'Stop doing X' hook: the correction that must come with the replacement
Template for the interrupt hook that names a habit the viewer has and tells them to stop; the rule that makes it work is that the replacement is in the same sentence or the next one.
Write 5 'stop doing X' hooks for a short video about {topic} aimed at {audience}. This hook works because it interrupts a habit the viewer has right now; it fails when the habit is not one they actually have, or when the replacement is missing. Each hook names a concrete habit and the video shows the replacement within 10 seconds. Templates to fill: - 'Stop {habit}. {Replacement in 4 words}.' - 'If you {habit}, stop. Do {replacement} instead.' - 'Stop {habit} before {consequence the viewer can see}.' - 'Put the {object} down.' - 'Delete {thing}. Here is what to do instead.' Rules: max 10 words, imperative, the habit must be something the audience does weekly, the replacement must be as cheap or cheaper than the habit. No habits that are matters of taste. For each hook, write the REPLACEMENT SHOT: what the viewer sees at 10 s. Return: 5 hooks with their replacement shot, ranked by how common the habit is in this audience.
In Claude Code, paste the prompt as a message.
Example
Topic: weeknight cooking. Audience: people cooking for a family on weekdays.
- ‘Stop washing rice in the pot. Use a sieve.’ Replacement shot: rice in a sieve under the tap, water running clear in 10 seconds.
- ‘Put the garlic press down.’ Replacement shot: the side of a knife crushing a clove, then a rough chop.
- ‘Stop salting the water last. Salt it first, taste it.’ Replacement shot: a spoon tasting pasta water, a nod.
- ‘If you preheat the pan empty, stop. Oil first, then heat.’ Replacement shot: oil shimmering, onion going in without smoke.
- ‘Delete the meal-plan spreadsheet. One chicken, three dinners.’ Replacement shot: a whole chicken being broken down into three containers.
Tips
- The replacement must be in frame by 10 s. A 'stop' with no 'instead' is a scold, and scolds get argued with in the comments instead of saved.
- Pick habits you can show the viewer doing wrong in one shot. If it needs explaining, it is not a habit, it is a theory.
| works with | Claude: Paste into claude.ai or the Claude app. · ChatGPT: Paste into ChatGPT; works with any GPT model. · Claude Code: Runs as a skill or a prompt in the terminal; can read your files and write the result. · Any LLM: Model-agnostic: Gemini, Mistral, a local model. |
| cost | Free. No API, no key. |
| status | Unverified: written from the technique, not yet run end to end by us. |
| license | CC BY 4.0 for the text here; skills are MIT. |
| updated | 2026-11-01 |
| for agents | hook-archetype-stop-doing-x.md |
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