How to work out video completion rate?

To work out video completion rate, you calculate the percentage of viewers who watched your video from start to finish relative to the total number of people who began watching it. This metric is crucial for understanding viewer engagement and content effectiveness.

Understanding Video Completion Rate

Video completion rate (VCR) is a key performance indicator (KPI) that measures how much of your video content is actually consumed by your audience. It provides valuable insights into whether your content resonates with viewers and keeps them engaged throughout its duration. A high completion rate suggests that your video is compelling and holds attention, while a low rate can indicate issues with content quality, length, or targeting.

Why is Video Completion Rate Important?

• Measures Engagement: Directly reflects how captivating your video is.
• Informs Content Strategy: Helps you understand what types of content, lengths, and styles perform best.
• Optimizes Ad Spend: For video ads, a higher completion rate means your message is more likely to be fully delivered.
• Improves Conversion: Engaged viewers are more likely to take desired actions, like visiting a website or making a purchase.

The Formula for Video Completion Rate

The video completion rate is calculated using a straightforward formula:

Video Completion Rate = (Viewers who completed the video / Total viewers who started the video) * 100

Let's break down the components of this formula:

Key Components Explained

• Viewers who completed the video: This typically refers to the number of unique viewers who watched 90% or 100% of your video. Some analytics platforms might define "completion" as watching a certain percentage (e.g., 75%, 90%), so it's good to check your specific platform's definition.
• Total viewers who started the video: This is the total number of unique viewers who initiated playback of your video. Most platforms count a "start" after a few seconds of playback (e.g., 3 seconds) to filter out accidental clicks.

Example Calculation

Imagine you have a marketing video:

• Total viewers who started the video: 5,000
• Viewers who completed the video: 2,500

Using the formula:

Completion Rate = (2,500 / 5,000) * 100
Completion Rate = 0.5 * 100
Completion Rate = 50%

This means 50% of the people who started your video watched it all the way through.

Practical Steps to Calculate Video Completion Rate

Most video hosting platforms and social media sites provide built-in analytics that automatically calculate this metric for you. However, understanding the manual process helps in interpreting the data.

1. Access Your Video Analytics: Log in to your video hosting platform (e.g., YouTube Studio, Vimeo, Wistia, TikTok, Facebook Creator Studio).
2. Navigate to Performance/Analytics: Look for sections like "Analytics," "Performance," or "Insights."
3. Select Your Video: Choose the specific video you want to analyze.
4. Identify Key Metrics: Locate the data for "total views/starts" and "completion rate" or "audience retention." If only audience retention graphs are available, you'll look for the percentage of viewers remaining at the end of the video's timeline.
5. Apply the Formula (if necessary): If your platform doesn't directly provide a percentage, you'll find the raw numbers for starts and completions and use the formula.

Factors Influencing Video Completion Rate

Several elements can impact how much of your video audience watches:

• Content Quality and Relevance: Is your video well-produced, engaging, and directly relevant to your audience's interests or needs?
• Video Length: Shorter videos generally have higher completion rates than longer ones, especially for casual content.
• Audience Targeting: Are you showing your video to the right people? Mis-targeting can lead to low engagement.
• Placement and Context: Where is the video embedded or shared? A video auto-playing in a feed might have a high "start" count but a low "completion" if viewers aren't truly interested.
• Playback Experience: Buffering, low resolution, or poor audio can quickly deter viewers.
• Thumbnail and Title: These should accurately represent the video's content to set clear expectations and avoid disappointing viewers.

Strategies to Improve Video Completion Rate

Improving your video completion rate involves a combination of pre-production planning and post-production optimization:

• Hook Your Audience Early: The first 5-10 seconds are critical. Grab attention with a compelling intro, a strong question, or an immediate value proposition.
• Maintain Engagement Throughout:
  • Vary your shots and pacing.
  • Use clear, high-quality audio and visuals.
  • Incorporate text overlays, graphics, or animations.
  • Tell a story or follow a logical flow.
  • Avoid unnecessary rambling or slow segments.
• Optimize Video Length: Keep your videos as concise as possible while still delivering your message. Test different lengths to see what resonates best with your audience for specific content types.
• Understand Your Audience: Tailor content to their specific pain points, interests, and preferred viewing styles.
• Improve Production Quality: Invest in good lighting, clear audio, and professional editing. A polished video looks more credible and is more pleasant to watch.
• Test and Iterate: Use A/B testing for intros, titles, thumbnails, and even video lengths. Analyze your audience retention graphs to pinpoint exactly where viewers drop off and make adjustments.
• Promote Strategically: Share your videos on platforms where your target audience spends their time and in contexts where they are open to watching video content.

Tools for Tracking Video Completion Rate

Most popular video platforms offer robust analytics to help you monitor and improve your completion rates:

Understanding and optimizing your video completion rate is fundamental to creating effective video content that truly connects with your audience and achieves your communication goals.