Most advertisers obsess over CTR and CPA but ignore the first battle: stopping the scroll.
That’s where Hook Rate comes in. It measures the % of people who watch at least 3 seconds of your ad after it appears in feed.
A strong hook rate (25–30%+) means your creative is doing the hard work: grabbing attention before targeting or algorithms kick in.
You can track it in Meta Ads Manager by creating a custom metric: 3-second video plays ÷ impressions.
To improve it:
– Lead with a bold visual or statement
– Open with a problem or pain point
– Use captions/text overlays (most watch without sound)
– Test multiple openings, not just whole videos
If your hook fails, the rest of the ad never gets seen. Start optimizing there.
