Hook rate is the quickest way to tell whether a video ad earns attention. On Instagram Reels and Facebook, most people decide in the first second or two whether to keep watching. If your ad loses them there, nothing that comes after it matters: not the product demo, not the offer, not the call to action.
This guide explains what hook rate and hold rate are, the formulas most performance teams use, how to set them up as custom metrics in Meta Ads Manager, how to read them, and how to improve them.
What is hook rate?
Hook rate (sometimes called thumb-stop ratio) is the share of impressions where someone watched at least the first three seconds of your video ad. It measures whether the opening frames stop the scroll.
Meta reports "3-second video plays" (in some views shown as "Video plays at 3 seconds") as a standard metric, so hook rate is easy to calculate for any video ad.
What is hold rate?
Hold rate measures whether people keep watching after the hook. Teams use one of two common definitions, so agree on one and stick to it:
- ThruPlays ÷ impressions: the share of all impressions that became a ThruPlay (watched to completion, or at least 15 seconds for longer videos).
- ThruPlays ÷ 3-second video plays: of the people the hook caught, how many stayed. This isolates the body of the ad from the hook.
Some teams also look at average watch time or the 25%/50%/75% video-watch metrics to see exactly where viewers drop off.
How to add hook rate and hold rate in Meta Ads Manager
- In Ads Manager, open Columns → Customise columns.
- Choose Create custom metric.
- Name it "Hook rate" and build the formula: 3-second video plays ÷ Impressions, formatted as a percentage.
- Create "Hold rate" the same way with ThruPlays ÷ Impressions (or ÷ 3-second video plays).
- Save the column set so hook rate, hold rate, CTR, CPM and cost per result sit side by side.
Menu names change from time to time; if you can't find "Create custom metric", search Meta's Business Help Centre for custom metrics.
What is a good hook rate?
There's no universal number. Hook rate varies with placement (Reels vs Feed), audience temperature, category and video length, and averages quoted online mix all of these. The useful benchmark is your own account:
- Rank your live video ads by hook rate and look at the median.
- Treat new ads well above your median as hook winners, even if they haven't converted yet.
- Compare like with like: cold vs retargeting audiences, Reels vs Feed placements, 15-second vs 60-second edits.
How to read hook rate with other metrics
- High hook, low hold: the opening works but the body loses people. Tighten the edit, get to the product sooner, cut slow intros and logos.
- Low hook, high hold: the story works for those who stay, but the opening doesn't stop enough people. Keep the body and test new first three seconds.
- High hook, high hold, low CTR: people watch but don't act. Strengthen the offer, the call to action, or the match between ad and landing page.
- Good hook and hold, high cost per purchase: check the landing page, price and audience before blaming the creative.
Hook rate is a leading indicator, not the goal. An ad that stops the scroll with a gimmick unrelated to the product can have a great hook rate and a poor cost per purchase. Always judge it alongside cost per result.
How to improve hook rate
- Lead with the problem or the payoff. Show the result, the pain point or the surprising moment in the first second, not the logo.
- Use motion and a face early. A person speaking to camera or an object moving in frame one tends to beat a static opening.
- Write on-screen text for sound-off viewing. A short, specific line ("I stopped using sunscreen like this") carries the hook when audio is muted.
- Call out the viewer. "If you run a D2C brand…" filters for the right audience and earns attention from them.
- Pattern interrupts with purpose. An unexpected visual works when it leads straight into the product story.
- Test hooks as variables. Keep the body the same and swap only the first three seconds; that's the cheapest way to find winners. See how we build hook variants on our Meta ads creative page.
How hook rate affects what you pay
Ads that people stop on and watch tend to be delivered more efficiently, which can lower CPM, and they usually drive more clicks per impression. Together that lowers cost per result. Our guide to Meta ads cost in India explains the full cost picture, and our D2C and edtech pages show how we apply this to specific categories.
FAQs
What is hook rate in Meta ads?
Hook rate is the percentage of impressions where someone watched at least three seconds of your video ad: 3-second video plays divided by impressions. It shows whether the opening of the ad stops the scroll.
What is the hook rate formula?
Hook rate = 3-second video plays ÷ impressions × 100. You can create it as a custom metric in Meta Ads Manager so it appears next to CTR and cost per result.
What is the difference between hook rate and hold rate?
Hook rate measures the first three seconds; hold rate measures whether people keep watching after that, usually ThruPlays divided by impressions or by 3-second video plays.
What is a good hook rate for Instagram Reels ads?
It depends on placement, audience and category, so compare against the median of your own video ads rather than a number from the internet. Ads clearly above your account median are hook winners worth scaling and iterating.
Does a higher hook rate lower ad costs?
Often, because engaging ads tend to be delivered more efficiently and drive more clicks, but not always. A hook that attracts the wrong people can raise cost per purchase. Judge hook rate together with cost per result.
How many hooks should I test per ad?
A practical approach is three or more hook variants per concept, keeping the rest of the video the same, so you learn which opening works before making new full ads.