Strike Overview
- The introduction of Shorts as a YouTube TrueView ad objective opens new opportunities for advertisers, tapping into the growing trend of short-form video content and broadening reach.
- YouTube Shorts has seen a surge in popularity, with 43% of major advertisers now using the format to promote their largest clients, highlighting its growing influence in digital brand promotion.
- By integrating YouTube TrueView and Shorts ads, you can reach a wider audience while maintaining cost-efficiency and driving meaningful engagement.
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This post was updated in September 2024 to provide you with the latest information.
Make the Most of YouTube TrueView with Shorts Ads
YouTube TrueView ads offers an effective way to reach your target audience and drive engagement. If you are looking for a powerful way to advertise your brand on YouTube, this has been a long-proven staple for YouTube advertising campaigns which makes sure that your ads appear to those truly interested and engaged with related content to your ads.
What Are TrueView Ads and How Can Advertisers Benefit?
With this advancement, both audiences and advertisers receive a better experience when viewing ads and promoting ads on the YouTube app. Designed to enhance the viewer experience, TrueView ads ensure you only pay when users actively choose to watch your video content.
Types of TrueView Ads
- TrueView in-stream ads: By its name, YouTube TrueView in-stream ads appear within YouTube video content.
- YouTube TrueView Skippable ads: These ads appear before, during, or after videos and can be skipped after 5 seconds. Advertisers pay only if viewers watch the ad for at least 30 seconds or interacts with it. This format is useful for quickly presenting your brand and generating recall, even if the viewer skips the ad.
- YouTube TrueView Non-skippable: With a duration of up to 15 seconds, these ads must be watched in full before the viewer can proceed. Advertisers are charged based on impressions using a CPM model. This format is effective for ensuring that viewers see your entire message, making them effective for conveying a complete message within the ad duration.
- TrueView discovery ads: These ads appear alongside other YouTube videos, on search results pages, or on websites within the Google Display Network. They attract viewers’ attention by appearing in contexts relevant to their interests, increasing the likelihood of engagement with your content.
How YouTube TrueView Ads Benefit Advertisers
With its vast reach and ability to cross-promote content, YouTube Shorts offers a range of benefits for brands looking to increase their brand visibility. By integrating vertical video ads into TrueView Ads campaigns, advertisers can effectively boost awareness while staying cost-effective.
One of the significant benefits of in-stream ads is that advertisers only pay when viewers watch their ad for at least 30 seconds or until the video’s end, whichever comes first. Advertisers also incur charges when viewers click on cards or other in-stream creative elements. This advertising format allows advertisers to target specific audiences and track their campaigns’ success through YouTube’s analytics tools.
How YouTube TrueView Ads Benefit Creators
YouTube allows Shorts creators to keep 45% of the revenue generated from views, providing a reliable and rewarding compensation model. This change makes YouTube Shorts a compelling option for both creators and brands interested in influencer marketing.
Additionally, Google Marketing Live 2024 introduced a new feature for advertisers looking to leverage influencer content and user-generated content (UGC). Brands can now identify which video creators have tagged their products and select these videos for sponsorship as paid ads, facilitating more targeted and effective collaborations.
Further Reading
What’s the Latest in YouTube Shorts Advertising?
YouTube Shorts has evolved significantly, continuously improving to offer better experiences for advertisers and enhance viewer engagement. Learn more about the major developments in the evolution of YouTube Shorts ads.
Understanding YouTube TrueView Ad Formats on Mobile
As of Q2 2024, YouTube, with its $8 billion platform, has simplified both viewing and ad distribution on mobile devices. Besides traditional ad placements within standard YouTube videos, the platform has followed the short-form video trend with YouTube Shorts.
YouTube Shorts presents an excellent opportunity for advertisers to broaden their reach. YouTube Shorts Ads are swipeable videos or image ads between Shorts in the Shorts Feed. Combining YouTube Shorts with in-stream ads allows for a robust video advertising strategy where ads play before or during another video from a YouTube partner. Viewers can watch the advertisement for five seconds before choosing to continue or skip it.
How YouTube Shorts and TrueView Ads Work Together
YouTube TrueView ads seamlessly integrate with YouTube Shorts, appearing between Shorts in the feed just as they do in long-form videos. Viewers have the option to swipe past or engage with these ads.
