The formula
Hold rate = ThruPlays / 3-second video playsA Kestrel & Vane video has 21,000 three-second plays and 6,300 ThruPlays, a hold rate of 6,300 / 21,000 = 30%. A recut that cuts the slow intro and moves the product demo to second four reaches 9,460 ThruPlays from 21,500 plays, a hold rate of 44%.
Why it matters
A strong hook with a weak hold means you are buying attention and losing it before the message lands. Reading hook and hold together tells you which half of the video to fix. As a rule of thumb, a hold rate under 25% is weak and 40% or more is strong, but there is no public dataset behind those lines and they shift with video length.
How to improve it
Get to the point by second three or four, cut anything that repeats, add captions and on-screen text so it works with the sound off, and change the picture every few seconds. Keep your best hook and test new bodies behind it, one change at a time.