I started a short-form history page on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook on Oct 29, 2026. This report is how I'd report to a client every week: the numbers, what they mean, and one clear test to fix the biggest problem.
TikTok, last 7 days, unless noted.
TikTok all-time views per part. Parts 7–9 (war and falls, 33–45s) averaged 542 views. Parts 3–6 averaged 184.
Part 9 (best video) retention, plus Facebook and Instagram averages for Parts 7–10.
Average watch was 11.5s of 33s. The biggest drop is at 0:02, before the story starts.
Every video opened with the same sepia picture, a "Part N" tag and a voice reading the part number. Nothing tells the viewer why they should stay.
86% of viewers are new. "Part 6" tells them they walked into the middle of a series.
Old engravings, dim sepia colors and slow zooms are hard to read on a small screen.
Zero shares and almost no comments. No question, no poll, no reason to tag a friend.
Parts 11–20 keep the old format (control). Parts 21–30 use the new format. All 20 are already scheduled at 7:00 PM Manila time on all 3 platforms, so the only thing that changes is the format.
| What | Old format (Parts 11–20) | New format (Parts 21–30) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| First 2 seconds | "Greek Mythology, Part N" | A hook line first, part number never spoken | Viewers drop at 0:02 |
| Length | 42–58s | 26–37s | 33–45s parts got about 3x the views |
| Part tag | Big title on screen | Small tag in the corner | Don't tell new viewers they're "behind" |
| Images | Dark sepia engravings | Brighter images, nudity cropped or swapped | Easier to read on a phone, fewer filters |
| Music | Calm | Epic, faster | Matches the conflict that performed best |
| Ending | "Follow for Part N" | A question for the comments | 0 shares, almost no comments |
| Metric | Old format (13–17) | New format (21–25) | Win if |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-second views (% of views) | Pending | Pending | New is 10+ points higher |
| Average watch time (% of length) | Pending | Pending | New is higher |
| % watched to the end | Pending | Pending | Above 15% (from 9.5%) |
| New follows per video | Pending | Pending | New is higher |
| Comments per video | Pending | Pending | New is higher |
If the new format wins, all future videos switch to it. If it loses or ties, I keep it short and test one change at a time, starting with the hook.
Week 1: pull reach, engagement rate, watch time, follows and leads for every platform.
Find the biggest leak: no reach, people leaving early, or people watching but not acting.
Change one thing (hook, length, format, CTA, posting time) and keep a control group.
Compare after enough posts. For paid posts, add spend, cost per result and cost per lead.
3 numbers, what worked, what changes next week. Daily updates on Slack, a full report each week.