How to improve retention

Improve retention by moving the promise earlier, cutting the middle, and checking one graph. Do not add effects until the structure holds people.

Evergreen

One change per upload

Pick the video that is closest to working. Move the best line to the front. Delete the section where the graph falls off a ledge. Publish a sibling video, not a totally new idea, so you can see if the edit was the difference.

Average view duration and completion rate tell you more than views. A short video with a high completion rate is a format. A long video people abandon at 20% is a title that overpromised or an opening that stalled.

Frequently asked questions

Can a better thumbnail fix retention?

A thumbnail changes who clicks. Retention is what they do after. Fix the click and the stay as separate tests.