Are small YouTube channels at risk?Retention rate crisis:
On YouTube, creators are constantly struggling to keep viewers engaged enough to watch their videos to the end to maximise their income and chance of going viral. That’s where the critical metrics called YouTube Retention Rate come in.
YouTube retention rate measures the percentage of a video that viewers watch. The algorithm uses this as an indicator to judge how well your content holds the audience’s attention throughout the video. For instance, if a viewer watches 3 minutes of a 6-minute video, the retention rate for that viewer is 50%. Since more than one person watches a video, the average of this percentage across all your viewers for a specific YouTube video tells how engaging your content is from start to finish.
The retention rate for the first 30 seconds of my video above is 57%, but you can see it gradually dropped to 33% at the end. As a YouTuber, try to ensure your retention rate never goes below 33% at the end, as that is where average ends. A video with an above 66% retention rate at the end is very good and would get a more reach boost from the YouTube algorithm. A video between 66% and 100% at the end will likely go viral as the algorithm will push it to a larger audience. My explanations till this point are with long form YouTube videos in mind because a YouTube short with a 33% retention rate at the end is considered to have a poor retention rate, 66% to 90% is considered good, while 100% and above is considered great and will likely go viral if it can sustain that retention rate as more people view. Generally, retention rate gradually reduces as a video, whether long form or shorts, gets more views.
MrBeast reports retention rates above 70%. Mr Beast’s content is a masterclass in keeping YouTube viewer engagement.
PewDiePie, the iconic gamer and commentator, typically sees retention rates around 50–60%.
Casey Neistat, the vlogging pioneer, once shared that his daily vlogs had an average retention rate of about 50%.
Graham Stephan, a finance YouTuber, once discussed how his early videos had retention rates around 40% before he managed to boost his retention rates to over 60%, proving that if you’re not having a great retention rate now, you can do something about it. See this to learn quick tips to make your retention rate better.
Conclusion
Now that you understand YouTube Retention Rate better, you know it’s not just about how many people click on your video, but how many stay until the end. So, for your next video— have retention rate in mind, and after posting, it should be the metric that should interest you the most since it lets you know the degree to which your content truly resonates with your target audience.
