This week on All Killer No Filler, the Pilothouse team talked about measuring creatives with the golden triangle — a framework to help you optimize content based on data from your video content.
The golden triangle is used to understand what’s working and what’s not in your creatives. It assists with creative decision making (specifically video content) when little data is available within ad platforms like Meta and TikTok.
The framework is not a one size fits all. Every audience is different and every product is unique. But optimizing content based on the following three metrics will be a sure fire way to increase ad performance and ultimately revenue.
⏰ Average watch time:
Watch time measures the amount of time a viewer stays engaged with your video content before scrolling away.
So, a higher average watch time is good, right? Sometimes.
Sometimes your video content is so fun that people watch the entire thing but miss what you’re asking them to do. So yes, generally, a higher watch time is better, but the metric needs to be balanced with clicks and conversions to have a real impact. ⚖️
Note: Average view time (for a good piece of content) is around 6 seconds on TikTok and closer to 5 seconds on Meta!
If your video watch time is on the high side, consider adding additional elements to increase interest and education about your product! For example, include:
- Additional uses for your product
- Proof that your product does what you say it does (testimonials or reviews)
- A clean and clear call to action (CTA)
- A compelling offer (discount, bundle, trial, etc.)
On the flip side, if your watch time is low, it could be worth analyzing to understand why your content isn’t hitting its watch time goals. ⏲️
If your potential customers are leaving before really getting into your video creative, ask yourself:
- Does the first 5-10 seconds of your video look too much like an ad?
- Is the video hook overused or not relevant to trends anymore?
- Have you utilized captions and audio effectively?
- Is it time to think out of the box and get a little bit weird with the opening shot of the video?
🖱 Click-through rate (CTR):
Think of watch time as an indication of interest in the video, and CTR as an indication of interest in the product/offer.
If your viewers aren’t clicking, review your average watch time. For example, are 95% of users skipping before the first 3 seconds? If so, your hook may not be strong enough. In this case, your goal should be to add something to your creative to get and keep users engaged from the start.
If your watch time is healthy (greater than 5 seconds), but you aren’t generating enough clicks, it’s time to think of ways to move the audience from the awareness stage to consideration.
Here are some elements to be on the watch for:
- Where in the video are your CTA's?
- What is the hook?
- Is there a sale, offer, or promotional deal you can offer?
- Is your product well aligned with who you are targeting?
- Do you have a graphic or audio CTA?
Each and every one of these elements is worth testing to solve low clicks!
🤝 Conversion rate (CVR):
CVR is the trump card of the triangle. If it works, it works. 🤷♀️ But chances are, like most people, you’re always trying to bump up your CVR.
Remember that your post-click experience should not be ignored! Your post-click experience (landing pages, offers, educational content, page testing) has a massive impact once users actually click.
If your average watch time and click-through rate are healthy, your objective and the clicker’s objective may be misaligned. Ask yourself:
- Is the CTA just clickbait?
- Is the landing page in line with the creative your user saw going into the click?
- Are you targeting a conversion audience?
Your triangle can be skewed in many ways (we all remember elementary school math class), but the goal is to use the golden triangle to better optimize your creatives for your intended audience.
For more info on variables to change, working with new video creators, and hacks to test your creative, listen to the full episode here!
