Looked into the data behind what actually drives clicks on TikTok Shop videos.
Here's the number that surprised me:
Ads with a Hook Rate above 40% get 55% higher CTR.
Hook Rate = % of people who watched past the 2-second mark.
Not the product. Not the price. Not even the offer. Just — did someone keep watching after second 2?
If yes → the algorithm reads that as a signal and starts showing your video to more people like them. If no → doesn't matter how good the rest of the video is. Nobody sees it.
Most sellers focus on what to say in the video. The better question is: what happens in the first 2 seconds?
What's opening your best-performing videos right now?