Guide
Hook rate is 3-second views divided by impressions
Updated
Hook rate is the share of people who watched at least the first 3 seconds of your video ad. It shows how well the opening stops people scrolling, and nothing after that.
In short
- Hook rate is 3-second video plays divided by impressions, times 100.
- A hook rate of 30% means 3 in every 10 people who saw the ad watched past 3 seconds.
- Hook rate only measures the opening, meaning the first picture, the first words, the text and the sound.
- There is no official good hook rate, so compare a new ad with your own usual rate on the same platform.
- Hold rate, the share of viewers who keep watching to 15 seconds, shows if the rest of the ad holds attention.
- Hook rate when 3,000 of 10,000 people shown the ad watch past 3 seconds
- 30%
- How long a view lasts in Meta's 3-second video plays
- 3 sec
- The shortest view TikTok reports
- 2 sec
How to calculate hook rate
Divide the views that passed 3 seconds by the impressions, then multiply by 100.
- If 3,000 people watch past 3 seconds out of 10,000 impressions, your hook rate is 30%.
- An impression is one time your ad was shown on someone's screen.
- Some people count 2 seconds, or a share of the video watched, instead of 3 seconds.
- Only compare hook rates that count the same number of seconds on the same platform.
Hook rate, worked out
The same sum works for any ad, as long as you always count the same number of seconds.
Impressions
10,000
Views past 3 seconds
3,000
Divide
3,000 ÷ 10,000 = 0.30
Hook rate
30%
How Meta and TikTok count the views
You work hook rate out from the view counts each platform reports. The two platforms count views after a different number of seconds.
- On Facebook and Instagram, use 3-second video plays divided by impressions.
- TikTok reports 2-second and 6-second video views, not 3-second views.
- A TikTok hook rate is therefore not comparable with a Meta one.
Which view count to use
From Meta's and TikTok's ads help pages, read 21 September 2026.
| Platform | View count | What counts as a view |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook and Instagram | 3-second video plays | The video played for at least 3 seconds |
| TikTok | 2-second video views | The video played for at least 2 seconds; replays do not count |
| TikTok | 6-second video views | At least 6 seconds, the whole video if it is shorter, or any engagement in the first 6 seconds |
Platform: Facebook and Instagram
- View count
- 3-second video plays
- What counts as a view
- The video played for at least 3 seconds
Platform: TikTok
- View count
- 2-second video views
- What counts as a view
- The video played for at least 2 seconds; replays do not count
Platform: TikTok
- View count
- 6-second video views
- What counts as a view
- At least 6 seconds, the whole video if it is shorter, or any engagement in the first 6 seconds
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Where to find hook rate in Meta and TikTok
Neither ads manager has a ready-made hook rate column. You add the view count as a column, or build the rate yourself as a custom metric.
Where to click
TikTok's steps are from its Ads Manager help page, read 21 September 2026.
| Platform | Where to click | What to add |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Ads Manager | Open the Columns menu and choose Customize columns | 3-second video plays and Impressions. Or click Create custom metric and divide the first by the second. |
| TikTok Ads Manager | On the Campaign page, open the columns menu and choose Custom Columns | 2-second video views and Impressions. Or click Add Custom Metrics and divide the first by the second. |
Platform: Meta Ads Manager
- Where to click
- Open the Columns menu and choose Customize columns
- What to add
- 3-second video plays and Impressions. Or click Create custom metric and divide the first by the second.
Platform: TikTok Ads Manager
- Where to click
- On the Campaign page, open the columns menu and choose Custom Columns
- What to add
- 2-second video views and Impressions. Or click Add Custom Metrics and divide the first by the second.
What hook rate measures
It measures only the opening, so you can test openings on their own.
- It measures the first picture, the first sound, the opening words and any text on screen.
- It says nothing about what happens after the first few seconds.
- The first 3 seconds hold about 8 spoken words, out of about 75 in a 30-second ad.
- People watching without sound only get the first picture and the text on screen.
- If hook rate is fine but sales are poor, the problem is later in the ad or in the offer.
What is a good hook rate?
There is no official number. Meta and TikTok publish none, and the figures in marketing blogs count views in different ways. The useful test is whether a new ad beats your usual rate.
- Compare a new ad with your usual hook rate on the same platform. If it scores higher, its opening works better than your average.
