Dwell Time Metrics

Dwell time is a form of measurement/metrics that looks at how long (or short) a user stays looking at content. It’s a way of getting at user engagement, although it’s a very basic kind of engagement (just as clicking is a very basic form of engagement). It’s also a rather blunt tool for trying to figure out what kinds of content might or might not resonate with users. Yet some platforms have started to use it or a variant of it as a way of gauging content quality. This is not entirely surprising, given how many basic, entry-level engagement metrics are at our disposal.

Content relevance and quality on social media ranks higher—literally and figuratively—if it gives users what they want and keeps them part of the experience for as long as possible. The most desired state is when users stay on a platform and engage with its posts. The best way to achieve that desired state is to create posts that are so engaging they keep users reading and, thus, 'dwell' as long as they can. Posts that keep users around are given more reach, to use the social media cop-out of the phrase 'more reach.'

Dwell Time Metrics are crucial for marketers, businesses, and influencers to keep track of if they want to get the most out of their content strategies. The metric informs them about a particular piece of content and what kind of audience it attracts. More importantly, it can show which pieces of content are likely to keep that audience engaged long enough to convert to a desired action, all the while affording the content creators time to make adjustments and improve on that engagement.

Various kinds of content produce different dwell times—videos usually yield longer times than static images, while interactive content such as polls or carousel posts may capture even more prolonged engagement. When you analyze these patterns, you see the key to an effective strategy. If you want to align with the platform’s user base, you need to be with their preferences and practices.

In addition, click-through rates (CTR), impressions, reach, and engagement rates can also be used in conjunction with Dwell Time Metrics to form a comprehensive understanding of the life cycle of a piece of content. These metrics can tell us what a piece of content is doing from the moment it is seen to the moment it is clicked. When Dwell Time is also understood in relation to these other basic metrics of social media performance, it offers a newly powerful means for power users, brands, and creators to claw their way back up the feed—to be boosted again by the algorithms that govern so much of our online lives.