Marketing Blog & Tools

Short answer:

With the example inputs below (watch 35%, CTR 1.2%, site CR 2%, AOV $80):

• With a watch-time gate ON (25%) → eligible views ≈ 17,500, clicks ≈ 210, conversions ≈ 4, revenue ≈ $336.

• Without a gate → eligible views 50,000, clicks 600, conversions 12, revenue ≈ $960.

Your real result depends on watch time → CTR → site conversion → AOV. Use the calculator below to plug in your numbers.

Why this matters in El Paso

Local buyers flip between YouTube, Reels/TikTok, and Google Maps, often in English and Spanish. If your video wins attention but doesn’t move viewers to the site (or your page doesn’t convert), you’re paying for views—not customers. Estimating dollars from views helps you:

• set a watch-time/CTR goal for creative,

• decide whether to add Spanish captions/landing, and

• justify budget toward formats that actually ring the phone.

What’s a watch-time gate (and when to use it)?

A watch-time gate is a filter in the calculator that only counts viewers who watched past a certain point (e.g., 25% of the video or ~15s of a 60s clip). Eligible views → clicks → conversions are then calculated from that engaged subset instead of all views.

Why you’d use a gate

• Conservative forecasting: ignores low-intent scrollers and autoplay “blips.”

• Longer videos: real interest typically shows up after the hook; gating approximates this.

• Late CTA: your offer/benefit appears mid-video; counting only post-CTA viewers is more realistic.

• Quality targeting: helpful when you care more about buyers than raw reach.

Why you might not use a gate

• Short-form or early CTA: if clicks happen in the first seconds, a gate can underestimate revenue.

• You’re paying for all views: gating may hide the scale you actually bought and the upside of a strong hook.

• Top-funnel goals: when the goal is awareness/retargeting volume, use ungated to see total impact.

How to set the threshold

• Start at 20–30% (or the moment your value + CTA first appear).

• Check platform retention charts; align the gate to the first meaningful moment.

How it works (101)

• Views: the platform’s view count.

• Avg watch (%): average percent watched.

• CTR to site (%): clicks to your site per eligible view.

• Site conversion rate (%): buyers per click.

• AOV ($): average order value.

Math:

• If gate ON: eligible_views ≈ views × (avg_watch% ÷ 100) (or scaled by your threshold).

• clicks = eligible_views × (CTR ÷ 100)

• conversions = clicks × (CR ÷ 100)

• revenue = conversions × AOV

Example (same as the short answer):

• Views 50,000, watch 35%, CTR 1.2%, CR 2%, AOV $80, gate 25% →
  eligible 17,500 → clicks 210 → conversions 4.2 → ≈ $336.

Make it real: step-by-step

1 – Enter last video’s numbers (or targets for the next one).

2 – Flip the gate ON if you only want viewers who watched past the hook (e.g., 25%).

3 – Benchmark two states:

• • Current: your actual averages.

  • Target: a better hook or ES/EN landing that improves CTR/CR.

4 – Pick the bigger lever for this video:

• Improve watch time (better hook in first 3–5 seconds) to increase eligible views.

• Improve CTR (clear CTA, link on-screen + description + comments).

• Improve CR (fast page, ES/EN match, one obvious action).

5 – Ship one change, then re-measure with the calculator.

El Paso tips (bilingual wins)

• Add Spanish captions and an ES landing page when creative is Spanish-first—CTR and CR typically lift.

• Put “Call/WhatsApp ahora” and “Book in English/Spanish” in the end card and the first line of the description.

• For service businesses, send traffic to a single action (book, call, quote) rather than a general homepage.

One-week action plan

Day 1: Pull your last video’s watch %, CTR, and site CR; enter them.
Day 2: Write a new hook (5 variations) and choose one CTA.
Day 3: Build a matching ES/EN landing (same promise, headline, and offer).
Day 4: Publish the new cut and pin the link; add a comment with the link too.
Day 5–6: Monitor watch %, CTR, and page speed; fix anything slow/confusing.
Day 7: Re-run the calculator with the new metrics; keep what moved revenue most.

Main takeaways

• Dollars from views come from a simple chain: watch → CTR → CR → AOV.

• Gated eligible views helps you ignore low-intent scrollers.

• The biggest wins often come from better hooks and ES/EN landing alignment.

• Track per-video revenue per 1,000 views (RPM-site) to compare creatives.