The pandemic has significantly influenced modern consumer behavior, resulting in an upturn in social commerce and video consumption. Among all the social networks, TikTok has seen an unprecedented surge in video ad views, indicating a massive increase in user engagement. Contrary to popular belief, the data so far shows that it’s not just the younger generation that is fixated on the #FYP; people of all ages and backgrounds are tuning in. With thousands of viral videos, from #BookTok to #CleanTok, TikTok has established itself as a formidable social video platform industry contender.

From 2-Second Views to Full Plays: Exploring TikTok’s Video View Ad Metrics

• What is a TikTok Ad View?
• What is a 2-second view in a TikTok Video ad?
• What is a 6-second view in a TikTok ad?
• How Does TikTok Focused View Objective Compute Cost Per View?
• Boosting Your TikTok Ad Campaigns with Video Ad View Metrics

Despite concerns about TikTok’s future in the US, the app remains a highly popular and engaging platform. With its user-friendly interface and a wide range of creative features, individuals and brands have discovered innovative ways to captivate audiences and boost their presence on TikTok continually. This includes leveraging the TikTok video editor to create and edit captivating videos.

According to a recent report from Statista, TikTok is emerging as a strong competitor to the popular streaming service Netflix. US adults spend 56 minutes daily on TikTok, only 6 minutes less than on Netflix. This data indicates that TikTok has captivated the attention of the masses and become an integral part of their daily lives.

Knowing the pulse of a growing trend is imperative in the advertising industry, as well as the engagement rate to further deduce overall intention and resonate with audiences. The growth of TikTok presents a unique opportunity for brands and businesses to capitalize on trends and improve their ROAS. And as more TikTok users spend watch time on their FYP (For You Page), video views for TikTok ads will continue to skyrocket.

Comparing the Different Types of Video View Metrics on TikTok Ads

To make the most of this opportunity, it’s important to understand the nuances of TikTok video views metrics, precisely the difference between View, 2-second, and 6-second views. By mastering these metrics and knowing when to use each, advertisers can optimize their campaigns for maximum impact.

What is a TikTok Ad View? 

The term paid “view” can mean different things on different platforms. On TikTok, any video ad playback is counted as a view, even if it’s just for a fraction of a second. However, as the platform is home to a community of hyper-swiper users, some video ads may be skipped over quickly, resulting in an ad impression instead of an ad view.

So, what’s the importance of TikTok ad view metrics? One significant benefit is that they can help you understand the effectiveness of your audience targeting by looking at your View Rate (VR). This metric shows whether viewers are skipping or ignoring your TikTok ads. To calculate the view rate manually, divide the total number of video ad views (Views) by the total number of ads served (Impressions).

Let’s delve into an example of a TikTok view campaign. Our recent campaign had a View Rate of 92.24% and a Frequency of 1.29. We can infer that the campaign message effectively reaches most target demographics with these metrics. Furthermore, we can deduce that most viewers are not quick-swipers, meaning they are more likely to consume the video ad content, ultimately improving the chances of driving conversions.

Related article: TikTok Brand Awareness Ad Objective: An Opportunity Media Buyers Should Know About

What is a 2-second view in a TikTok Video ad?

As advertisers compete for consumers’ attention on social media platforms, creating video ads worth the viewers’ time has become increasingly essential. At Strike Social, our team believes the 2-second Video View is a more valuable metric when calculating the TikTok Ads’ Cost Per View (CPV). According to a report by insiderintelligence.com, social media users have an average attention span of just 1.3 seconds when it comes to creative advertising opportunities. This is far shorter than TV consumers’ acceptable 30-second commercial attention span.

Using the 2-second Video View metric, advertisers can better understand how many viewers are engaged with their content beyond the initial impression. This can help them optimize their ad campaigns and reach the appropriate audience. With the right metrics, like 2-second video plays, it can significantly impact the success of a TikTok advertising campaign.

Related article: TikTok Consideration Objectives: Fuels Consumers’ Intent to Purchase

What is a 6-second view in a TikTok ad?

Being the center of internet culture and entertainment platforms, TikTok has proven its ability to produce viral trends and generate buzz around brands and businesses. TikTok ads deliver the same result as paid marketing efforts. The video-sharing platform treats viewership as equally important as other forms of engagement. The campaign successfully secures their undivided attention when viewers are determined to watch an ad for six seconds or more. This increases the ad’s memorability and drives top-of-mind brand recall.

The 6-second views metric is beneficial for brand campaigns to increase awareness and recall. Another metric that can complement the 6-second View in a TikTok ad campaign is the average watch time. It also effectively measures engagement, showing how many viewers are invested in the ad content beyond just scrolling past it.

Related article: TikTok Conversion Objective: Leveraging Short From Content to Social Commerce

How Does TikTok Focused View Objective Compute Cost Per View?

In the third quarter of 2022, TikTok introduced a new video ad objective called Focused View. This new feature allows advertisers to connect with their target audience with a high intention to engage or watch the ad. Previously, video ads on TikTok were measured by Cost per Thousand Views (CPMV). But with the introduction of Tiktok’s Focused View, the platform switched to a Cost per 6-Second video view. This means advertisers only pay when a user watches the ad for at least 6 seconds or engages with the advertisement within the first 6 seconds rather than just seeing it.

So, how does Focused View work exactly? TikTok’s algorithm is designed to optimize campaigns and serve ads to users likelier to watch the advertisement beyond 6 seconds. This optimization is based on various factors such as user behavior, interests, and demographics. In addition to emotional engagement through viewership, TikTok’s algorithm also targets interactive engagement through visible ad interaction. This means the platform favors users with higher engagement chances, such as likes, comments, and shares.

By targeting users more likely to interact and connect, Focused View delivers higher engagement rates and better ROI for advertisers. In one of TikTok’s advertising partners, the 6-second Focused View objective drove an 11% increase in ad recall, an 18% more cost-efficient 2-second CPV, and a 53% higher average watch time per view, 2.8x higher completion rate.

Boosting Your TikTok Ad Campaigns with Video Ad View Metrics

TikTok is increasingly emerging as a significant player in the entertainment industry, demonstrated by its remarkable surge in organic and paid video views, causing it to compete with major platforms such as YouTube and Netflix.

The platform’s continuous rollout of new features, such as discovery and search, ticket retailing, and paywalled 20-minute videos, has kept users, creators, and brands engaged and involved. As more users spend time on their FYP, TikTok video views ads are expected to surge. Understanding each Video ad View metric and optimizing campaigns based on pacing can help businesses and brands capitalize on this trend and improve their return on ad spend (ROAS).

At our agency, we’ve worked with TikTok since 2019, building and refining paid campaigns within TikTok’s Business Center. We have extensive experience using TikTok’s native audiences and contextual search targeting to guarantee impressive metrics for our clients’ local campaigns within the DMA and most City levels.

With our expertise and understanding of TikTok’s video views metrics, we can help your business achieve maximum impact and success on the platform. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help your brand succeed on TikTok.