sit down for this one — [lead-in]
“Sit down for this one — my coworker married my college roommate”
“Sit down for this one — my aunt has been secretly living in the basement”
“Sit down for this one — I accidentally inherited a house in Spain”
- 30.
The day [event] happened at [mundane place]
“The day a proposal happened at my Costco”
“The day a car chase happened on my block”
“The day a reunion happened at my dentist's office”
- 31.
I'm in [location] right now and [wild thing] is happening
“I'm in the hospital parking lot right now and my mom just walked out”
“I'm at a random Starbucks right now and someone proposed at the counter”
“I'm in an Uber right now and the driver is singing opera”
- 32.
This is the most [adjective] story you'll hear this week
“This is the most unhinged story you'll hear this week”
“This is the most heartwarming story you'll hear this week”
“This is the most New York City story you'll hear this week”
- 33.
OK so [time marker] something insane happened
“OK so this morning something insane happened at my daughter's school”
“OK so last Friday something insane happened at my coworker's goodbye party”
“OK so on my birthday something insane happened in the restaurant bathroom”
- 34.
I was [N] years old when [formative event]
“I was 11 years old when I found out I was adopted”
“I was 6 years old when I shoplifted my first candy”
“I was 14 years old when I realized my best friend wasn't real”
- 35.
[Person] will kill me for posting this but [story lead]
“My wife will kill me for posting this but she fell asleep during our vows”
“My best friend will kill me for posting this but she got engaged in a Taco Bell”
“My boss will kill me for posting this but he cried at the team meeting”
- 36.
One time at [memorable place] I [unusual action]
“One time at a hotel bar I accidentally joined a bachelorette party”
“One time at summer camp I started a small fire that made the news”
“One time at a wedding I met the woman I'd marry 8 years later”
- 37.
Plot twist: [twist revelation]
“Plot twist: it was me on the other end of the phone all along”
“Plot twist: the 'client' I thought I was losing was testing me”
“Plot twist: my dog was the one ringing the doorbell”
- 38.
[Mundane action] turned into the [adjective] day of my life
“Getting gas turned into the weirdest day of my life”
“Returning a sweater turned into the best day of my life”
“Picking up takeout turned into the most ridiculous day of my life”
- 39.
Setting: [specific place], [time]. Me: [state]. Then [event]
“Setting: Target parking lot, 9pm. Me: crying. Then a stranger knocks on my window with a latte”
“Setting: Delta flight 402, cruising altitude. Me: asleep. Then the captain calls my name”
“Setting: my kitchen, Sunday morning. Me: hungover. Then my mother-in-law walks in with a pie”
- 40.
I'm not making this up — [wild claim]
“I'm not making this up — my boss and my neighbor are the same person”
“I'm not making this up — I found $3,000 in my grandma's cookie jar”
“I'm not making this up — a pigeon followed me for 4 city blocks”
Need a hook for your own topic? Try the hook generator, turn the one you pick into a script, browse all 500 hooks or see more free tools.
Storytelling hook questions
What makes a good storytelling hook?+
A good storytelling hook starts inside the scene with one concrete detail and leaves the outcome out. The listener has to hear the next sentence to find out what happened.