production Factor
B-Roll
Whether the video cuts away from the main speaker to show supplementary footage — locations, events, crowds, documents, or news clips that illustrate what the speaker is discussing.
B-roll is a major lever for retention — it gives the viewer something visually new while preserving narrative continuity. Videos without b-roll rely entirely on the speaker's face and voice to hold attention, which works only if the speaker is exceptional. B-roll is also a strong production-quality signal.
Effect on views
+0%
trend only
When present
The video uses b-roll cutaways to illustrate the speaker's points.
Videos with this factor
315K views
Trump is not thinking about your wallet. He’s thinking about what else he can stick his name on.
Cory Booker
13K views
The President’s NASA Budget is Dead on Arrival
George Whitesides
3K views
Sen. Coons on MS NOW: "Trump hasn’t listened, hasn’t learned, and is now putting us at great risk"
Christopher Coons
2K views
I’m introducing legislation to protect every American's freedom to travel for health care.
Catherine Cortez Masto
1K views
When absent
The video stays on the speaker without supplementary footage.
Videos without this factor
457K views
Slotkin to Hegseth: "Answer the question?"
Elissa Slotkin
16K views
The American people want nothing to do with this.
Brian Schatz
4K views
2K views
When you try to pass something in the middle of the night, it don’t pass the sniff test.
Janelle Bynum
1K views