As a video creator, one of the most important metrics to track is your video completion rate. This measures the percentage of viewers who watch your video all the way through until the end. A high completion rate is a sign that your content is engaging, valuable, and holding viewer attention. So what is considered a “good” video completion rate that you should aim for?
What is video completion rate?
Video completion rate is calculated by dividing the number of times a video was fully watched by the total number of video views, and converting this to a percentage. For example, if your video got 1,000 views, and 500 people watched the full video, your completion rate would be:
500 (full video views) / 1,000 (total views) = 50% completion rate
A high completion rate means a large portion of your viewers are watching your entire video instead of clicking away halfway through. This signals you have compelling content that your audience finds interesting and engaging from start to finish.
What is a good video completion rate benchmark?
There are a few benchmarks to aim for when it comes to video completion rate:
- 30%+ completion rate – This is above average and respectable for most video content.
- 50%+ completion rate – This is considered a very good rate, especially for videos 10 minutes or longer.
- 70%+ completion rate – This is an excellent, near perfect rate showing extremely engaging content.
However, these benchmarks can vary based on your video length. Shorter videos tend to have higher completion rates, while longer videos (over 20 minutes) typically have lower completion rates.
Average Completion Rates by Video Length
Video Length | Good Completion Rate |
---|---|
Under 1 minute | 70%+ |
1-2 minutes | 65%+ |
2-5 minutes | 50%+ |
5-10 minutes | 40%+ |
10-20 minutes | 30%+ |
20-40 minutes | 25%+ |
40+ minutes | 20%+ |
As you can see, the longer the video, the lower the completion rate benchmark you should aim for. Use these averages as a guide when evaluating your own video completion rates.
Why is video completion rate important?
Tracking video completion rate is vital for several reasons:
- Measures engagement and interest: High completion rates mean you’re creating content your target audience truly cares about and wants to consume. This allows you to hone in on topics and video styles that resonate most.
- Improves discoverability: YouTube and other platforms factor completion rates into search rankings and recommendations. Higher engagement and completion rates can increase your visibility and discoverability.
- Maximizes impact: The end of a video is where you make final calls-to-action, promote products, etc. High completion rates mean more viewers are actually seeing these important elements.
- Identifies optimization opportunities: Analyzing completion rate trends can reveal where you may be losing audience attention. This allows you to refine your strategy and optimize video layout, pacing, length, etc.
In short, completion rate offers crucial insights into how captivated and impacted your audience is by your content. Maximizing this metric is key for growth.
How to improve your video completion rate
If your current video completion rates are lower than the benchmarks, there are tactics you can test to boost engagement and watch time:
1. Optimize video length
Research suggests shorter videos often have higher completion rates. Try keeping informational or instructional videos under 5 minutes, tutorials under 10 minutes, and documentary style videos under 20 minutes when possible.
2. Hook viewers in the first 10 seconds
The opening of your video is crucial for grabbing attention immediately. Use an eye-catching intro animation, make a surprising statement, include intriguing b-roll footage, or share an interesting first fact to captivate viewers right off the bat.
3. Use cliffhangers and mini-arcs
Adding unfinished thoughts, mini story arcs, or chapter markers can compel viewers to keep watching so they don’t miss the payoff or resolution.
4. Include interactive elements
Polls, quizzes, on-screen CTAs, and other interactive features can boost engagement and signal to the viewer there is more payoff for sticking around.
5. Segment longer videos
For videos over 10 minutes, consider splitting them into chapters or episodes so viewers digest them in more manageable chunks.
6. Promote watch-through in the intro
Directly tell viewers you’ll share something important at the end that they won’t want to miss. This sets expectation to watch through.
7. Place CTA end screens strategically
End screens with subscribe/promotion CTAs should appear in the final 30 seconds so viewers must watch to that point to see them.
8. Analyze audience retention reports
YouTube Analytics provides reports on audience retention over time. Look for drop off points and optimize those sections.
9. Ask for feedback from engaged viewers
Survey fans who regularly view full videos to understand what compels them to watch the entire length.
Video completion rate mistakes to avoid
There are also some common mistakes that can sabotage your video completion rates:
- Overstuffing videos to hit 10 minute mark for ad revenue – Prioritize concise value over length.
- Including boring intros without hooking viewer instantly.
- Rambing without clear structure or payoff for viewer.
- Using frequent mid-roll ads which interrupt experience.
- Making videos too long without chapter breaks or interactive elements.
- Failing to promote subscribing until end screen when many have dropped off.
Avoiding these pitfalls and optimizing your video structure, pacing, length, intros, and calls-to-action can all help boost your completion rates over time.
Conclusion
A strong video completion rate is around 30-50% or higher for videos 10 minutes and under. However, the optimal benchmark varies based on factors like your video length and genre. Use the averages provided as a guideline when evaluating your own completion rate data. Completion rate offers valuable insights into content effectiveness. By testing different hooks, interactive elements, pacing, and watch-through motivators, you can incrementally improve your completion rate and overall video impact.