Key stat: TikTok audiences watch just 21% of the average branded video, meaning 4 out of 5 viewers drop off before the end, according to a March report from Dash Social.

Beyond the chart:

• Heavy-handed branding is part of why viewers bail. Front-loading a social video with brand messaging cut the 25% view rate of paid Instagram and TikTok placements by 44%, and brand consideration dropped 41%, according to a Billion Dollar Boy analysis of creator-led ads.
• Modest retention hasn't slowed TikTok's reach, which is exploding in commerce categories. Average monthly video views grew 68% YoY, with wellness up 391%, CPG up 132%, and retail up 126%, according to EMARKETER's Industry KPIs data from Dash Social.

Use this chart: Drop this into your social strategy deck to reset expectations on TikTok performance. Benchmark your category against the 21% average, then use it to argue for entertainment-first edits that hook viewers early and save the brand message for the end, where retention and consideration hold up best.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• TikTok Marketing 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• Creator Economy 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is collected and analyzed quarterly by Dash Social, including posts from national and international companies across major social media platforms, including TikTok (n=917), Instagram (n=2,829), YouTube (n=684), Facebook (n=1,318), Pinterest (n=548), and X (755 companies) to ensure a comprehensive and representative sample. Only accounts with at least 1,000 followers were considered. Benchmarks were established by calculating the average performance of each brand, providing breakdowns by follower grouping as well as industry. Sample size among platforms, industries and follower buckets may vary.