Metrics

Watch time

The total time people spend watching your videos — a core ranking input across platforms.

Watch time is the aggregate duration viewers spend on your content. Where retention is a per-video percentage, watch time is the cumulative total, and platforms treat it as a strong proxy for value: more total attention earned means more distribution.

Posting more clips from each long video multiplies watch time without making more source content — the core idea behind repurposing. Ten sharp 30-second clips can out-earn a single long upload in total watch time because each one is its own entry point.

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Related terms

Click-through rate (CTR)

The percentage of people who click after seeing your thumbnail or title — the gate to every other metric.

Aspect ratio

The width-to-height shape of a video — 9:16 vertical for shorts, 16:9 wide for YouTube.

Reframe

Re-cropping a wide video into vertical while keeping the subject centered as the action moves.

Captions

On-screen text of the spoken words — essential because most short-form is watched on mute.

Nva

Stop scrubbing. Start clipping.

Nova finds the moments worth posting and cuts them into captioned vertical clips — free to start.

Create your first clip