How to increase retention rate for Tiktok and YouTube videos

Sometimes the easiest part of making a video is to get people clicking it by using smart hashtags, a thoughtful title and fun hooks. Many times, that’s when the real work begins – keeping the audience behind and watching the video all the time.

At Vidcon 2025, Kai Plunk, managing director of Senior Talent Management, served as Creative Producer at MRBEAST, who offered a retention masterclass. He said the secret to making a retained video lies in three keys:

1. Don’t ignore human psychology

2. Measure twice, in

3. Eyes and ears candy

“As time goes by, keep building relationships with the audience,” he said.

Don’t ignore human psychology

Post more. Plunk recommends building relationships with your audience, which requires content to survive. He said citing your past content in the first few minutes of a YouTube video can build credibility. If you quote past content at the end of a video, you can increase clicks on those videos, establish an audience, and thus increase retention.

He also recommends bridging demographics. Make videos for Tiktok and Instagram Reels, landscape platforms like YouTube, and audio platforms like podcasts. Language and visual effects should always be accessible – simplifying your work.

Measure twice, in

“If you only start thinking about retention rates during or after production, you’re missing out on the main opportunity,” Plunk said.

When making pre-production, prioritize the concept of built-in retention mechanisms. Think of a video idea that makes the audience curious. You don’t have to know all of this before, so your audience is interested in staying on the video and seeing what happens next.

“You want your reservation to go through the roof? Don’t think about the reservation again. Think about what you actually give them so they want to stick with it.” He added that you don’t actually have to add something flashy every five seconds – you just need a story that brings curiosity. When you think about videos, consider using all the different angles that videos can use and choose the idea that encourages the most retained ideas.

When you pack a video, consider which thumbnail elements best capture what your audience is portraying in their minds and use it. Then, use a title that proposes a new idea, question, or rotates.

“When you think about packaging, you want to use it accurately [your audience has] In their minds,” Princk said.

In your Introduction“Confirm their clicks, add bets, [and] Introduce tensions and “use edits to maintain retention rather than speed up pacing”.

Eyes and ears candy

When shooting, “give yourself a choice in the editing room, but don’t overuse” and “capture emotions [and] Balanced lens style emphasizes the key points.

While editing, you want to “distract yourself to identify the retention points” and “remove the fourth wall and add candy”. Add sound effects, jokes, shiny objects, tiny shiny objects and animations. What are the most important parts you keep when editing? Sound design.

“Transition and visual elements require sound,” Foley adds depth to your scenes and pacing, and “don’t be afraid to use silence to your advantage.”

Audience retention is nothing new – but it is crucial to creating viral videos. Depending on the platform, it can affect how your videos rank in the algorithm, thus how many views you get in general. Also, the logic is that if someone keeps watching your video and enjoying it, they may subscribe or follow you.

You can find out exactly when viewers stop watching videos by viewing analytics on YouTube, Tiktok, or Instagram Reels. But Plunk admits that almost all videos will be played after about 30%, even the best ones.

Mashable will be broadcast live this week at the Anaheim Convention Center, covering Vidcon 2025.Where will we talk to your favorite creatorscover the latest trends and share how creators can develop their followers, influence and make a living online.