What is Hold Rate?
Hold rate measures how much of a video viewers watch. It’s a retention signal that reflects hook strength and pacing.
Understanding hold rate
If viewers drop early, fix the opening seconds: show product, benefit, and motion fast. Catalog videos with clear angles and overlays keep attention by making the value obvious. Pacing and cuts should match the platform’s norm while remaining readable. Captions and bold supers carry meaning in sound‑off environments. Read hold curves to see exactly where interest fades.
Hold rate connects directly to creative choices in the first moments. Product‑forward openings and rapid clarity tend to outperform slow intros. Visual hierarchy should favor the product and benefit over branding until attention is secured. Aspect‑ratio‑native edits prevent letterboxing that wastes screen share. Keep backgrounds simple so the subject stands out. Validate on common devices before scaling.
Why Hold Rate matters
Hold rate matters because platforms favor videos with strong retention, rewarding them with better delivery and lower costs in their algorithms. Higher hold rate often correlates with better CTR and CVR by signaling that viewers found the content valuable enough to keep watching. Analyzing hold curves reveals exactly where viewers drop off, giving you actionable insights into which creative elements need improvement.
- Delivery: Platforms favor videos with strong retention
- Performance: Higher hold often correlates with better CTR/CVR
- Learning: Reveals where viewers drop and why
How hold rate works
Hold rate works by measuring how long viewers continue watching, often expressed as average watch time or percent watched. Platforms use retention to decide which videos deserve more delivery. Early seconds have outsized impact because many viewers decide immediately to continue or swipe. Strong hooks, captions, and quick product reveals raise the curve. When retention dips at consistent timestamps, re‑edit pacing or simplify visuals. Track hold alongside CTR and conversion to ensure attention translates into outcomes.
Meta Information
- Primary Keyword: Hold Rate
- Secondary Keywords: video hold rate, retention rate, watch time
- Target Word Count: 700–900 words
- Meta Title: What is Hold Rate? Keep Viewers Watching | Marpipe
- Meta Description: Hold rate is how long viewers keep watching your video. Learn how hooks, pacing, and product clarity improve retention.
- URL: marpipe.com/ad-glossary/hold-rate
# What is Hold Rate?
Hold rate measures how much of a video viewers watch. It’s a retention signal that reflects hook strength and pacing.
Understanding hold rate
If viewers drop early, fix the opening seconds: show product, benefit, and motion fast. Catalog videos with clear angles and overlays keep attention by making the value obvious. Pacing and cuts should match the platform’s norm while remaining readable. Captions and bold supers carry meaning in sound‑off environments. Read hold curves to see exactly where interest fades.
Hold rate connects directly to creative choices in the first moments. Product‑forward openings and rapid clarity tend to outperform slow intros. Visual hierarchy should favor the product and benefit over branding until attention is secured. Aspect‑ratio‑native edits prevent letterboxing that wastes screen share. Keep backgrounds simple so the subject stands out. Validate on common devices before scaling.
Why Hold Rate matters
Hold rate matters because platforms favor videos with strong retention, rewarding them with better delivery and lower costs in their algorithms. Higher hold rate often correlates with better CTR and CVR by signaling that viewers found the content valuable enough to keep watching. Analyzing hold curves reveals exactly where viewers drop off, giving you actionable insights into which creative elements need improvement.
- Delivery: Platforms favor videos with strong retention
- Performance: Higher hold often correlates with better CTR/CVR
- Learning: Reveals where viewers drop and why
How hold rate works
Hold rate works by measuring how long viewers continue watching, often expressed as average watch time or percent watched. Platforms use retention to decide which videos deserve more delivery. Early seconds have outsized impact because many viewers decide immediately to continue or swipe. Strong hooks, captions, and quick product reveals raise the curve. When retention dips at consistent timestamps, re‑edit pacing or simplify visuals. Track hold alongside CTR and conversion to ensure attention translates into outcomes.
Best practices
- Hook immediately; cut dead air.
- Use punchy cuts and text; assume muted playback.
- Keep product centered; avoid busy backgrounds.
- Test 6–15s variants for attention density.
Key Takeaways
- Hold rate measures how long viewers watch your video before dropping off.
- High hold rates signal strong hooks, clear value, and engaging pacing.
- Improve hold rate with faster hooks, native aspect ratios, captions, and product-first framing.
- Track hold rate by creative variant to identify which elements keep attention longest.
