How do I calculate ROI on video?
Short Answer:
At its simplest, video ROI is the value generated by the video minus its cost, divided by that cost. The key is defining what "value" means before you produce — leads, sales, recruitment, or awareness — and tracking it. Because video often influences results indirectly, ROI combines hard metrics (conversions, sales) with softer ones (engagement, brand lift).
Overview
Calculating video ROI starts before filming, by deciding what success looks like and how you will measure it. Video frequently assists conversions rather than causing them directly, so a good ROI picture blends direct and assisted value.
Detailed Explanation
How to measure video ROI
Set the goal first: awareness, leads, sales support, or recruitment — each is measured differently.
Track direct results: conversions, sign-ups, or sales tied to the video via analytics and UTM links.
Track assisted value: conversions the video contributed to, even if it was not the final click.
Include the full cost: production plus distribution and media spend.
Compare like-for-like: landing pages or campaigns with and without the video.
Measure over time: good content keeps returning value long after launch.
ROI improves dramatically when distribution is planned up front rather than bolted on after delivery — a great video no one sees returns nothing.
Example
Adding a UTM-tagged product video to a landing page and comparing conversion rates against the video-free version over 90 days gives a clear, attributable measure of the lift the video created.