Audience retention
Also called: average percentage viewed, completion rate
The percentage of a video people actually watch — the strongest predictor of whether a Short gets pushed to new viewers.
Retention (or average percentage viewed) is how much of the video’s length the average viewer watches. A retention curve shows exactly where people drop off — the dips tell you which moments lose them.
For Shorts, this is the metric that drives distribution. Videos that hold a high percentage of viewers get tested on bigger and bigger audiences.
What’s good
Aim for 90–100% on Shorts under 20s, 75–85% on 30–60s, and 65–75% on 1–3 minute Shorts. 70%+ is healthy; viral Shorts average around 76%, and 75%+ roughly triples your odds of being pushed to new viewers.
Related terms