How to Find and Use YouTube View Retention

One of the factors that YouTube uses in its search ranking is the YouTube retention data. A high retention view will help your channel rank highly on YouTube. On the other hand, low video view retention will impact your ability to rank on the YouTube algorithm. 

Therefore, it is essential to check your view retention data to use it to improve your videos and grow your channel. In this article, we will help you to understand how to get and use YouTube view retention data.

What is YouTube's Retention Rate?

Retention rate refers to the average percentage of YouTube videos that viewers watch. The data considers how many viewers watch your videos in the beginning, middle, or up to the end. For instance, if you publish a 10-minute video and viewers watch an average of seven minutes, your retention rate is 70%.

Why Video Retention Rate Is Important?

As noted earlier, YouTube loves videos that grab and maintain the viewer's attention, and one of the metrics the site considers is the retention rate. In fact, in one of their algorithm updates, YouTube stated that they prefer videos with higher audience retention rate. 

YouTube states that videos with a higher retention rate will appear in the search and the suggested locations. Therefore, if you want your videos to appear more prominently on the YouTube homepage, you should focus on your video retention rate.

How to See YouTube Analytics

Here are the steps to see if your YouTube videos are engaging:

1. Log into YouTube and click on YouTube Studio.
2. On the left navigation bar, click on Content.
3. Choose a video you want to analyze. You can select from the list of videos shown or search for the video using the search bar.
4. Go to the bottom of the page. You will see a graph showing the average video duration and the average percentage viewed. You should also remember to check the typical retention, a new YouTube metric that shows the retention of your videos compared to others in your niche.

There are several factors affecting video view retention rate, such as the niche of the video, the topic, the length, and the audience. For instance, an educational video may have a low retention rate because of the low attention span of kids. On the other hand, a video game may interest kids, leading to a higher retention rate.

What is a Good YouTube Retention Rate?

Before discussing a good retention rate, you should realize that no golden figure can be termed a good retention rate. The fact is that viewers have different reasons why they watch a video, leading to a longer or shorter watch time. But generally, if you have a video that is more than five minutes long, a retention rate of more than 50% is a good figure.

According to a recent study, videos with a higher click-through rate tend to get more views. Therefore, you should improve your CTR to improve your video retention.

Key Moments in Audience Retention

There are four key moments in audience retention. These are:

• Intro. This highlights the number of users who watch your videos beyond the first 30 seconds.
• Top moment. This is when nearly every viewer is hooked, and no one skips or stops watching the video. The top moments are the segments of the video that are continuous, meaning no one stopped watching.
• Spike. Spikes in the videos indicate viewers rewatching particular parts.
• A dip. This is when your video was either skipped or abandoned altogether.

The pause feature introduced by YouTube doesn't affect these moments.

How to Increase Your Audience Retention Rate

If a video has a higher retention rate, it will be watched by bigger audiences. Here are ways of increasing your audience retention.

Create good-quality videos

A critical factor that affects a video retention rate is the quality. A good quality video will not only result in a higher retention rate but also a bigger channel growth rate. Here are tips on improving the quality of your YouTube videos:

• Ensure that you focus on a narrow subject.
• Avoid using click baits. Video titles and descriptions should be accurate.
• Use ample lighting.
• Ensure that the introduction is strong enough to hook viewers.
• Make videos more engaging using different footage, pop-up texts, and graphics. 
• Give priority to crisp and clear audio.
• Use good video editing software.

Keep the first video short

If your video can be explained in five minutes, never try to make it in 10 minutes. A crisp three-minute video will have a higher retention rate than a poorly done 10-minute video. So, what is a good length for a YouTube video? This will depend on your niche and audience. However, studies indicate that the videos with the highest retention rates are those between three and eight minutes.

Depending on your niche, 5 to 15 minutes is good enough. In all, the most important thing is to remain concise and to the point. Avoid long intros and rambling or your viewers will stop watching the video. If you are using YouTube shorts to market your products, you should know how short videos attract large viewership.

Provide value as fast as possible

YouTube says the first 15 seconds is what makes or breaks your videos. If these aren't good, it will be hard for you to retain your audience. This is why it is important to always begin with a compelling hook. A hook should be something that easily grabs the viewer's attention. Here are some hooks to include:

• A sneak peek. Show the viewers a compelling moment in the video they should look forward to viewing. When people know the video they are watching has the information they need, they are more likely to watch it to the end.
• A preview. Give them a preview of what they should expect in the video. It could be something like, "Later in this video, we will show you how to keep your pizza fresh for 7 days."
• Outright value. You can also show your viewers the value they will get by watching the video. For instance, you can have something like, “In this video, you are going to learn how to cook a pizza in 3 easy steps."
• Use jump cuts. Jump cuts refer to abrupt transitions from one scene to another. There is a reason why this strategy is very popular with vloggers. It turns a long video into shorter scenes with different shots.

