The best hooks for tech review reels, from 1,530 that went viral
We read the opening line of every viral tech review reel in Aubrium's library: which hooks show up most, which travelled furthest, and 16 real ones to learn from.
A phone, a colour and one line of text: "the iphone 18 pro in burgundy is that girl". It sat on a reel from a 3,643-follower account and pulled 5.1 million views.
Tech review runs on tutorials (25% of these reels) and unboxings (18%), and the first line has to sell the object before anyone scrolls past. So we went through the opening line of every one of the 1,530 viral tech review reels in Aubrium's library, posted by 1,240 creators. It's the tech chapter of our big guide to Instagram hooks, and every niche we looked at is listed on its own page.
Curiosity gaps and bold claims open more viral tech review reels than any other hook, 18% each, with questions third. The longest reach belongs to two smaller types: POV hooks at 43× their creator's followers (26 reels) and relatable lines at 33× (72 reels). The middle hook is 9 words, and 52% of these reels show it as text.
Aubrium's library, 22 October 2026.
What kind of hook works best for tech review reels?
The two you'll see most are curiosity gaps and bold claims, almost level at 269 and 268 reels. Questions come a distant third, at 125.
26% of these reels have no hook of any type, and their middle reel still reached 28×.
POV hooks top the chart at 43×, but only 26 reels use one, too few to read much into. Relatable lines are the bigger group to watch: 72 reels, with a middle one at 33 times its creator's followers. The burgundy phone above is one of them: no specs, no price, just a feeling about a colour.
16 tech review hooks that went viral
Sixteen picks, one per creator, chosen by hand from nine hook types. Product names, one price and some caps lock do most of the lifting.
- AspirationalText on screen
unboxing my dream speaker 🔊
- QuestionSpoken
What should I do?
- Bold claimSpoken
These are 100 NFC stickers and I bought them for $4.
- WarningText on screen
DO NOT walk RUN to Costco 😱☎️
- WarningSpoken
If your phone keeps overheating, this cooling phone case is a game changer.
- Bold claimText on screen
This is what gold looks like in 2026
- AspirationalText on screen
My favorite purchase of 2023:
- WarningText on screen
DONT show this to a reader... 🤫📚
- Curiosity gapText and spoken
Forgetting something?
- RelatableText on screen
the iphone 18 pro in burgundy is that girl
- Curiosity gapSpoken
You just got a new MacBook. Here's three apps you need to download right away.
- QuestionText on screen
Why macbooks are so expensive?
- Transformation teaseText on screen
the tiny CHANGE that CHANGED everything
- Number listSpoken
Three PC tips for beginners.
- RelatableSpoken
If your phone could talk, this is the charger it'd ask for.
- CalloutSpoken
Amazon products found for bedroom.
How long should a tech review hook be?
Short. In tech review, the shortest hooks went the furthest of any length.
Hooks of 1–4 words are only 16% of the 425 English hooks, but the middle one reached 58 times its creator's followers. Five to eight words still made 32 times. After that it falls away: 11 times for 9–12 words, and 11 again past 20 words. A line like "Forgetting something?" leaves the product to show itself.
Should you say the hook or show it?
Show it. Text with no voice is the biggest group, at 38% of these reels, and it went furthest.
27% of these reels use a voice alone, and another 14% say the hook and show it. The middle on-screen hook travelled 33 times its creator's followers, against 14 for a voice alone and 13 for both. If you talk over the product, make sure the line on screen works with the sound off.
How do viral tech review hooks start?
"This" is the favourite first word, on 28 of the 425 English hooks, ahead of "if" and "the" at 15 each. A product name makes the list too: "iphone" starts 9, as many as "my" and "okay".
- this 28
- if 15
- the 15
- I 13
- iphone 9
- my 9
- okay 9
- here 8
- these 8
- you 7
- here's 6
- I'm 6
The first word of 425 English hooks on viral tech review reels, and how many start with it.
Four shapes you can borrow. Each one is a real hook from a viral tech reel.
This is… / This is how…
“This is what gold looks like in 2026”
When… / If you…
“If your phone could talk, this is the charger it'd ask for.”
Stop… / Don't… / Never…
“Stop breaking your cables!”
I… / My…
“i turned my iPhone into a retro gaming console”
Keep reading
Hooks are only the first two seconds. How to go viral in the tech review niche covers the formats, faces and sound behind these reels. If your gadgets lean toward code or cameras, see the hooks behind viral coding reels and what opens viral videography reels.
Questions people ask
What's the best hook for a tech review reel?
Curiosity gaps and bold claims are the most used, each opening 18% of viral tech review reels. For reach, POV hooks reached 43× their creator's followers and relatable lines 33×, though both are small groups.
How many words should a tech hook be?
The middle hook on a viral tech review reel is 9 words. The middle 1–4 word hook reached 58 times its creator's followers, the furthest of any length.
Should I say my tech hook out loud or put it on screen?
Put it on screen. 27% of viral tech review reels use a voice alone, but silent text went much further: 33× followers for the middle reel, against 14×.
Do tech review reels need a hook?
Not always. 26% of viral tech review reels have no hook of any type, and their middle reel still reached 28× its creator's followers.
What word do viral tech hooks start with?
"This" leads, starting 28 of the 425 English hooks on viral tech review reels. "If" and "the" come next, with 15 each.
How we did this
We looked at every tech review reel in Aubrium's library on 22 October 2026: 1,530 reels from 1,240 creators with 1,000 to 100,000 followers, each of which reached at least twice its creator's follower count and at least 10,000 views. We counted every reel filed in Aubrium's tech review niche; a reel can sit in more than one niche.
Hook types, delivery and on-screen text are labels Aubrium's reader puts on every post. Hook length and first words count the 425 reels with an English hook in words. Every number here describes reels that already went viral, so none of it is the odds for a new one.
Changelog
- First version.
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