In short: Measure a video against the job it was made for. Write the goal down before you publish, then pick one or two numbers that match it: views and watch time for awareness, clicks and enquiries for leads, and sales or sign-ups for sales. Record a starting point to compare against, and set the date you will review the numbers before the video goes live.
A video has worked when the thing it was made to do has happened more often than before. View counts show that people saw it. They do not show that it did its job.
Start with the job
Before you measure anything, write one sentence that says what the video is for. "This video should make a plant manager book a site visit" is a job. "This video should be good" is not. The job tells you which numbers to watch.
Spiel Creative's FAQ on video success makes the same split. Brand awareness is judged by views, reach and engagement. Lead generation is judged by conversions, click-through rates and the time people spend on your website after they have watched.
Pick one or two numbers
| Goal | Numbers to watch | The question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Views, reach, watch time | Did people stay long enough to take in the message? |
| Enquiries | Clicks to the contact page, enquiries, time on the site after watching | Did anyone get in touch because of the video? |
| Sales or sign-ups | Purchases, sign-ups, cost per sale or sign-up | What did each sale or sign-up cost? |
| Training or internal use | Completion rate, questions afterwards | Did people finish it, and did they use what it taught? |
Two numbers is usually enough. More than that and nobody reads the report.
Set a starting point
Write down the figure you are trying to move before the video goes live. If the website brings in eight enquiries a month, that is the number to compare against. Without it, forty enquiries in a month tells you nothing.
Track what happens after the watch
A video can collect many views and still produce no action. Track what viewers do next: a sign-up, a call, a reply to an email, a purchase. Spiel's advice is to look past the vanity numbers to the actions that follow.
Use the tools you already have. Spiel names YouTube Studio, Google Analytics and each platform's own dashboard. For paid promotion, watch the watch time and the cost per view as well. Give the video's links their own tags, so you can see which visits came from it.
Ask the people who got in touch
Comments and sales conversations can be as useful as the data. Add a simple question to your enquiry form: "How did you hear about us?" Note the answers in a shared sheet. After a few weeks the answers show whether the video is bringing people in.
A worked example
Suppose a business commissions a 90-second explainer for its website. The goal is enquiries. Before publishing, it records eight enquiries a month through the contact form, and it sets the review for six weeks after launch.
At review, views look modest. But enquiries have risen to twelve in the review month, and three of the new ones mention the video. Those are the numbers that matter. The business keeps the video on the page and makes a shorter cut for social channels.
Common mistakes
- Judging the video on views alone.
- Having no starting point, so every result looks either good or bad by default.
- Changing the goal once the numbers arrive.
- Reviewing too early, or never.
- Forgetting that some videos are for staff, and measuring them as if they were ads.
For a shoot planned around a goal like this, see Content Studio days. For the timing that sits before the measuring, read how long a video takes to make. If you need a cut for a second channel, shooting vertical and horizontal in one day covers how to plan both.
Sources
- Spiel Creative, Top 20 most common FAQs about video production, read 5 November 2026
Related guides
The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.
Questions we get asked
How do you know if a video has worked?
Check it against the goal you set before publishing. A video meant to raise awareness is judged on views, reach and watch time. A video meant to bring in enquiries is judged on clicks, enquiries and what people do after watching.
Are video views a good measure of success?
Views show that a video was seen, not that it did anything. Look past the view count to what viewers did next, such as getting in touch, signing up or buying.
When should you judge a video's performance?
Set the review date before you publish. That stops you judging the video on its first day, and it stops the numbers being forgotten altogether.
granary.digital · 01243 884993 · studio@granary.digital · The Old Grainstore, Adsdean, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 9DN · Prices exclude VAT unless marked inc VAT