Video Completion Rate (VCR) represents the percentage of people who watch your video ads to their completion.

Making videos can be tricky. People make them hoping others will watch and like them. But how can you tell if people really enjoy your videos? Well, you can check the Video Completion Rate or VCR.

VCR is really useful for people who make videos, as well as for those who invest in them, sponsor them, or put ads on them. It tells you a lot about how well your videos are doing. Let’s take a closer look at VCR, why it’s important, and ways to make it better.

What is a Video Completion Rate?

A Video Completion Rate, or VCR, shows the percentage of people who watch your video ads all the way to the end. Advertisers often use this number to see how successful their video ads are.

While advertisers and digital marketers use VCRs a lot, it’s also important for others like YouTubers, bloggers, and people who invest in videos. This is because VCR helps you understand how much people are really paying attention to the videos, which is good to know for anyone making videos on the internet.

How to figure out your VCR (Video Completion Rate) – Video Completion Rate formula

Calculating your Video Completion Rate (VCR) is pretty straightforward. But first, make sure you can get good data about your video. You need two key numbers: how many people watched your video to the end and how many people clicked on your video. You can usually find this info in your video analytics tools, but where exactly it shows up can vary depending on what software you’re using.

Now, let’s do the math. The basic formula for VCR is:

Video Completion Rate = (Number of people who watched the whole video x 100) / Total number of clicks on the video

So, let’s say 8,000 people watched your whole video. Multiply that by 100, and you get 800,000. Now, imagine 25,000 people clicked on your video in total. You divide 800,000 by 25,000, and you find out your VCR is 32%.

Here’s that example as a simple math formula: (800,000) / 25,000 = 32%

It’s not too complicated, but it’s really useful to know why this easy math is so important for your videos.

Why it’s important to know your VCR (Video Completion Rate)?

Your Video Completion Rate is really important for a few reasons. The main one is that it helps you understand what your viewers like. If not many people watch your whole video, there might be something wrong with it.

For instance, maybe the video isn’t very good, or it’s not interesting to the people you want to watch it. It’s crucial to spot these issues quickly and change your videos to make them better.

On the other hand, if lots of people are watching your whole video, it means you’re doing something right. But don’t just keep doing the same thing over and over. Even if people like your videos now, they might get bored if you don’t change things up a bit. So, it’s always good to keep improving your content, no matter how well your videos are doing.

Different types of video ads and how they impact VCR (Video Completion Rates)?

Advertisers want a high Video Completion Rate (VCR) to make sure their ads get people interested. But, the type of video ads you use can change your VCR. Like, on YouTube, most ads can be skipped, especially if they’re long.

Ads that can be skipped usually have a lower VCR. But, you can pay for different kinds of ads to keep your VCR high and make sure people watch your videos. Here’s how different types of ads can affect your VCR:

• Non-skippable Ads: These ads make sure people watch all the way through, so your VCR will be high. But, just because people watch doesn’t always mean they like or are interested in your ad.
• In-banner Ads: These ads are less in-your-face, but they might not get as much attention. People can close these ads, so how interesting your video is can really change how many people watch.
• Out-stream Ads: These play before or in the middle of other content. They can help your VCR, but the start of your video is super important to keep people watching.
• In-feed Ads: For longer ads, in-feed is a good choice. These ads need a catchy description and thumbnail because they show up in places like homepages or search results.

Remember, how long your video ad is and where it’s shown can affect your VCR. For example, ads on Connected TV (CTV) often get watched all the way through, then ads on computers, and then on mobile devices.

Important things to do for better VCR – how to make more people watch your whole video ad?

Understanding why people watch your whole video ad is important, you might want to know how to get a better Video Completion Rate (VCR). It may feel like it’s not in your hands, but there are ways to help improve it.

Change the length of your video

One simple way to get a better VCR is to make your video the right length for your audience and where you show it. Long videos might not always be the best choice, but super short ones might not work all the time either.

Short videos are great for quick news, little sneak peeks, or for people who don’t want to watch long things. Long videos are good for stuff that needs more time to explain or to tell a story. Things like movie trailers or complicated topics need longer videos.

For instance, sites like Hulu, Twitch, and Netflix are good for longer ads because people are ready to watch for a while. Also, long videos are usually on regular TV.

But places like blogs, social media, and YouTube are better for short videos. That’s because people there usually look at things quickly and then go to the next thing. They might not stick around for a long video ad.

Focus on either desktop or mobile

Another idea to get a better Video Completion Rate (VCR) is to focus on either desktop or mobile, not both. It’s common to try to make videos that work well on both, but most of the time, it’s better to just choose one.

Think about focusing on a specific group of people, a certain website, and either desktop or mobile. Find out how people watch your videos and make them just right for that group and device. For instance, if you focus on mobile, you might want to make short ads that get straight to the point.

If you’re aiming for a desktop, you need to think about which website you’ll show your ads on and if the type of ad fits well there. Ads that show up in the content people are already looking at are usually good for desktops, especially for longer videos.

Make your website more engaging for videos

If you’re making videos just for your website, you should think about making your website better for people to interact with your ads. If your ads are too in the way, people won’t want to watch them.

Change how your website looks and think about the best places to put your ads. For example, some bloggers put video ads in the middle of their posts to give readers a little break. They plan their posts so there’s a nice pause around the video ads.

You can also use video ads that play after someone has finished reading or watching the main thing on your page. If your video ad is related to what they just saw or read, they might be more likely to watch your ad.

Summary for making good video ads

Making video ads that people like to watch isn’t simple, and you can’t really take shortcuts. But there are ways to help you make sure more people watch your whole video.

You can change how long your video is and don’t be afraid to try different things. In the online world, people don’t pay attention for very long, so you have to really grab their interest. It’s important to make your video interesting and find people who will watch all of it.

Frequently asked questions for VCR (Video Completion Rates)

Here are some common questions and answers about what VCR is and how it works.

• What affects how many people watch your whole video? The main things that make people watch your whole video are how good it is, how long it is, and where it fits in. Other stuff, like where your video shows up and technical problems, can also change this but might be out of your hands.
• How is VTR different from VCR? The big difference is that VTR looks at how often people watch your video or how popular it is. VCR is all about how many people watch your video from start to finish. They both tell you different things about how much people like your video.
• What’s a good number of people watching your whole video? Most people who make ads hope that at least 70% of viewers watch the whole thing. If less than 70% do, it might mean there’s something wrong with your video or how you’re showing it. Some kinds of ads, like ones that play in the middle of something else, usually have a lot of people watch all the way through, like 97%.
• Why do people who make ads look at how many watch the whole video? For people who make ads, it’s super important that as many people as possible really pay attention to their ads. If not many people watch the whole ad, it means not many people care about what they’re trying to sell or say.