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Understand video drop off

Understand video drop-off points in your ads. See how far viewers actually get, expose where they drop out and fix weak moments that waste budget.

Carissa avatar
Written by Carissa
Updated over 3 weeks ago

Want to see how far people are typically getting into your video ads? This can show you if people are getting as far as we hoped, ensuring they're hearing our most important messaging, CTA's, etc.

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Build your video drop-off report

  1. Click Create report in the top left

  2. Select Top performing report

  3. Add a filter for video ads only:

    • Click Add filter

    • Select Ad setup > Ad type is video

Add the right metrics

Load in these video play rate metrics:

  • 25% video play rate

  • 50% video play rate

  • 75% video play rate

  • 100% video play rate

These show what percentage of people who saw your ad made it to each milestone.

Pro tip: Switch to card view to see the video thumbnail with all four metrics stacked below it—much easier to analyze at a glance.

The apples-to-oranges problem

Here's the catch: A 15-second ad and a 2-minute ad aren't comparable. Someone watching 75% of a 15-second ad sees 11 seconds of content. Someone watching 25% of a 2-minute ad sees 30 seconds.

Fix this with smart naming conventions

Add video length buckets to your ad names:

  • 0-15s

  • 15-30s

  • 30-60s

  • 60-120s

Then filter your report by adding:

  • Ad name contains [your time bucket]

Now you're comparing similar video lengths, making the data actually useful.

What to look for:

  • Big drop-offs between milestones

    • If you lose 80% of viewers between 25% and 50%, something's wrong in that middle section. Maybe your key message is buried too deep

  • Strong 75% but weak 100%

    • People are engaged but not quite finishing. Your CTA might need to come earlier.

  • Consistent drop-off across all videos

    • This might be normal for your video length, but test moving critical info earlier just in case.

Turn insights into action

Once you spot where people leave:

  • Move important messaging before the drop-off point

  • Test shorter versions if people rarely finish

  • A/B test different story structures to keep viewers longer

Remember: Most viewers won't see your entire video. Make sure your core value prop appears before your typical drop-off point.

Quick win: If you're losing most viewers by 50%, your main message better be in the first half—not saved for a big reveal at the end.

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