Guides

Hook rate and hold rate explained

A video ad can fail in two places. People may scroll past before it lands. Or they may stop, watch a few seconds and leave before they reach your message and offer. Hook rate and hold rate tell you which one is happening.

You work out both rates from two columns that Ads Manager already has: 3-second video plays and ThruPlays. This guide shows you how to add those columns, calculate both rates in Google Sheets or Excel, and decide what to fix in the edit.

What hook rate and hold rate measure

Hook rate is 3-second video plays divided by Impressions. It is the share of people who saw your ad and watched at least 3 seconds. It measures your opening: the first frame, the first line, the first movement.

Hold rate is ThruPlays divided by 3-second video plays. Meta counts a ThruPlay when someone watches a video to the end, or watches at least 15 seconds of a longer one. So hold rate is the share of hooked viewers who stayed for most of the video. It measures the middle: pacing, story and whether the video keeps the promise its opening made.

Read together, the two rates split one vague problem ("the video isn't working") into two specific problems. You can fix each one on its own.

• Hook rate = 3-second video plays / Impressions
• Hold rate = ThruPlays / 3-second video plays

How to add the columns in Ads Manager

Work at ad level. Hook and hold belong to a single video, not to a campaign or ad set.

If you also want to check for fatigue later, choose Breakdown, By time, Day before you export. Your file will then have one row per ad per day. The spreadsheet step below shows you how to handle that.

1. Open Ads Manager and pick the Ads tab.
2. Set the date range to the last 30 days.
3. Open the Columns menu and choose Customise columns.
4. Search for 3-second video plays and ThruPlays and tick both. Keep Ad name, Amount spent and Impressions in the table as well.
5. Save the column set so you do not have to build it again next time.
6. Click Export table data and save the file as .csv or .xlsx.

How to calculate both rates in a spreadsheet

Open the export in Google Sheets or Excel. If you exported without a daily breakdown, each ad has one row. Say Impressions is in column E, 3-second video plays is in column F and ThruPlays is in column G. In a new column, type =F2/E2 for hook rate. In the next column, type =G2/F2 for hold rate. Copy both formulas down and format them as percentages.

If you exported by day, total each ad first. Insert a pivot table with Ad name as rows and the sum of Impressions, 3-second video plays and ThruPlays as values. Then divide the totals. Do not average the daily rates, because a quiet day with 200 impressions would count as much as a busy day with 20,000.

For example, say an ad has 50,000 impressions, 10,000 3-second video plays and 1,000 ThruPlays over 30 days. Hook rate is 10,000 / 50,000 = 20%. Hold rate is 1,000 / 10,000 = 10%. These numbers are made up to show the maths.

Leave out ads with very little delivery, because their rates can swing wildly from a handful of views. The next section gives a sensible minimum.

Reading a low hook versus a low hold

To decide what counts as low, compare each video with the best videos in your own account. If you want a fixed line, our audit's rules of thumb flag hook rate under 25% and hold rate under 15%. They only judge video ads with at least 1,000 impressions. These are Monastic Media's own house rules of thumb, so treat them as a starting point for your account, not as a figure every advertiser should hit. The free Meta Ads Audit at the free Ads Audit applies them to your own export. In about a minute you get a free score out of 100 and your three biggest issues, with no login to your ad account.

Then put each ad into one of four groups.

One warning. A high hook with a very low hold can mean a clickbait opening, such as a shocking first frame that has nothing to do with the product. People stop, feel tricked and leave.

• Low hook, healthy hold: the opening fails, but the people who stay like what they see. Fix the first 3 seconds only.
• Healthy hook, low hold: the opening works, but the video loses people after it. Fix the middle, not the start.
• Low hook, low hold: the idea itself may be weak. Test a new angle rather than re-editing the same footage.
• Healthy hook, healthy hold: the video holds attention. If sales are still poor, look at the offer, the landing page or the audience.

What to change when the hook rate is low

The hook is your first 3 seconds. On Facebook and Instagram, many people watch with the sound off, so the opening has to work without audio. Change one thing at a time so you know what made the difference.

Keep the rest of the video the same while you test hooks. That way, any change in hook rate comes from the opening.

• Open on the product or the result, not on a logo or a slow fade-in.
• In the first second, put a bold line of text on screen that names the problem or the payoff.
• Start with movement: a hand, a pour, a before and after, or a face talking to camera.
• If the video warms up slowly, cut the first second or two. The hook is often already in the video, just too late.
• Make the first frame easy to read on a small phone screen, with strong colour contrast.
• Try three or four openings on the same body and let the numbers pick the winner.

What to change when the hold rate is low

A low hold rate means people were interested, but the video did not keep them watching. Find the point where the story sags.

After each change, let the new version reach at least 1,000 impressions before you compare it with the old one. Hooks also wear out as the same people see them again, so recheck your best videos every few weeks.

• Pay off the hook quickly. If the opening promised a result, show it within the next few seconds.
• Tighten the edit. Cut pauses, repeated points and long product shots where nothing happens.
• Change the picture every few seconds with a new angle, a close-up or a text card.
• Add captions so people watching with the sound off can follow the story.
• Try a shorter cut. A tighter version of the same footage often holds viewers better.
• Move proof (reviews, a demo, ingredients) earlier, and show the offer and call to action before people drop off.

Questions

Do I need a special column for hook rate?

No. You calculate it from 3-second video plays and Impressions, which are both standard Ads Manager columns.

Should I divide by Reach instead of Impressions?

Use Impressions, so every time the ad is shown counts. Whichever you pick, stick with it so your numbers stay comparable over time.

Do hook and hold rate apply to image ads?

No. Both rates need video plays, so only video ads have them. Judge image ads on CTR (link click-through rate) and Cost per result instead.

Which should I fix first if both are low?

Usually the hook, because nobody sees the middle without it. If a new opening does not lift hook rate, test a new idea altogether.

Written by Monastic Media, Surat. The thresholds above are our audit's rules of thumb, not industry standards.