5 hook types to study in ads that have been running for 90+ days
Diego Gomes · 2026-10-07
An ad that stays live for 90 days or more almost always has a hook that holds attention in the first second. When you open the long-running creatives in your niche and read only the first line of each one, five patterns keep showing up. Below, each one is described by its angle, with examples from niches outside health.
Pain-point question
The ad opens with a question the customer answers “yes” to in their head. It works when the pain point is concrete and part of everyday life.
- Home: “Does your drain clog every week?”
- Pets: “Does your dog pull on the leash during walks?”
The common mistake is asking a question that’s too generic, one nobody relates to.
Contrast
Shows the before and after of a situation, not a body: a cluttered countertop versus a clear one, tangled cables versus a clean desk.
- Home: “Small kitchen, clear countertop.”
- Electronics: “From a tangle of cables to a clean desk in 5 minutes.”
Story
One person, one problem, one turning point. In ads that last, the story is short and the product shows up early, not at the end.
- “I bought it for my mom, who lives alone and used to forget the stove was on.”
The story needs to be true. A made-up testimonial can get your ad account banned and undermine buyers’ trust.
Proof
Something the viewer can verify: the store’s rating with the actual number of reviews next to it, the warranty period, an uncut demo.
Don’t use a number you can’t show on the page itself.
Curiosity
Opens a loop that only the video closes. Works well with a demo.
- “The countertop organizing trick no one has shown you.”
Curiosity without a payoff turns into an expensive click and a negative comment.
WHAT ABOUT HEALTH NICHES?
For supplements, weight loss, and similar niches, Meta and Google policies restrict claims about results on the body and before-and-after images. Study the angle of these ads, but don’t copy the copy: note which pain point it addresses and what proof it uses, then write your own version within policy.
How to use this
On FreeSpy, open the ads in your niche that have been running the longest, read only the first line of each one, and note the pattern. In just a few minutes, you can see which one dominates your market.
Which of these patterns shows up most in your niche?