Hold rate
Hold rate measures how well a video ad keeps viewers after the opening. A common formula is ThruPlays (or 15-second views) divided by 3-second views, times 100. Where hook rate grades the first seconds, hold rate grades the middle of the ad. Like hook rate, it is a practitioner convention, not an official platform metric.
Updated
How to calculate it
Hold rate = (ThruPlays or 15-second views ÷ 3-second views) × 100.
Example: 10,000 people watched three seconds and 2,500 watched to the 15-second mark. Hold rate is 25%: one in four people who were hooked stayed for the body of the ad.
Some teams divide by impressions instead, which mixes hook and hold into one number. Dividing by 3-second views keeps the two diagnoses separate.
Reading hook and hold together
| Pattern | Likely problem | What to change |
|---|---|---|
| Low hook, low hold | The opening and the body both miss | Rethink the concept, not just the edit |
| High hook, low hold | The opening promises something the body does not deliver | Make the second beat pay off the first |
| Low hook, high hold | The ad works for the few who stay | Keep the body; test new openings |
| High hook, high hold | The creative holds attention | Look downstream: offer, landing page, audience |
Common ways ads lose viewers
- A slow second beat: the hook lands and then the ad stops to introduce the brand.
- Repeating the hook instead of advancing it.
- Captions that fall out of sync or leave the safe zone.
- A visual change that looks like the ad has ended.
How the platforms define it
- Meta: a 15-second ThruPlay counts when someone watches at least 15 seconds, or to 97% completion if the video is shorter. Meta also offers a 6-second ThruPlay goal.
- Meta treats 97% of a video as its full length because people drop off as content fades out or credits roll.
- TikTok: reports 6-second video views and views at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of length. Dividing 6-second views by 2-second views is one way to build a TikTok hold rate.
Questions
- What is a ThruPlay?
- Meta's term for a video play of at least 15 seconds, or to 97% completion if the video is shorter. Meta also offers a 6-second ThruPlay goal.
Sources
Read on 27 October 2026. Platforms change specs and policies without notice; check the source before you build to a number.