Video performance metrics show whether the content engaged viewers and whether it delivered a result. View count is the least informative metric, because it is counted after just a few seconds. More useful are average watch time, completion rate and the audience retention graph, from which you can read the exact point where people leave – usually a long introduction or a detour from the topic. For commercially focused videos, click-through rate from the thumbnail, the number of click-throughs to the website and the share of enquiries that mention the video are added. It is worth evaluating a series of videos, not just one, and looking for a pattern: which format, length and topic work repeatedly. That is precisely the basis for deciding what to invest in next.
See also: Viewer retention, Hook in the first seconds, Video thumbnail and title.
