If your YouTube audience retention rate is more than 20%, it can be considered adequate. However, a good audience retention rate on YouTube is typically 50% or higher, while 60%+ is considered excellent, especially for longer videos.
Ever wondered how much of your YouTube videos people actually watch before clicking away? That’s where audience retention comes in—and trust me, it’s one of the most important numbers you should be paying attention to. It tells you how well your content holds your viewers’ attention, and YouTube uses it to decide whether to push your video to more people. But here’s the big question: what’s considered a good audience retention rate?
In this post, we’ll break it down in simple terms, look at what’s “good” by YouTube standards, and share tips to help you keep viewers watching till the very end.
What Is Audience Retention on YouTube?
Audience retention on YouTube refers to the percentage of a video that viewers watch from beginning to end. It shows how well your content holds viewers’ attention throughout the video. YouTube tracks this metric to determine how engaging your video is—higher retention often means higher chances of being promoted by the algorithm. There are two types: absolute retention, which shows how much of your video is watched overall, and relative retention, which compares your video’s performance to others of similar length.
The retention rate is given as a percentage of the views that exist in total. Let’s say, you have a 10-minute-long video, and the viewers watch for mostly 5 minutes. So, this means your YouTube audience retention rate is 50%.
If you go to YouTube Studio, various instances throughout your video that play a role in the audience retention rate are shown. 4 of them are pretty major. These are:
- The amount of viewers that don’t click away after the intro
- Uninterrupted sections where nobody clicked away from the video
- Specific moments that people jumped ahead or watched again
- Low points where the audience didn’t watch a part or clicked away from the video altogether
This is how you analyze the parts in your video that are interesting or disengaging to your viewers.
In addition to these analytical graphics, you can see a more superficial version of it as a viewer. If you move your cursor on top of the progress bar, it shows you which parts of the video are watched more or less.
What Is Considered a “Good” Audience Retention Rate?
A good audience retention rate on YouTube typically means that viewers are watching at least 50% of your video—this is considered solid by most standards. If your video maintains a 60% or higher retention rate, it’s generally seen as excellent, especially for longer content. However, if your rate is about 30-40%, it is okay, too.
So long story short; the answer to our question “What is a good retention rate on YouTube?” is anything more than 30%. That means people are liking your videos.
Why Audience Retention Matters for YouTube Algorithm
Audience retention isn’t just a pretty figure to look at—it actually has an enormous impact on how YouTube determines which videos to recommend. When viewers do watch more of your video, YouTube interprets that as a positive signal. It’s telling the algorithm, “This video is engaging!”—which can result in improved search ranking, video suggestion, and even the homepage.
And it doesn’t end there. Retention leads directly into something known as watch time, and YouTube is a huge fan of watch time. If your video is keeping people on the site—whether that’s viewing your entire video or moving on to another one afterward—that contributes to something known as session watch time. The more time someone remains on YouTube due to your video, the more you’re likely to be recommended to others.
In a nutshell, holding viewers’ attention for longer ranks your video higher, gives you more visibility, and even unlocks the door to monetization. It’s one of the strongest signals the algorithm considers when ranking videos for additional views.
Where to Find the Audience Retention Rates of Your Channel
Now that you know what retention rate is, you may also want to check the YouTube retention rates of your own videos.
- Access the YouTube Studio through your YouTube account, as shown below.
2. Go to Content in the menu on the left side of the page.
- Here, you will see all your videos. You can select which video you want to see the analysis of.
- When you go down on the page, the graphic of your video view statistics will appear.
Below is an example of this graphic:
What does this graphic tell us?
- The average view duration gives the average time people watched the video. People watched this specific video for 4 minutes and 37 seconds.
- The average percentage viewed gives us the YouTube audience retention rate. So, this video’s retention rate is 47%.
Another useful trick here is the typical performance section.
By clicking here, you can see the comparison of the selected video to your other similar videos.
Audience retention rates may differ greatly. It depends on how long the video is, the viewers, and the content.
To give an example, a video where someone explains a math problem may have low retention. Because the person watching the video has the potential to skip the parts they already understand. Or a cartoon may have low retention rates because of the audience. Usually, young kids watch cartoons on YouTube, and their attention span is short. People can click away from a video for various reasons.
