Hey there, I’m Jason—a documentary filmmaker who’s had the wild ride of seeing my work stream on Amazon Prime and rack up views on YouTube. If there’s one question I hear over and over from creators, it’s this: “What’s a good retention rate for my videos?” It’s the kind of metric that keeps us up at night, obsessing over analytics dashboards and wondering if our latest upload is resonating—or just fading into the digital void.
A couple of years back, I stumbled across a visual (I believe it was from VidSummit, though memory’s a bit hazy) that laid out retention benchmarks in a way that finally clicked. It wasn’t just motivational fluff—it was data-driven, grounded in what top-performing videos actually achieve. Since retention is the heartbeat of YouTube success for so many creators, I thought I’d dust off that insight, pair it with my own experience, and share it with you. Let’s dive in.
The Retention Reality: It’s Not One-Size-Fits-All
You’ve probably heard MrBeast toss around that golden 70% retention figure like it’s the ultimate benchmark. And sure, if you’re pulling that off, you’re in elite company. But here’s the thing: retention isn’t a static target. It shifts dramatically depending on how long your video is. A three-minute quickie has a different game plan than a 90-minute deep dive—and the data backs that up.
So, what does success look like? Let’s break it down with some hard numbers, comparing the top 10% of YouTube videos (the cream of the crop) against the average ones plodding along in the middle of the pack.
The Benchmarks: Top 10% vs. Average
For shorter videos, retention tends to stay high—viewers are more likely to stick around when the commitment is low. Here’s what the top 10% achieve:
- 3 minutes: 82% retention
- 6 minutes: 71%
- 10 minutes: 61%
- 15 minutes: 54%
- 30 minutes: 49%
Now, compare that to the average video:
- 3 minutes: 62%
- 6 minutes: 50%
- 10 minutes: 44%
- 15 minutes: 37%
- 30 minutes: 33%
The drop-off is stark, right? The best creators are holding viewers’ attention at nearly double the rate of the average in some cases. But as videos stretch longer, even the top tier sees a natural decline—people’s lives get in the way, after all. For those marathon runtimes:
- 45 minutes: Top 10% ~40%, Median ~25%
- 60 minutes: Top 10% ~36%, Median ~22%
- 90 minutes: Top 10% ~30%, Median ~17%
These numbers aren’t just trivia—they’re a roadmap. If you’re making a 10-minute explainer and hovering around 44%, you’re average. Push that to 61%, and you’re in the top 10%. For my own documentaries, often clocking in at 45 minutes or more, hitting 40% feels like a win—but I’m always chasing ways to inch it higher.
Beyond Retention: The Real YouTube Holy Grail
Here’s where it gets interesting. Retention’s a big deal, but it’s not the whole game. YouTube’s algorithm doesn’t just care if people stick around—it wants to know how long they watch and how often they click. That’s where watch time and click-through rate (CTR) come in. These are the twin engines driving your video’s performance, far more than any thumbnail hack or clickbait title (though, let’s be honest, those don’t hurt).
Watch time is simple: the total minutes viewers spend with your content. A 10-minute video with 61% retention means an average watch time of 6.1 minutes—pretty solid. CTR, meanwhile, is all about that first impression—how many people see your thumbnail and title in their feed and actually click. Nail both, and YouTube starts pushing your video like it’s the next viral sensation.
Take my own experience: a “terrible” UFO documentary I made a while back somehow hit over a million views. The retention wasn’t perfect—probably closer to 40% given its length—but a decent CTR and a compelling hook kept the watch time high enough to snowball. It wasn’t gimmicks; it was storytelling and a thumbnail that piqued curiosity.
So, How Do You Boost Retention?
The data gives us targets, but hitting them takes craft. Over the years, I’ve picked up a few tricks that work—whether you’re making snappy tutorials or sprawling docs like mine:
- Hook Early: The first 15 seconds are make-or-break. Tease the payoff—why should they stay? MrBeast’s intros are a masterclass in this.
- Pace Smartly: For longer videos, break the monotony. I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that dragging sections kill retention. Keep the energy moving.
- Know Your Audience: My UFO video leaned on credible characters, not conspiracy fluff, because I knew my viewers wanted substance. Tailor your style to what they crave.
- Test and Tweak: Use YouTube Analytics to spot where viewers drop off. For me, over-explaining killed momentum in one section—now I cut to the chase.
Let’s Talk: What’s Your Retention Story?
Numbers are great, but the real juice comes from the community. What retention rates are you seeing on your channel? Are you a short-form wizard holding 80% at three minutes, or a long-form storyteller battling for 35% at an hour? And what’s worked for you—better editing, punchier intros, or maybe just begging viewers to “stick around” in the outro?
At the end of the day, retention isn’t just a stat; it’s a signal. It tells us if we’re connecting, entertaining, or informing in a way that matters. And in a sea of endless scrolls, that’s what keeps us creators coming back to the grind.
Jason Hassett is a documentary filmmaker whose work spans YouTube and Amazon Prime. His viral hit, “The Secret Truth of UFOs,” taught him more about retention than any textbook ever could. Follow his journey at vidstew.com.