In the first 15 minutes of your videos, viewers should know what it is about, why it is essential, and precisely what they will learn. If possible, use a dose of suspense or humor in the introduction. When you make viewers laugh, they are not likely to click away.

 The goal is to provide value to your viewers as fast as possible by:

• Telling them what the video is about.
• Have a short and optimal video overview.
• The longer part of the video should answer what the video is all about.
• Encourage your viewers to like the video and subscribe to your channel. This can help increase your YouTube subscribers.

Use the pattern interrupts

After getting your viewers hooked in the introduction, the next step should be to focus on keeping them engaged. One of the best ways of doing that is through a pattern interrupt. This is a pattern whose goal is to interrupt a particular behavior or thought. But how does that relate to audience retention?

First, you may note that when a viewer is bored, they click on another video, negatively impacting audience retention. Even when you have fantastic content, this can still happen. A pattern interruption can stir viewers' interest and keep them engaged. It can be done by changing the camera's angle, settings, and on-screen graphics. Therefore, ensure that you have several pattern interrupts in every video. 

Avoid clickbait thumbnails

As noted earlier, the key to higher audience retention is to ensure that your videos match or exceed your viewers' expectations. If you make promises in your introduction, you should ensure that you deliver on your promise. Viewers hate it when they are misled by misleading thumbnails that promise a viewing experience they do not deliver. While giving your video an exciting title is essential, avoid making claims you cannot deliver on.

Check your audience retention report

The audience retention reports are a great place to know what kind of videos are working and what aren't. You should analyze these reports to implement new ideas in your next videos. Be sure to learn from the valleys and peaks. For instance, when you look at the audience retention report, you will see the exact places where your viewers drop out. You will also see specific areas where viewers stick.

For instance, you might notice more valleys in areas where your videos have blocks of text than exciting videos. That would give you a hint that viewers aren't interested in seeing blocks of text in your videos.

Use keyword research tools

A great way of improving your audience retention is keyword research. You can easily understand your audience's needs when you do keyword research. You can then create relevant content for your audience and answer their search queries. There are different YouTube keyword research tools you can use, such as:

• The Autosuggest feature
• VideoIQ
• Tubebuddy

Use an outline

YouTube viewers are some of the most impatient social media users. If you need to keep them engaged, you should avoid using a lot of hmms and ahhs. Throughout the video, you should always stick to the topic if you don’t want them to click away from your videos and into other videos.

One of the ways to have a well-flowing video is by having a plan and an outline before you can even begin shooting. This way, you can be assured of a crisper, more focused, flowing video that prevents people from clicking away. With these tips, you can create a viral YouTube marketing strategy.

Post consistently

Another way you can improve audience retention on YouTube is by posting consistently. Your audience and viewers should understand when to expect your next video, its content, and its length. This will give your channel a ready audience interested in your niche and looking forward to the next video. 

Use graphics and visuals

One way to make your videos more engaging is by including good visuals and graphics. Here are ways in which graphics and visuals help in customer retention:

• Graphics, visuals, and other elements help customers understand your videos' key concepts. When viewers see that they are learning great stuff, they aren't likely to click away.
• Visuals are part of a mini pattern interrupt. Adding visuals and patterns to your videos lets you easily maintain your viewer's attention.

You can use the latest video editing software to add video graphics. Here are a few YouTube basic tips to make your visuals and graphics more engaging:

• Avoid using your logo in the beginning. As noted earlier, the first 15 seconds are the most important to hook the viewer. One of the mistakes you can make is to start with your logo in this part, as it's likely to push viewers away. Instead, use the tips we mentioned in the section above.
• Use a video enhancer software. This will help to improve your video resolution, reduce noise, and optimize your overall visual clarity. Some top video enhancer software are Clideo,iMovie, and Video Proc.

Final Thoughts

Video retention is a crucial ranking factor on YouTube. If the site notices that your videos are retaining viewers, they will recommend it to viewers. For good audience retention, you must serve the content your viewers need. Since they want an exciting video, you need to pack that in the first 30 seconds. Besides, you can use our tips above for higher video audience retention.