Ad glossary
Hook rate
The share of video ad impressions that lead to at least three seconds of viewing, used to judge how well an opening grabs attention.
Hook rate measures how well the opening of a video ad stops people from scrolling. It is not an official Meta metric with that name, but it is widely calculated by media buyers and creative teams from data available in Ads Manager.
How to calculate it
The most common definition is:
Hook rate = (3-second video plays ÷ impressions) × 100
Worked example (made-up numbers): a video ad receives 20,000 impressions and 5,000 three-second plays. Hook rate = (5,000 ÷ 20,000) × 100 = 25%.
Some teams use slightly different inputs, for example a custom column based on a different view threshold. Whichever definition you choose, keep it consistent so that ads can be compared fairly.
Why it matters
On short-form placements such as Reels and Stories, people decide within a moment whether to keep watching. A weak opening means the rest of the ad, including the offer and call to action, is never seen. Hook rate isolates that first moment so you can test it separately from the body of the ad.
How to improve it
- Test several hooks on the same body footage rather than reshooting whole ads.
- Open with movement, a bold claim, a question or a visible result instead of a logo.
- Use on-screen text, since many people watch with the sound off.
- Try a pattern interrupt that looks different from what surrounds it in the feed.
Read hook rate together with hold rate: a strong hook with poor hold suggests the opening promises something the rest of the video does not deliver.
Last reviewed Oct 27, 2026