List Meme Hooks

GET /meme-hooks

Returns a paginated list of available meme hook clips. Meme hooks are short, attention-grabbing clips that are prepended to the beginning of your shorts to immediately capture viewer attention and reduce scroll-past rates.

Available meme hooks

Hover over any clip to see a live preview.

Query parameters

Request

curl -H "X-API-Key: sk_ssemble_your_key" \
  "https://aiclipping.ssemble.com/api/v1/meme-hooks?page=1&limit=20"

Response

{
  "data": {
    "memeHooks": [
      {
        "name": "Baby Vomit",
        "preview": "https://cf.ssemble.com/ssemble-static-assets/Baby%20Vomit_preview.jpg"
      },
      {
        "name": "Chair Broke",
        "preview": "https://cf.ssemble.com/ssemble-static-assets/Chair%20Broke_preview.jpg"
      },
      {
        "name": "Donkey Fall",
        "preview": "https://cf.ssemble.com/ssemble-static-assets/Donkey%20Fall_preview.jpg"
      },
      {
        "name": "Orangutan",
        "preview": "https://cf.ssemble.com/ssemble-static-assets/Orangutan_preview.jpg"
      }
    ],
    "pagination": {
      "page": 1,
      "limit": 20,
      "totalPages": 2,
      "totalCount": 25
    }
  }
}

Response fields

Meme hook object

Pagination object

How meme hooks work

Meme hooks are short clips (typically 2–5 seconds) that play before your main content starts. They act as a pattern interrupt — something unexpected that stops viewers from scrolling past your short.

┌─────────────────────┐
│                     │
│   Meme Hook         │  ← 2-5 seconds
│   (attention grab)  │
│                     │
└─────────────────────┘
         ↓
┌─────────────────────┐
│                     │
│   Your Content      │  ← Main short plays after
│   (AI-clipped)      │
│                     │
└─────────────────────┘

The meme hook is seamlessly prepended to the beginning of each generated clip. The total duration of the short increases by the length of the meme hook.

Using meme hooks

With a specific meme hook

{
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...",
  "start": 0,
  "end": 600,
  "memeHook": true,
  "memeHookName": "Donkey Fall"
}

With a random meme hook

If memeHookName is omitted, a random hook from the library is selected:

{
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...",
  "start": 0,
  "end": 600,
  "memeHook": true
}

Combining with other features

Meme hooks work well alongside other overlay options:

{
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...",
  "start": 0,
  "end": 600,
  "memeHook": true,
  "memeHookName": "Orangutan",
  "hookTitle": true,
  "music": true,
  "musicVolume": 10
}

You can also combine meme hooks with game video overlays — the meme hook plays full-screen first, then transitions to the split-screen layout for the main content.

When to use meme hooks

Meme hooks are most effective for:

• Educational / advice content — A "Wait For It" or "This Changes Everything" hook builds anticipation
• Reaction / commentary videos — Reaction memes set the emotional tone
• Storytelling clips — A dramatic hook clip creates curiosity

They're less effective for:

• Time-sensitive content — Hooks add duration, which may not work for very short clips
• Professional / corporate content — Meme clips may not match the tone
• Already fast-paced content — If the first few seconds are already engaging, a hook may be unnecessary

Error responses

Notes

• The meme hook library is curated by Ssemble and may be updated over time with new clips.
• Meme hook names are case-sensitive when used in POST /shorts/create.
• If a memeHookName doesn't match any clip in the library, the API returns a 400 error with code invalid_request.
• Meme hooks are pre-rendered clips — they don't adapt to your content. Choose hooks that match the tone and topic of your shorts.