[FAQ]

Hey,

I’ve been spending more time in my YouTube Studio, specifically on the ‘Reach’ tab, and I keep seeing this funnel: Impressions -> CTR -> Views.

I think I get what each part means. Impressions are how many times my thumbnail was shown. CTR is the percentage of people who clicked. Views are… well, views.

But when people talk about the “impressions funnel,” what am I supposed to be doing with this? My impressions seem okay, but my CTR is kind of low (like 3-4%). Does this mean I have a thumbnail problem? Or is the problem my watch time (which is also not great)? How do all these pieces connect, and where’s the most important place to focus my energy to improve the whole funnel?

Any advice on how to read this chart properly would be super helpful. Thanks.

[Jeff Bullas]

This is the central report for diagnosing your channel’s health.

Quick Answer: The impressions funnel (Impressions > CTR > Views > Watch Time) shows you precisely where you are losing potential viewers. A low CTR, as you’ve noted, is almost always a “packaging” problem.

Your energy should be focused on improving the two content formats that control your CTR: your thumbnail and your title.

The funnel is a simple diagnostic tool. Impressions are the number of times YouTube has shown your video’s packaging—its visual format (the thumbnail) and its text format (the title)—to a user. Your Click-Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who saw that package and clicked. A low CTR means your packaging is not compelling enough to earn the click, so this is your first bottleneck to fix. You must improve your visual format by creating thumbnails that are clear, high-contrast, and create curiosity. You must also improve your text format by writing titles that are keyword-rich but also make a strong, emotional promise. Only after you fix your CTR should you worry about watch time. If you have a high CTR but low watch time, that signals your video and audio formats failed to deliver on the promise your packaging made.

Cheers,

Jeff

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