# What is hook rate?

> Hook rate is the share of people who watch the first three seconds of your video ad. Formula, a worked example and five ways to raise it.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-10-20
- **Category**: Creative metrics
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-glossary/hook-rate

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Hook rate is the share of people who watch at least the first three seconds of your video ad. It tells you if the opening stops the scroll. A hook rate of 30% means 3 in 10 people who saw the ad kept watching past second three.

## The formula

Hook rate = 3-second video plays / impressions x 100

Meta reports "3-second video plays" as a column in Ads Manager. Hook rate is not a built-in column, so you add it as a custom metric or work it out in a sheet.

## A worked example

Say a Reels ad gets 1,00,000 impressions and 28,000 three-second plays.

- Hook rate = 28,000 / 1,00,000 x 100 = **28%**

You test a new opening: the same video, but it starts with the product result instead of a logo. The new version gets 41,000 three-second plays from 1,00,000 impressions. Hook rate is now 41%. Nothing else changed, so the first three seconds did the work.

## What a hook rate tells you

| Hook rate | Hold rate | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Any | The opening fails. Fix the first 3 seconds |
| High | Low | The opening works, the middle loses people |
| High | High | Strong ad. Check clicks and sales next |

## Five ways to raise hook rate

1. Open on the outcome, not the brand logo.
2. Put words on screen in the first second. Meta advises designing video ads to work with the sound off.
3. Show a face looking at the camera.
4. Start mid-action, as if the viewer walked in on something.
5. Ask a question your buyer is already asking.

See [what makes a good ad hook](/glossary/ad-hook) for patterns to test.

## FAQ

### Is hook rate the same as thumbstop ratio?

Mostly. Both measure three-second plays against impressions. Some teams use "thumbstop" for the same number. See [thumbstop ratio](/glossary/thumbstop-ratio).

### What is a good hook rate?

It varies by format and audience. Compare each new ad against your account's median from the last 90 days, and keep the ones well above it.

### Does hook rate matter for static ads?

No. It needs video plays. For static ads, use CTR as the "did it stop them" signal.

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