How Pro Editors Hook Viewers With This Simple Story Beat

If you want to hook your audience from frame one, there’s one story beat you absolutely need to get right: the inciting incident. It’s the moment that breaks up the “ordinary world” and kicks your story—or your edit—into motion. And where you place it makes all the difference.

To explain it, I like to use a roller coaster analogy. The “ordinary world” is that slow click up the track. Too long, and people get bored. Skip it entirely, and the ride feels disorienting. But when you balance anticipation with that perfect first drop, the thrill really lands. That “drop” in editing terms is the inciting incident, and it’s what keeps your viewers locked in.

Below are the three ingredients you need to make it work in your own edits:

• A story (any kind of edit works). Even commercials and short videos can use this beat effectively.

• Identify the inciting incident. What’s the first event that disrupts the normal world and kicks things off?

• Timing. Place your inciting incident at about 10–15% of the way into your video. That sweet spot is where audiences expect the story to truly begin.

I showed an example with a short film I edited: we meet our protagonist in his normal world (just a guy with a special briefcase, eating a bagel). Then—bam!—the pigeon shows up at the 43-second mark, which is exactly 12.7% into the film. That’s the moment everything changes, and it’s one reason the short has racked up millions of views.

So when you’re building your edit, think like a roller coaster designer: give just enough setup, then drop your viewers into the action at exactly the right time. Get this beat right, and you’ll hook your audience every time.