Further Reading
Best Practices for Advertising on YouTube Shorts
Before launching your YouTube Shorts campaign, ensure you’re well-prepared by reviewing the ad specifications, setup process, and best practices for maximizing this ad format.
For instance, if a user’s feed predominantly features cooking and food-related content, and you’re promoting a food ordering app, the algorithm will likely place your TrueView ads in their Shorts feed, targeting users who are already interested in related content. The algorithm tailors ad placement to match user interests, ensuring that your ad reaches viewers who are most likely to be interested in your product.
Best Practices for TrueView Ads Creative
For your YouTube TrueView ads to capture attention, they must be optimized for all viewing platforms, including the YouTube app, desktop and mobile views, and YouTube TV. To do so, make sure your ad creatives align with the latest YouTube ad specs.
Boost your TrueView ad success with these top 10 best practices. Want to make your TrueView ads stand out? Follow these guidelines to create video ads that grab users’ attention and drive engagement:
- Hook viewers in the first five seconds. Remember, users can skip your ad after this time. Use this crucial period to convince them to keep watching.
- Keep it short and sweet. Aim for 30 to 60 seconds to maximize user engagement.
- Include clear calls to action. Tell users what to do after watching your ad.
- Give viewers time to act. Reserve the last ten seconds (or more) for a static call-to-action, giving users time to click and explore.
- Use a compelling, descriptive title. Reinforce your call-to-action and branding.
- Choose an eye-catching thumbnail. Entice users to click and view your video.
- Make your ad interactive. Use annotations and cards to enhance user engagement.
- Tailor your ad for the platform. Create targeted advertisements that cater to specific YouTube content.
- Experiment with multiple ad variations. See what resonates best with your target audience.
- Create great content. Consider using emotionally compelling, entertaining, and informative.
Following these tips, you can create TrueView ads that captivate viewers, drive engagement, and help you achieve your advertising goals.
What is the True Value of YouTube TrueView Ads?
With TrueView, you pay only when someone completes the view, but there’s much more to gain from the actions users take beyond that initial view. Understanding the full value of TrueView is crucial to optimizing your campaign’s performance.
How to Set Up TrueView Ads for YouTube Shorts
To organize your campaign and make sure YouTube Shorts is included in your TrueView ads placements, follow these steps:
1. Create a new campaign under your selected Google Ads account.
2. Choose “Create a campaign without a goal’s guidance” as your objective, then click “Continue.”
3. Select “Video” as your campaign type and click “Continue” again. Choose the appropriate campaign subtype based on your goals for your YouTube ads.
For this example, let’s use “Video Views”. Then hit “Continue”.
4. In the Campaign settings section, enter the required details as follows:
- Campaign name
- Bid strategy
- Budget and dates
- Networks
- Locations
- Languages
To make sure your ads appear in different formats suitable for your target audience’s algorithm, make sure the checkbox under “Multi-format ads” is ticked.
Proceed to fill out the details under the Ad group section.
5. In the Ads section, add your YouTube video ad by pasting the URL. Once you do so, you will see a preview of how your videos will appear as in-stream and Shorts ads.
You can upload up to 5 videos in both horizontal and vertical formats. Vertical video formats will only appear as YouTube Shorts ads, and horizontal formats can appear on both in-stream, and Shorts.
6. Finish setting up your campaign by completing the Bid section, then click “Create campaign”.
Curious to Explore the Untapped Potential of YouTube Shorts Ads?
Short-form video content will continue dominating digital screens, with YouTube Shorts leading the trend. Creators are increasingly focusing on Shorts, driving the demand for engaging video content and prompting YouTube to continually evolve to meet new viewing habits.
At Strike Social, we take your YouTube campaigns to new heights. Our team works tirelessly to optimize your campaigns 24/7. Our data-driven approach ensures we achieve your advertising goals at the lowest possible cost. Trust us to be your partner in success.
It’s essential to understand the importance of video content in the advertising industry, especially with YouTube’s dominance. Keeping up with trends and evolving your advertising strategies is crucial to meeting consumers’ demands. Contact our team and we’ll help you achieve your goals and stay ahead of the competition.
