A creative test log you'll actually read
Tests without a written record get re-run every quarter at full cost. Log these fields per test, then review on a rhythm that feeds a hypothesis backlog.
9 min read
Eight retention curve shapes and their causes
A diagnostic taxonomy for retention graphs: eight shapes, the look-alikes that get confused, and the discrimination test that tells them apart before you edit.
9 min read
Good abandonment: when drop-off isn't failure
A viewer who leaves after getting the answer is not the same as one who leaves bored, but average percentage viewed scores them the same. What to use instead.
9 min read
'No clear winner' is a result
An inconclusive Test & Compare result is information, not a glitch. Why variants were too similar or impressions too thin, and what to change before you re-run.
9 min read
Packaging problem or content problem?
Click-through and retention form a two-by-two that tells you whether to repackage or re-edit. Most creators re-edit videos that only needed a new title.
9 min read
Padding cliffs and publishing at true length
Stretching a six-minute idea to clear a runtime threshold leaves a visible seam in the retention graph. How to spot it and compare per-video return honestly.
9 min read
Peeking is why your creative tests lie
Early data favours whichever variant posted first and often reverses with volume. Pre-commit a sample size and a stop rule before you look.
8 min read
Score hooks at 24 hours, not at 7 days
Lifetime views are dominated by later distribution, not by your hook. A fixed 24-hour checkpoint sheet that reads average watch time instead of view counts.
9 min read
Size a thumbnail test by impressions
A two-point CTR gap is invisible until each variant has thousands of impressions. Here is the sizing math, and which videos are worth testing.
8 min read
Testing Shorts covers without a native tool
Shorts sit outside YouTube's native thumbnail test. A consecutive-post protocol, the metric to hold fixed, and the confound that wrecks most cover tests.
8 min read
The Virality Predictor as a Pre-Publish Gate
Chasing an absolute virality score is a dead end. Running the predictor on two cuts of the same video is a gate that decides which one ships.
9 min read
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