Case: rewriting only the first 3 seconds raised Reel reach 2.4x

Case: rewriting only the first 3 seconds raised Reel reach 2.4x
A finance account (52k) republished 18 underperformers with new opening frames, content otherwise identical. Matched-pair design.
— Original median reach: 6,100
— Re-hooked median reach: 14,600 (2.4x)
— Mechanism: 3-second retention rose from 38% to 61%; that single threshold gated further distribution
No new filming, no new audio — only the cold-open.
So what: the 3s retention gate is the highest-leverage variable in the funnel; fix it before anything else. (n=18 matched pairs, 45-day window)