Netflix releases data on when viewers get hooked on a series. Here’s how to apply this thinking to your content strategy.

Have you ever noticed that you don’t start liking a TV series on the first episode? It takes a couple episodes to really get into the story and want more (and that’s where the binge-watching starts…).

Netflix has been analyzing its data to try and figure out exactly how long it takes viewers to make the engagement to watch the entire season of a given show.

And that data is really interesting.

In the article I wanted to share today, Ben Travers (Indiewire) reports on data recently released by Netflix.

The streaming giant analyzed its mountain of data to try and discover at roughly what episode 70% of viewers would watch the entire season of a series. For example, this happens at about episode 2 for Mad Men and at episode 8 of How I Met Your Mother.

How is this interesting for content marketers?

It reminds us that when creating serialized content, or even simply content that is published on a regular basis (like this newsletter for example), people will not create a habit right away to come back, subscribe or even read/watch more. We have to help them go deeper, watch more, read more, to create that connection.

This can be done in multiple ways: with suggested content, retargeting, etc. But the main thing to remember is that if this is their first experience with your content, don’t flash that subscription form on their screen right away. Allow them to discover more, keep them active and you’ll then be able to make them a fan much more easily.