Hook rate
Hook rate is the share of a video ad's impressions that turned into a play of at least 3 seconds: a measure of whether the opening stopped people scrolling. Hook rate, also called thumbstop rate, is now defined in Meta's help center. Its partner, hold rate, measures how many of those viewers stayed to a ThruPlay.
How does Meta define hook rate?
Meta's Hook rate entry calls it "The percentage of times your video played for at least 3 seconds", and says: "This measures how well your video's opening 3 seconds grabs attention." The calculation:
This percentage is calculated as the number of three-second views divided by your video's total impressions, times 100.
The entry carries Meta's "in development" label. Meta's page on that label says such metrics are "measurements we're still testing", fine for "Directional guidance", and not for "Historical comparison of advertising performance".
"Thumbstop rate" is the same ratio under another name. A search of Meta's help center for "thumbstop" returns no metric of that name.
What goes into the ratio?
Both halves are defined on Meta's own pages, and both are stricter than they look.
| Part | Meta's definition |
|---|---|
| 3-second video plays | "The number of times your video played for at least 3 seconds, or for nearly its total length if it's shorter than 3 seconds" |
| Impressions | "The number of times your ads were on screen" |
Replays don't count toward a 3-second play: someone who plays a 3-second video for 2 seconds, then rewinds and watches the first 2 seconds again, has not made one. And an impression doesn't need the video to play: "a video is not required to start playing for the impression to be counted."
Whether a video starts at all depends on the placement. Meta's playing specifications put the share of pixels that must be on screen at 50% in Facebook Feed and Reels, 25% in Instagram Feed and Explore, and 100% in Stories. So hook rates from different placements are not measuring the same thing.
What is hold rate?
The next step down the video. Meta's Hold rate entry: "The percentage of times your video played to completion after playing for at least 3 seconds." It "counts the number of ThruPlays and divides it by 3-second video plays", so it inherits the ThruPlay rule: a play to the end, or to 15 seconds on a longer video. It is also labeled in development.
Read together: hook rate says whether the opening worked, hold rate whether the rest of the video kept the people the opening won.
What it means for your ads
- Work on the first 3 seconds. Meta's Instagram video best practices say to "Use motion or a compelling visual in the first frame" and to feature your brand and key message "within the first 3 seconds".
- Compare like with like. Judge hook rate between ads in the same placement, not across feed and Stories.
- Read hold rate next to it. A strong hook with a weak hold points at the middle of the video, not the opening.
- Don't trend it over months yet. Meta says not to use in-development metrics that way.
Common mistakes
- Quoting a "good hook rate" benchmark. Meta publishes none, so any figure you see is someone else's.
- Mixing up hold rate and completion rate. For a video longer than 15 seconds, a ThruPlay is not a finished view.
Sources
- Hook rate — Meta Business Help Center metric glossary: definition, use, calculation and the "in development" label (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)
- Hold rate — Meta Business Help Center metric glossary: definition, calculation and the "in development" label (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)
- 3-second video plays — Meta Business Help Center metric glossary: the definition and the replay example (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)
- Impressions — Meta Business Help Center metric glossary: the definition and how video impressions are counted (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)
- About estimated, in development and third-party metrics — Meta Business Help Center: what "in development" means (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)
- Video ad playing specifications by placement — Meta Business Help Center: the share of pixels in view before a video plays (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)
- Best practices for Instagram video ads — Meta Business Help Center: first-frame and first-3-seconds guidance (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)
Meta's help pages are client-rendered and show no date; they were read in a real browser on 16 October 2026. Hook rate and hold rate are new to Meta's help center and labeled in development, so their definitions may change.
Terrads can make three new openings for a finished video ad, each as its own variation, so you can test hooks against each other.