How to Write a Hook for a Song: What a Hook Is and How to Make One Stick
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A hook in a song is the short part people remember and sing back: a few words, a few notes, or a riff. It is usually two to four bars long, it repeats, and it often carries the title. Most hooks live in the chorus, but a hook can also open the song or follow the chorus.
This guide covers the kinds of hooks, then how to write a hook for a song in six steps, starting from one short phrase. The example below shows the move most hooks are built on: repeat a short phrase, then change one thing.
A hook in four bars (example written for this guide)
What is a hook in a song?
A hook is whatever part of a song catches the listener’s ear and stays there. Songwriters usually talk about three kinds, and the strongest hooks often combine two of them.
| Kind | What it is | Where it usually sits |
|---|---|---|
| Melodic hook | A short, singable run of notes with a clear shape | The first or last line of the chorus |
| Lyric hook | A short phrase that sums up the song, often the title | The same place, sung to the melodic hook |
| Riff or rhythmic hook | An instrumental figure or a rhythm the ear latches onto | The intro, between lines, or after the chorus |
The chorus is a whole section, and the hook is the short piece inside it that people walk away with. Our guide on how to write a chorus covers the section around it.
How to write a hook for a song
1. Find the singable piece of your title
Take your title, or the line your song is built around, and say it out loud a few times. Listen for the part you would sing loudest: usually two to five words with a strong vowel near the end. That fragment is your lyric hook. Short fragments are easier to repeat and leave room for long notes.
2. Give it a shape you can sing back
Sing the phrase on three to five notes and give it one clear direction: it climbs, it falls, or it jumps once and settles. One leap often makes a phrase easier to recognize than a line that moves only in small steps. If you can’t sing it back after hearing it once, it is too long or too busy.
3. Give it a rhythm that stands out
A hook should move differently from the lines around it. If the verse is busy, give the hook long notes. If the verse is smooth and even, give the hook a short rest before it or a syllable that lands just ahead of the beat. The change in rhythm tells the ear that this is the part to hold on to.
4. Repeat it, then change one thing
Sing the phrase three times, the same way, then change one note or one word the fourth time, as in the example above. The repeats make it stick. The change keeps it from sounding like a loop and gives the line an ending. You can change the last note, the last word, or the rhythm of the last bar, but change only one of them.
5. Put it where it will be heard
Give the hook the first or last line of the chorus, and think about letting an instrument play it in the intro. A hook hidden in the middle of a long line is easy to miss.
6. Test it away from the instrument
Leave the hook alone for a day, then try to sing it from memory before you play the recording. If it comes back on its own, that is a good sign. If you can only remember the words, the melody needs a clearer shape. If you remember the tune but not the words, the phrase may be too long.
Common hook problems and quick fixes
| Problem | Try this |
|---|---|
| It sticks in your head but is hard to sing | Cut it to fewer notes, or move it into a lower, easier range |
| It sounds like every other line | Change its rhythm, or give it the one leap in the chorus |
| The hook disappears inside the chorus | Give it the longest or highest note in its line, or a short rest just before it |
| The song has several hooks fighting each other | Keep the strongest one in the chorus and let the others become a riff or move to the bridge |
Keep going
The hook needs a chorus that lifts around it, so read how to write a chorus next. If you have the words for your hook but not the tune, see how to write a melody for your lyrics. To check how often and where the hook comes back across the whole song, read how to make a song catchy. To try these steps on your own hook, start a free trial of Mouta Studio on a desktop browser.
Common questions
How long is a hook?
Usually two to four bars, which at 120 BPM is 4 to 8 seconds. The lyric part is often five words or fewer.
Can a song have more than one hook?
Yes. Many songs have a sung hook in the chorus and an instrumental riff in the intro. Two or three is plenty. Beyond that, they start to compete and none of them stands out.
Does the hook have to be in the chorus?
No, but that is where it is heard most. A riff hook often opens the song, and some songs put the hook in a post-chorus right after the chorus (see the parts of a song in pop song structure explained).
Is a hook the same as a riff?
A riff can be a hook when it is short and repeats, but not every riff is a hook, and many hooks are sung.