Retention Analyzer

Retention Analyzer

the #1 audience retention analyzer

Discover where your audience is dropping off to maximize YouTube viewer retention with the best YouTube audience retention analyzer tool.

keep your audience engaged with your content

Watching your audience drop out of your videos isn’t just disheartening, it also tanks your watch time… the most important YouTube metric. TubeBuddy’s YouTube Retention Analyzer doesn’t just tell you where viewers are dropping off. It helps uncover why your YouTube audience retention may be suffering.

See a detailed breakdown of your YouTube retention analytics at key intervals and pinpoint the moments that lose their attention, with recommendations on how to fix the problem and retain your YouTube viewers.

YouTube AI tool retention analyzer

retention rates are key to YouTube success

YouTube loves it when viewers watch an entire video in one go. Audience retention is an important part of the algorithm; videos and channels with higher retention are more likely to be recommended.

In other words, fixing your retention YouTube analytics doesn’t just mean keeping the viewers you have, it’s key to attracting the viewers you want.

The TubeBuddy YouTube Retention Analyzer helps you see which videos are not engaging viewers, as well as which specific parts of those videos are causing them to navigate away.

And these insights are key to creating the kind of content that both audiences and the YouTube algorithm love.

boost retention with cards and end screens

In-video cards and end-of-video end screens can help boost your overall channel retention.

You can’t edit videos you’ve already posted, but you can (and should) insert a card into your video just before retention drops off. That way, if viewers drop out, at least they’re dropping in to another of your videos.

When viewers watch an entire video, YouTube makes “next up” recommendations. A high-performing end screen can ensure the next video your viewer watches is one of yours.

TubeBuddy’s YouTube Retention Analyzer can also offer insight into how your end screens are performing. If an end screen isn’t driving the results you want, find one that does… and update end screens across all your videos with TubeBuddy Bulk Tools.

boost your audience retention with Retention Analyzer

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here's how Retention Analyzer works

feature available on

free

pro

legend

how to use TubeBuddy's YouTube audience retention analyzer

  • Step 1: Open the 'Quick Links' menu at the top of YouTube Studio. Under Website Tools, click on 'Retention Analyzer.'
  • Step 2: See all your videos' retention rates. Filter the results by video type and length.
  • Step 3: Sort the results based on retention minutes or percentages. Compare and find any underperforming outliers.

checkout what other creators are saying

Karl Oftebro

“Once it got my videos ranking #1 in search I was hooked.”

@KarlOftebro

Danie Jay

“TubeBuddy is VITAL for any YouTuber who is serious about making their channel a lucrative side-hustle or full-time job!”

@DanieJay

Karin Carr

“TubeBuddy is like having a YouTube expert on staff who will give you advice and direction whenever you need it.”

@KarinCarr

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "audience retention" mean? And why does it matter to YouTube?

Audience Retention is a YouTube metric that shows the average percentage of a video that people watch for different time intervals. For example, if you see a 90% retention rate for the first 10 seconds, it means 90% of viewers watch your video until the 10 second mark.

Audience Retention is one of the most critical metrics for ranking videos in YouTube's search engine results. YouTube has stated publicly that videos with high Audience Retention scores enjoy more visibility.

By optimizing your videos for retention, you'll not only build a loyal following faster but rank your videos with ease and outperform your competition.

Will I increase my search engine rankings if I optimize my content for retention?

Yes, indirectly. When you successfully optimize your content for viewer retention, the YouTube algorithm notices that viewers like your content and they’re more likely to send viewers your way… because they know they’ll stick around.

Ranking on YouTube is one key to ranking on Google and perhaps with other search engines too.

That’s why you should always optimize your content. TubeBuddy SEO Studio can help there.

What time intervals does TubeBuddy's audience retention analyzer track?

The Retention Analyzer breaks down a video into eight parts:

  • First 10 seconds
  • First 30 seconds
  • First 60 seconds
  • First 90 seconds
  • First 180 seconds
  • Half (i.e., 50% of the video)
  • End screens (i.e., the moment when the viewers see the end screen)
  • End (i.e., the moment when the video ends)
The Retention Analyzer will show you the percentage of viewers who reached each time interval in descending order. For example, you may see that 70% of your viewers watch the first 30 seconds, while only 5% watch it until the end.

What's a good YouTube audience retention rate?

The better your YouTube retention analytics, the better. Take heart in the fact that no public video on YouTube has 100% audience retention. The average is about 50% - 60%. MrBeast audience retention is estimated to be at about 70%... and he’s publicly stated that retention rate is the first metric his team solves for.

Instead of shooting for 100%, set different benchmarks for the different time intervals in descending order, such as:

  • First 10 seconds: 90%
  • First 30 seconds: 80%
  • First 60 seconds: 70%
You can base these targets on your videos' average rates for each interval.

What can I do to increase my audience retention?

Put simply, you should create compelling hooks. YouTube says that the first 15 seconds can make or break your entire video. So if your first 15 seconds are weak, people will leave in droves, which will lead to a lower Audience Retention.

That’s why it’s important to start your video off with a compelling hook, such as by giving previews of what's coming next, strong promises, and pattern interrupts.

You want to start strong and keep them yearning for more. Watch the first 15 seconds of channels like MrBeast and Dude Perfect, and you'll see they are all masters of hooks.

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