Audience Retention Benchmarks by Video Type
Not all videos are created equal when it comes to viewer retention. The type and format of your content have a big impact on how long viewers stick around, so you’ll want to be comparing apples to apples when you’re measuring your own retention rates. Here’s how different types of videos tend to fare:
Shorts vs. Long-form Videos
YouTube Shorts (less than 60 seconds) tend to have higher percentage, even 80–100%, as they’re short and simple to watch from start to finish. Long-form content (5+ minutes) will, of course, have lower percentage retention—but that’s totally okay. If a 10-minute video has people watching for 5–6 minutes, that’s actually excellent (~50–60% retention).
Tip: For videos that are longer, take note of the the average view duration along with percentage. A very high view duration (in minutes) is still valuable even if the percentage appears lower.
Tutorials and Entertainment Videos
Tutorial, how-to, and educational videos do better in terms of retention since individuals will hang in there until they receive the answer that they have been looking for. It is not uncommon to notice 60%+ retention for a short, well-made tutorial.
Entertainment videos such as vlogs, challenges, or reaction videos will generally experience more drop-off, particularly if the content is slow-paced or lacks a hook. These would generally fall in the range of 35–50% retention, based on the engagement value of the storytelling.
Live Streams vs. Pre-recorded Videos
Live streams also tend to have lower average retention rates, particularly for longer streams, as viewers join and leave. YouTube does evaluate live stream performance a bit differently, however, and total watch time can still be high if a stream is an hour or more.
Pre-recorded videos, on the other hand, give you more editing control and pacing, which usually leads to better overall retention.
Key Takeaway: Retention statistics differ by format and industry. Always look at both percentage and total minutes viewed to gauge performance—and compare within the same video format for actionable insights.
Keep Your Audience Retention Rate High: Here’s How
You’re only 6 steps away from having a remarkable retention rate. And those steps are:
1. Coming Up with the Perfect Hook
The first 15 seconds are crucial for a video. That’s when most viewers leave the video. Do you know what might prevent that? Beginning your video in such a way that they’re hooked from the start. Having a capturing intro is the key. The first step is to work on that.
2. Having Chapters for a Good Video Structure
Having strategically constructed chapters in your video can actually increase your watch time. How?
Let’s say your video is a tutorial on how to add layers in the background of a photo on a Photoshop app. The first chapter is selecting the background, the second chapter is adjusting the layer, the third chapter is combining the two, etc. The viewers who have issues with selecting the background will watch the first chapter from start to finish.
With no chapters, you carry the risk of losing viewers, especially in a long video.
3. Teasing the Viewers
Hey, we’re all human. Most of us can’t resist a little bit of mystery and suspense. We HAVE TO know. So, giving the audience a hint of what’s coming is always a good way to keep them watching. It will definitely increase your YouTube audience retention rate.
4. Making Smart Use of Pattern Interrupters
What are pattern interrupters? They’re basically little acts or effects that might be considered as surprise elements for the viewers. You can do this by changing the angles of the shoot, sudden music switch, or adding entertaining images.
5. Adjusting the Video Length Correctly
Nobody enjoys unnecessarily long videos. So, make sure you’re not talking through your hat just to make your video longer. If 5 minutes is all you need for the topic you want to cover, then make the video 5 minutes. People are there to enjoy their time or learn something. You don’t want to waste their time.
6. Familiarizing Yourself with the Related Graphs
Keeping everything you have learned in this article in mind, study your video and statistics. Not just the total retention rates, but try to dissect your video. When did the viewers click away from the video the most? Does your intro work in keeping them engaged? Or are there any sections or chapters where viewers didn’t click away?
Care for your videos as if they were your babies and see if they need anything. Don’t let them starve.
FAQs
Can I improve retention on an old video?
Yes, you definitely can. While you can’t change the video content itself without re-uploading, you can improve retention by:
Updating the title or thumbnail to better reflect the content
Adding timestamps to guide viewers through key parts
Using pinned comments or cards to direct viewers to high-value sections
Promoting the video to a more targeted audience
These tweaks can help reduce early drop-offs and bring in viewers more likely to watch longer.
What’s a bad audience retention rate?
There’s no universal “bad,” but generally, a retention rate below 30% suggests viewers are losing interest early. If most people drop off within the first 15–30 seconds, it’s a sign that your intro may need improvement. The key is to look for patterns across videos and identify where viewers consistently tune out.
Does retention rate affect monetization?
Indirectly, yes. A higher retention rate leads to better watch time, which helps your video get more visibility and grow your audience—both of which support monetization. Plus, videos that keep people engaged are more likely to display more ads (especially mid-rolls), boosting your ad revenue potential. So while retention isn’t a direct monetization metric, it strongly influences it.
