Curiosity-gap hooks for personal finance videos

The gap only opens if the viewer cannot answer the question themselves. On money content that usually means asking about a number they have never worked out, rather than a concept they have heard of.

1. What is the 1 number that tells you whether you can afford to leave your job?

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   Why it works. Attaches a decision the viewer is already considering to a single figure they do not have yet.

2. Why do 2 people on the same salary end the year 6,000 apart?

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   Why it works. Controls for the obvious variable, which forces the viewer to accept that the answer is something they control.

3. What happens to your savings the month you stop checking them every day?

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   Why it works. A behaviour question rather than a product question, and the answer is genuinely counter-intuitive.

4. Which 3 direct debits are on almost everyone's account and almost nobody uses?

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   Why it works. The viewer starts guessing immediately and will stay to see whether they were right.

5. Why does moving 1 standing order by 2 days change how much you save all year?

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   Why it works. A tiny cause with an outsized effect is the most reliable curiosity gap there is.

6. What did my bank never tell me about the 4 pounds it takes every month?

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   Why it works. Implies concealment without accusing anybody, and the small amount makes the discovery feel personal.

7. Why is the 28th the most expensive day of the month for almost everyone I know?

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   Why it works. Names a date the viewer can check against their own statement, which converts curiosity into action.

8. What would change if you knew your exact take-home to the pound, right now?

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   Why it works. A question most people cannot answer about themselves, which is uncomfortable enough to hold attention.

9. Which of your 2 savings accounts is quietly earning nothing at all?

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   Why it works. Assumes the viewer has the problem, which is a stronger opening than asking whether they do.

10. Why did paying off the smallest debt first work when the maths said to do the opposite?

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    Why it works. Sets the method against the arithmetic and promises to resolve it, which is a real answer rather than a tease.