How-to · intermediate · 3 min read
How to read your video analytics (the four numbers that matter)
Hook rate, the retention curve, average watch time, and shares versus saves. Each one points at a different fix for the next video.
By Sulan Zhang, co-founder of Vyra · Updated 2026-09-24 · Example: @sulansart
- Level
- intermediate
- Read time
- 3 min
Four numbers explain almost every result. Hook rate says whether the first 3 seconds worked. The retention curve says where people left. Average watch time says whether the platform will keep pushing it. Shares versus saves says what kind of value the video had. Read them in that order and you know what to change next time.
Why it matters
Likes and followers are outcomes.
The method
- Hook rate first. On TikTok and Reels, the share still watching at 3 seconds. On Shorts, viewed versus swiped away. If it's low, nothing else matters yet.
- Then the retention curve. Find the steepest drop. That timestamp is a pause, a tangent, or a "so anyway." Cut it.
- Then average watch time as a percent of length. Above 50 percent typically keeps distributing. Below 35 typically stops.
- Then shares versus saves. Shares mean relatable or surprising. Saves mean useful or beautiful. Whichever is higher is what people want more of.
- Followers versus non-followers. Judge on the strangers.
- Change one thing. Hook, cut, length, or value type. One per video or you can't tell what worked.
Rules of thumb
| Number | Typically weak | Typically working |
|---|---|---|
| Hook rate at 3 s | below 50% | above 65% |
| Viewed vs swiped (Shorts) | below 60% | above 70% |
| Average watch time | below 35% of length | above 50% |
| Completion under 30 s | below 20% | above 35% |
| Shares per 1,000 views | below 2 | above 5 |
| Saves per 1,000 views | below 3 | above 10 |
General benchmarks. Compare your own videos to each other first.
Examples
- A vlog with 72 percent hook rate and a cliff at 0:14. The opening works, the check-in at 14 seconds is too long. Cut it in half and repost.
- A tutorial with 48 percent watch time, 1 share and 14 saves per 1,000. People keep it, they don't send it. Make more tutorials and add a "save this" line.
- A story Reel with 45 percent hook rate. The first 3 seconds are the problem. Don't touch the rest.
Do it in Vyra
The retention curve on this video drops hardest at 0:14. Show me what happens between 0:12 and 0:18, then cut that section to half its length without losing the sentence.
Make three alternate versions of this video that differ only in the first 3 seconds: open on the reveal, open on the question, open on the mistake. Everything after 0:03 identical.
Cut a 25-second version of this 40-second video by removing the slowest 15 seconds according to the transcript. Keep the hook and the ending exactly as they are.
Common mistakes
- Reading likes. They lag everything and come from people who already follow you.
- Changing three things at once.
- Judging a video in the first hour. Wait 48 hours on TikTok and Shorts, 3 to 5 days on Reels.
- Comparing to a creator with a different format.
FAQ
Where are these numbers? TikTok, Analytics, the video, then retention. Instagram, Insights on the Reel, watch time and sends. YouTube Studio, the Short's analytics tab, viewed vs swiped away.
How many views before it means anything? Usually 500 to 1,000.
Related
- /how-to/write-a-hook
- /how-to/edit-for-retention
- /how-to/grow-on-tiktok
- /glossary/retention