Retention Check (Free): is this short fixable?
Your view counts all look the same. That is not the algorithm.
Short-form platforms hand almost every upload a small initial-velocity test — a seeded batch of impressions to see what happens. That is why your own view counts cluster in the same band whether a video was good or bad, and why comparing your videos by view count teaches you almost nothing.
What decides whether a video escapes that test is watch-through. This free check reads that number.
What you paste in
- Platform and length — e.g. "TikTok, 34s"
- Average percentage viewed (or average view duration)
- Optional: views, and your opening line exactly as spoken or shown
Where to find it — YouTube Studio → the Short → Analytics → Average percentage viewed. TikTok → Creator tools → Analytics → the post. Instagram → the reel → View insights.
What you get
A verdict, with the threshold printed next to it so you can audit the judgment:
| Band | Reading | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 75%+ | Strong | Structure works. Make more like this one. |
| 50-75% | PASS | Healthy. Gains are in the first 3 seconds. |
| 35-50% | REWORK | Idea holds, execution leaks. |
| Under 35% | REBUILD | A new hook will not save it. |
These are working calibration thresholds, not platform-published pass marks — no platform publishes one, and this skill will not pretend otherwise.
The single biggest leak, named, with one concrete fix. And what to record next time, so your next check is comparable.
Two things no hook rewrite can fix
- Re-uploading the same video or title does not give it a second chance; duplicates tend to weaken distribution for the whole account.
- Mixing unrelated topics on one account makes the platform's guess about your audience worse.
This check looks at both before it blames your opening.
Boundaries
- Works only from what you paste. No login, no analytics access, no scraping, no API key.
- Never invents an analytics number. Missing figures are marked and you are told where to find them.
- Promises nothing about views, reach, followers, or revenue.
- Declines, with the reason: buying views or engagement, bot or multi-account automation, evading platform enforcement, re-uploading third-party footage, and fabricating analytics.
If you need the full autopsy
Retention Rebuild Kit takes the same video and returns the full teardown: a self-contained HTML report you can open or print, the drop-off mapped second by second, every leak ranked and labelled structural or surface, a shot-by-shot cut list to reshoot from, and five first-3-second hook variants each with its mechanism and failure mode. One-time purchase, from this same publisher.
→ Retention Rebuild Kit: fix a flat short
Use this free check to decide whether a video is worth rebuilding. Use the Kit when the answer is yes.