- Only compare ads that count the same number of seconds, like 3-second plays on Meta.
Hook rate and hold rate together
Hook rate tells you if people stopped. Hold rate tells you if they stayed.
- Hold rate is often worked out as ThruPlays divided by 3-second video plays.
- On Meta, a ThruPlay is a view of at least 15 seconds, or of the whole video if it is shorter.
- A shocking or misleading opening can raise hook rate and lower everything after it.
Reading hook rate next to hold rate
Hook rate alone cannot tell you which of these you have.
High hook rate, low hold rate
- What it means
- The opening promised more than the ad gave
- What to do
- Make the opening match the rest of the ad
Low hook rate, high hold rate
- What it means
- The ad is good, but the opening undersells it
- What to do
- Test new openings first
Low hook rate, low hold rate
- What it means
- The idea is not landing
- What to do
- Try a new idea, not a new edit
Both high, but no sales
- What it means
- The video holds attention, but something after it loses the sale
- What to do
- Check the offer and the landing page
| What it means | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| High hook rate, low hold rate | The opening promised more than the ad gave | Make the opening match the rest of the ad |
| Low hook rate, high hold rate | The ad is good, but the opening undersells it | Test new openings first |
| Low hook rate, low hold rate | The idea is not landing | Try a new idea, not a new edit |
| Both high, but no sales | The video holds attention, but something after it loses the sale | Check the offer and the landing page |
How to test hooks
Change one part of the opening at a time, so the result tells you what worked.
- Change only the first picture, only the first line or only the text on screen.
- Record several openings in one go, before the same middle and ending.
- Make each opening a different kind of hook, not the same sentence reworded.
How many impressions you need
With few impressions, a hook rate can change a lot by chance. One day on a small budget tells you little.
- The smaller the difference you want to spot, the more impressions each ad needs.
- At a 30% hook rate, each ad needs about 1,350 impressions before a 5-point gap means much.
Impressions per ad to trust a difference, at a 30% hook rate
Worked out with a standard statistics formula for comparing two percentages. Smaller differences need far more impressions.
| Difference you want to spot | Impressions per ad |
|---|---|
| 10 points (30% vs 40%) | About 340 |
| 5 points (30% vs 35%) | About 1,350 |
| 1 point (30% vs 31%) | About 33,600 |
Difference you want to spot: 10 points (30% vs 40%)
- Impressions per ad
- About 340
Difference you want to spot: 5 points (30% vs 35%)
- Impressions per ad
- About 1,350
Difference you want to spot: 1 point (30% vs 31%)
- Impressions per ad
- About 33,600
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom makes openings cheap to test. Each opening you record becomes its own finished ad.
- You upload a video of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes long, and get a finished 9:16 MP4.
- You write the opening headline, or pick one Cutroom drafted from your words, in one of 15 hook styles.
- Cutroom keeps the lines you say, so start the recording on your strongest sentence.
- A 30-second ad costs 110 credits: 100 to edit, plus 20 per minute of export.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it.
Questions people ask
- What is hook rate?
- The share of people shown your video ad who watched at least the first 3 seconds. It tells you how well the opening stops people scrolling.
- What is a good hook rate?
- There is no official number. Meta and TikTok publish none, and blog figures count views in different ways. A good hook rate is one that beats your own usual rate on the same platform.
- Where do I find hook rate in Meta Ads Manager?
- Open the Columns menu, choose Customize columns and add 3-second video plays and Impressions. Divide the first by the second, or save that sum as a custom metric.
- How do you calculate hook rate on TikTok?
- Divide 2-second video views by impressions and multiply by 100. TikTok reports 2-second and 6-second views, not 3-second views, so the result will not match a Meta hook rate.
- What is the difference between hook rate and hold rate?
- Hook rate measures who stopped for the opening. Hold rate measures who kept watching, often worked out as ThruPlays divided by 3-second video plays.
- How many impressions do I need to compare two hooks?
- At a 30% hook rate, about 1,350 impressions per ad to trust a 5-point gap, and about 33,600 for a 1-point gap.
- Can a bad hook rate be fixed in the edit?
- Sometimes, if the problem is the first picture or missing text on screen. Captions cannot make a dull first sentence interesting, so rewrite it and record it again.
Record a few openings for one ad and see which one beats your usual hook rate. Your first video is free.