How to measure video ad creative
Measure video ad creative as a funnel: hook rate shows whether the opening stops people, hold rate whether the body keeps them, click-through rate whether the ad creates intent, and conversion rate and CPA whether that intent is real. Reading the metrics in sequence tells you which part of the ad to change.
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The creative funnel
| Stage | Metric | Question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Hook rate | Did the first seconds stop the scroll? |
| Body | Hold rate | Did the middle keep viewers? |
| Intent | Link click-through rate | Did the ad make people act? |
| Outcome | Conversion rate | Were the clicks the right people? |
| Economics | CPA or ROAS | Was it worth paying for? |
Diagnosing from the funnel
- Weak hook rate: change the opening; keep the rest.
- Strong hook, weak hold: the body does not pay off the opening.
- Strong hold, weak click-through: the offer or call to action is unclear.
- Strong click-through, weak conversion: message mismatch with the landing page, or curiosity-bait creative.
- Everything weak: the concept or the audience is wrong.
Building a creative report
- Name ads so concept, hook, format and ratio can be parsed from the name.
- Export ad-level results for a fixed date range and attribution window.
- Calculate hook rate and hold rate from the view metrics, using one consistent definition.
- Group by each element to see which concepts and hooks win across many ads.
- Record decisions in a learning log.
Pitfalls
- Judging on early data before results stabilise.
- Comparing ads across different placements as if they were equal.
- Changing the attribution window mid-analysis.
- Optimising for views when the goal is sales.