By Tangenix · Published 2026-10-23 · Free template

Video Retention Review Template

Inspect video exits, top moments and replay spikes with timestamped hypotheses and concrete editorial changes.

When to use this template

Use this after a video has enough processed reporting to examine where viewing behavior changed, and you can review the corresponding footage.

Choose another approach when: You plan to treat every replay as praise, compare unlike formats without context, or claim a cause from a graph alone.

Gather these inputs

The video-level retention report and observation date.
The actual video timeline, title and thumbnail.
Relevant comments and the viewer task the video promised.

Copy and adapt the template

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Video Retention Review Template: editable text

Worked example

Illustrative example, not a Crany customer result. Replace every example detail with facts you can verify.

At an illustrative video’s setup section, retention falls while the screen shows a long permissions dialog.
Hypothesis A: viewers do not understand why permission is needed. Hypothesis B: viewers already know the setup and are skipping ahead.
A later replay spike occurs during the final export step. It may reflect usefulness or unclear instructions, so inspect the screen and relevant questions before labeling it a success.
Next experiment: explain the required permission in one sentence, keep the real setup visible and make the export state easier to read. Do not claim the graph proves either diagnosis.

How to use it

Locate the reporting pattern and watch the exact corresponding footage.
Write at least one alternative explanation before choosing an edit.
Use the observation to improve a specific segment or next recording, retaining the original evidence.

Check before using it

The report is for the correct video, audience context and period.
A replay spike is not automatically called positive engagement.
The proposed edit preserves truthful prerequisites and limitations.

What to measure

Compare relevant later observations and viewer feedback while acknowledging audience changes. The worksheet generates editing hypotheses; it does not make an uncontrolled before-and-after comparison causal.

Research and sources

YouTube explains key moments, intro behavior and ambiguous replay spikes. The timestamped hypothesis worksheet is an original review method; no universal retention target is asserted.

YouTube: Measure key moments for audience retention — checked 2026-10-23. Inspect intro drop-off, top moments and spikes without assuming a spike proves approval.

This original template and worked example were prepared with AI assistance. Source documentation supports the principles stated above; it does not endorse Crany or guarantee this template’s performance.

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Crany is an AI marketing co-founder in development for software founders and vibe coders, designed to strategize, execute approved marketing and improve based on results. This free resource is usable independently of the product. Join the public waitlist.