The share of people shown your video ad who watched at least the first three seconds. It tells you whether the opening stopped the scroll. It is a practitioner metric, not a standard Meta column, so teams define it slightly differently; the most common version is below.
Formula
Hook rate = 3-second video plays ÷ impressions
Example
Meera's Reel ad had 50,000 impressions and 15,000 three-second plays, so its hook rate is 15,000 ÷ 50,000 = 30%. A second Reel with 9,000 three-second plays from 50,000 impressions has a hook rate of 18%.
How you'll hear it
“The hook rate is fine at 30%, so the problem is after the first three seconds, not the opening.”
What it helps you decide
Whether to rework the opening of a video or the rest of it. A low hook rate means change the first seconds: the visual, the on-screen text, the first line. A high hook rate with poor results means the problem is later.
Where people misread it
People treat a high hook rate as a sign of a good ad. A shocking or off-topic opening can stop many scrolls and still sell nothing. Different teams also use reach instead of impressions, or a different number of seconds, so check the definition before comparing numbers across agencies.
The story
Meera's two Reels (illustrative)
Meera runs two Reel ads, each shown 50,000 times. Reel A opens with a model spinning in a bright lehenga. Reel B opens with a customer asking 'Will this survive my office commute?'.
| A: 3-second plays | 15,000 |
| A: hook rate (15,000 ÷ 50,000) | 30% |
| B: 3-second plays | 9,000 |
| B: hook rate (9,000 ÷ 50,000) | 18% |
Reel A looks like the stronger creative.
| A: ThruPlays | 1,500 |
| A: purchases | 12 |
| B: ThruPlays | 2,700 |
| B: purchases | 20 |
What the hook rate hides: A's spinning lehenga stopped people who like spectacle, not women looking for office wear, and 90% of them left soon after. B stopped fewer people, but the right ones, and 30% of them stayed to the end.
What to look at instead: hook rate together with hold rate and purchases. Use hook rate to fix the opening once you know the rest of the video works.
All figures are illustrative.
Work out your hook rate and hold rate
The example's numbers are filled in. Replace them with yours.
More than half of the people your opening stopped left before a ThruPlay. Check whether the hook matches what the rest of the video is about, and compare against purchases or enquiries.
Don't confuse it with
Related terms
Sources
- Hook rate and hold rate: Facebook ads formulas and benchmarks, Vaizle Insights (Siddharth Dwivedi), 2026
- About ThruPlay, Meta Business Help Centre