Video CTR Benchmarks by Platform: 2025 Edition

Benchmarks are useful for diagnosis, not for goal-setting. They tell you when something is unusually wrong — not when something is good enough. With that caveat, here's the current CTR data by platform, with context.

Meta (Facebook and Instagram)

Video ad CTR on Meta averages 0.70% to 1.10% for feed placements across industries in 2025. Story placements average lower: 0.30% to 0.60%. Reels placements are lower still in pure CTR terms but compensate with higher impression volumes and lower CPMs.

The spread is wide. DTC and ecommerce advertisers with optimized creative regularly achieve 1.5-3.0% CTR. B2B and consideration campaigns often see 0.3-0.6%. Industry matters more than platform for CTR — a financial services ad will have lower CTR than a fashion ad on the same platform, same placement, same budget.

What's unusually low: below 0.2% CTR on feed placements for conversion campaigns. At that level, the creative is either reaching the wrong audience or fundamentally failing to motivate action.

TikTok

TikTok CTRs are lower than Meta across the board, averaging 0.3% to 0.9% for in-feed video ads. The platform's user behavior — rapid scrolling, entertainment mindset — means fewer clicks per impression.

TikTok compensates with higher impression volumes at lower CPMs, so cost-per-click can be competitive despite lower CTR. And TikTok's value often extends beyond the click — brand awareness and consideration effects that don't show up in CTR data.

What's unusually low: below 0.15% CTR. At that level, the ad isn't working even accounting for TikTok's lower CTR norms.

YouTube

YouTube skippable in-stream ads average 0.30% to 0.65% CTR. Non-skippable ads have no CTR because the viewer can't click away. Discovery ads (in-search and related videos) average 0.50% to 1.20%, reflecting the higher intent of the viewer who searched for related content.

YouTube CTR is heavily influenced by the skip button. Ads that survive past the 5-second skip window have higher subsequent CTR because the engaged minority is self-selected for interest.

LinkedIn video ads average 0.25% to 0.44% CTR — lower than consumer platforms but with higher value per click due to B2B customer values. A 0.4% CTR on LinkedIn might generate more revenue per thousand impressions than a 2% CTR on Meta if the average deal size is large enough.

What's unusually low: below 0.15% on LinkedIn. The platform's audience is smaller and more expensive, so low CTR on LinkedIn is more costly than low CTR on higher-volume platforms.

How to use these numbers

Don't target a benchmark. Track your own historical CTR and work to improve it month over month. The only comparison that matters is your current performance vs. your past performance.

If your CTR is below the ranges listed here, investigate. The most common causes: weak hook (low thumbstop rate reducing the pool of potential clickers), weak CTA (people watch but don't click), or audience mismatch (people see the ad but aren't in-market).

If your CTR is above the ranges, don't assume you're winning. High CTR with low conversion rate means the ad is overpromising. High CTR from a narrow audience might mean you're capturing existing demand rather than creating new demand. CTR is a metric, not a verdict.