As a digital marketer, one of the key metrics to track for LinkedIn video ads is the video completion rate. This measures the percentage of viewers who watch your full video after it begins playing. Having a benchmark completion rate helps you evaluate how engaging and effective your LinkedIn video ads are in keeping viewers’ attention.
Why Track LinkedIn Video Completion Rates
There are a few key reasons why tracking and benchmarking LinkedIn video completion rates matter:
- It shows how captivating your video content is. A high completion rate means you created compelling content that held viewers’ attention.
- It impacts other LinkedIn ad metrics. Higher completion rates tend to correlate with better overall engagement and click-through rates.
- It affects your ad costs and results. LinkedIn bills you when viewers watch at least 50% of your video. Higher completion rates drive more billable views and potential conversions.
By regularly assessing your LinkedIn video completion rate against industry benchmarks, you can see how your video ads perform compared to competitors. This helps you identify opportunities to refine your video marketing approach for better results.
Average LinkedIn Video Ad Completion Rates
According to the latest LinkedIn data, the average video completion rate on the platform is around 42-48%. However, for shorter videos of less than 20 seconds, completion rates are higher with an average around 60%.
Of course, averages don’t tell the full story. Completion rates vary significantly based on factors like your target audience, video content, length, placement and more. Here are a few key benchmarks:
By Video Length
| Video Length | Average Completion Rate Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Under 10 seconds | 60%+ |
| 10 – 20 seconds | 55-65% |
| 20 – 30 seconds | 45-60% |
| 30 – 60 seconds | 35-50% |
| 60 – 90 seconds | 30-45% |
| Over 90 seconds | 20-35% |
As the table shows, shorter videos under 30 seconds tend to have the highest completion rates on LinkedIn. Viewer attention spans drop significantly after the first 30 seconds.
By Ad Objective
| Ad Objective | Benchmark Completion Rate |
|---|---|
| Brand awareness | 40-50% |
| Lead generation | 45-55% |
| Website visits | 35-45% |
| Video views | 55-70% |
Videos optimized for maximum views, such as funny videos, tend to have the highest completion rates. But even serious videos aimed at generating leads and site traffic should strive for 45%+ completion.
By Audience Persona
| Audience | Benchmark Completion Rate |
|---|---|
| Students | 50-60% |
| HR professionals | 45-55% |
| Marketing professionals | 55-65% |
| Sales professionals | 40-50% |
| Entrepreneurs | 55-65% |
Younger audiences and professional groups tend to have higher LinkedIn video completion rates. Sales videos see slightly lower completion, but still aim for 40%+.
How to Improve Your LinkedIn Video Completion Rates
If your current LinkedIn video completion rates fall below these benchmarks, here are some tips to improve your results:
- Keep videos concise under 30 seconds when possible for greater retention.
- Highlight key value props and calls-to-action within the first 10 seconds.
- Use strong visuals and minimal text to capture attention fast.
- Avoid long talking-head videos; use engaging B-roll and graphics.
- Test different thumbnail images to drive more clicks.
- Analyze audience demographics and interests to create targeted content.
- A/B test video styles and messaging to see what resonates best.
Continually optimizing your video ads and testing different creative approaches will help improve completion rates over time. But comparing your results to these LinkedIn video benchmarks serves as a good starting point for evaluation.
Conclusion
To summarize, the average LinkedIn video completion rate is around 42-48% overall. But shorter videos of under 30 seconds tend to see higher completion above 50%. Rates also vary based on ad objectives and target audiences. Completion rates above 40-50% are a good goal to aim for in most cases.
Tracking and benchmarking LinkedIn video completion metrics is important to gauge engagement and optimize for better ad results. With compelling messaging and creative, you can improve completion rates and drive greater ad impact across LinkedIn audiences.
